Annual Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked Developing Countries' Foreign Ministers

BACKGROUND

Foreign Ministers of all LLDCs will gather at the 2020 United Nations General Assembly to agree priorities to be implemented in the remaining five years of the Vienna Programme of Action. Because they lack direct access to the sea and seaborne trade, the challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) are compounded by cumbersome transit and border procedures, and reliant on the often inadequate transport infrastructure of their coastal transit neighbours.

LLDCs therefore face high trade costs, which remain a major stumbling block for more full integration into the global economy. This, in turn, hinders their overall development. The Vienna Programme of Action (VPoA) for LLDCs aims to address these challenges in a coherent and integrated manner as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its unprecedented socio-economic impacts threaten to reverse progress made in the implementation of the VPoA and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. as well as derails the efforts to implement the Decade for Action. 

Strengthening partnerships, in particular between LLDCs, transit countries, development partners, relevant UN agencies and other international organisations and the private sector, will be fundamental to achieve the VPoA targets and SDGs. 

As the international community embarks on the Decade of Action to deliver on the SDGs by 2030 and strives to accelerate the implementation of the VPoA, greater support for LLDCs is essential. 

2020 also marks the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations. To mark the occasion, the UN General Assembly will gather under the theme, ‘The Future We Want, the UN We Need: Reaffirming our Collective Commitment to Multilateralism.’

This Ministerial meeting will contribute to the discussions to commemorate the 75th Anniversary to enhance global cooperation to achieve SDGs.

OBJECTIVES

The key objectives of the Ministerial Meeting include the following:

• Review the progress made by the LLDCs in the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, identify challenges faced and share knowledge, experiences and innovative approaches;
• Discuss the socio-economic impact of Covid-19 on LLDCs, share national experiences and identify recommendations for mitigating its impact.
• Identify opportunities for strengthening synergies between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Decade for Action, and the Vienna Programme of Action at the national level in LLDCs, as well as regional and global levels;
• Identify innovative mechanisms for partnership building and resource mobilization to accelerate the implementation of the VPoA and the achievement of the SDGs by LLDCs.
• Discuss the implementation of the Decade for Action by LLDCs.
• Adopt the Ministerial Declaration and launch the UN Roadmap for Accelerated Implementation of the VPoA.

EXPECTED OUTCOME

The Ministerial Meeting will reinforce their political commitment to the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action. They will also recommit to the outcome of the comprehensive High-Level Midterm Review, as well as the Decade for Action with a view to accelerating their implementation and achieve the SDGs in LLDCs.

The meeting will contribute to the discussions on the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the UN. The meeting will also share experiences on addressing the impact of COVID-19 and provide recommendations. The meeting will adopt a Ministerial Declaration of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries as well as the UN Roadmap for Accelerated Implementation of the VPoA. The Ministerial meeting adopts and aims to successfully launch its implementation.

PARTICIPATION

The Ministerial Meeting will be attended by Ministers and High-Level officials from the 32 LLDCs. Ministers and High-Level Officials from transit developing countries, development partners and high-level representatives of the UN system and other international and regional organizations will also be invited to participate.