Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has called for robust global support to help landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) overcome structural disadvantages and achieve sustainable development.
Addressing multiple high-level sessions at the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) in Awaza, Turkmenistan, PM Oli urged international cooperation, enhanced financing, and deeper regional integration to unlock the economic potential of LLDCs.
Co-chairing the High-Level Thematic Round Table on “Seizing the Transformative Potential of Trade, Trade Facilitation, and Regional Integration,” alongside the Vice President of The Gambia, PM Oli said LLDCs continue to be excluded from the benefits of global trade due to geographical and systemic constraints. He called for strategic investments, policy alignment and global partnerships to remove these barriers.
Later in the day, PM Oli addressed another session on “Enhancing Adaptive Capacity, Strengthening Resilience and Addressing Vulnerability to Climate Change and Disasters”. Highlighting the disproportionate impact of climate change on LLDCs, Oli called for stronger international support to complement national efforts. He expressed confidence that the Awaza Programme of Action could serve as a guiding framework for collective resilience-building.
On the sidelines of the conference, PM Oli held a bilateral meeting with Turkmenistan’s President Serdar Berdimuhamedow. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen economic ties and strengthen bilateral cooperation between Nepal and Turkmenistan, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Prime Minister also met Rabab Fatima, Secretary-General of the LLDC3 Conference and UN Under-Secretary-General for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries, and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS). The two held discussions on advancing the collective interests of LLDCs.
In a separate meeting with Ismail Ersahin, CEO of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), PM Oli discussed strategies to position Nepal as an attractive destination for foreign investment.
PM Oli also addressed the Ministerial Meeting on South-South Cooperation, where he underscored the importance of building regional connectivity through physical and digital infrastructure, trade corridors and strengthened transit systems.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai delivered a keynote at a high-level event on establishing Regional Agriculture Research Hubs to support LLDCs’ agricultural transformation. In his speech, Rai said that such hubs could drive innovation, foster cooperation and enhance food security across landlocked nations.
Foreign Secretary Rai also held bilateral talks with Austria’s State Secretary Sepp Schellhorn and Par Liljert, Director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Office at the United Nations, to discuss matters of mutual interest.
The LLDC3 conference, hosted in Awaza, has brought together high-level representatives from governments, UN agencies, and international organizations to shape a global action agenda for the 32 landlocked developing countries.
