Excellencies, dear colleagues,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

First of all, let me thank the Government of Turkmenistan for hosting us this week in this beautiful setting. The EU and its Member States welcome the convening of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), and are pleased to be here with all of you.

Colleagues,

We are living through an unprecedented moment of multiple intersecting crises, which disproportionately affect poorer countries and the most vulnerable. The EU sees an urgent need to support LLDCs in overcoming their unique challenges, in order to make meaningful progress toward the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To that end, we emphasize the importance of strong partnerships among governments, regional organizations, development partners and the private sector. Such collaboration is essential to mobilize resources, share knowledge, and implement effective solutions, ensuring LLDCs overcome their inherent obstacles, bolster their resilience, and open new pathways to sustainable growth.

It is in this spirit of continued engagement with LLDCs that the EU and its Member States welcome again the adoption of the Awaza Programme of Action for the decade 2024-2034. We have established a bold and ambitious framework for LLDCs – one that not only addresses ongoing challenges and builds resilience against future shocks but also accelerates the implementation of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement.

The Awaza Programme of Action reaffirms the critical importance of harnessing quality technology, innovation, and evidence-based scientific advancement to accelerate progress in LLDCs. It recognizes that overcoming the structural constraints of LLDCs – such as limited connectivity, high trade costs, and vulnerability to external shocks – requires integrated strategies that leverage digital transformation, strengthen regional and global trade linkages, and promote climate and economic resilience, in a fair and inclusive way. To translate these ambitions into action, the Programme calls for the mobilization of adequate financial and technical resources through enhanced international cooperation and multi-stakeholder partnerships. By aligning the priorities of the Awaza Programme with concrete investments in infrastructure, human capital, and knowledge systems, LLDCs can unlock new development pathways and ensure that no country is left behind.

Finance remains at the heart of this transformative agenda. While science, technology, and innovation provide critical tools, a fundamental shift in the international financial architecture is urgently needed. As agreed a few weeks ago in Sevilla, we must advance a more coherent, inclusive, and effective financing system that ensures increased, accessible, and efficient financial resources tailored to the specific needs of LLDCs, supporting their sustainable development pathways. The Pact for Prosperity, People and the Planet (4P) also offers a dialogue platform to discuss and develop new innovative tools.

In line with this vision, the EU is committed to mobilizing increased and more targeted financial resources from all sources to support LLDCs, in order to bolster our partnerships. Through initiatives like Global Gateway, we are investing in projects that enhance connectivity, strengthen quality, resilient, sustainable and inclusive infrastructure, and advance sustainability – empowering LLDCs to shift from being ‘land-locked’ to becoming dynamic, ‘land-linked’ hubs of opportunity.

For example, the EU is partnering with LLDCs in investments in digital, climate and energy, transport, health, education and research. The EU is funding selected strategic flagship projects that benefit LLDCs, such as the Lobito Corridor project, which involves laying hundreds of miles of railway track from the Copperbelt provinces of the DRC and Zambia to an existing line in neighbouring Angola. We are also supporting the N’Djamena-Douala corridor to improve connectivity between the Sahel and the gulf of Guinea, as well as a range of LLDCs across the Sudan-Sahel band through the landmark pledge towards the Great Green Wall Initiative. By mobilising more than EUR 700 million per year, we aim to help re-green the Sahel, engaging across sustainable agriculture, land restoration, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

In Central Asia, two flagship Team Europe Initiatives on Digital Connectivity, and Water Energy and Climate Change will contribute to increase connectivity and regional integration. At the Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity in January 2024, the EU agreed with Central Asian leaders to kick-start development of the fast route Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, providing a cutting-edge, multimodal, and efficient route between Europe and Central Asia.

In the Caucasus, the EU is building a customs terminal and extending roads to facilitate regional trade. In Nepal, we are focusing on extending the Chilime-Trishuli electricity line, alongside new substations, to facilitate the distribution of electricity generated from hydropower, and enhance rural electrification and energy access in remote areas of Nepal.

The EU has also relaunched the indispensable dialogue with Latin America and Caribbean partners during 2023. After many years, the third EU-CELAC Summit was convened again. Among other things, the EU consolidated an important investment agenda, with specific programs on climate, energy, water and sanitation in Paraguay and Bolivia.

And there are many more examples.

Dear friends, numbers matter, because sometimes talk alone is easy and cheap. As Team Europe, we provided EUR 88.7 billion in ODA in 2024¹. The EU support is strong, also through leveraging other public and private resources, through blended financing and de-risking mechanisms and through favourable trade provisions.
 

For LLDCS only, the EU institutions (Commission and EIB) allocated ODA funding equivalent to EUR 2.7 billion in 2023². And EU Member States provide their own assistance, on top of this amount.

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

The EU recognizes that the success of the LLDCs is vital for global prosperity and sustainable development. We are committed to a successful LLDC3 conference, and we stand ready to constructively working with the LLDCs on the priorities of the Awaza Programme of Action, in the spirit of renewed and strengthened partnership, to move forward together for a sustainable and resilient development of LLDCs.

Thank you.

¹ Preliminary OECD data, in grant equivalent

² In grant equivalent