The United Nations today convened the High-Level Midterm Review of the implementation of the Vienna Program of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Fiji’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Satyendra Prasad informed Member States at the High-level Midterm Review that SIDS including Fiji faces similar challenges faced by LLDC. Ambassador Prasad stated that SIDS and LLDC are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, desertification, land degradation and drought.
He further emphasised that similar challenges were highlighted and identified by Small Island Developing States during the midterm review of the (Small Islands Developing States Accelerated Modalities of Action) SAMOA Pathway, in September 2019.
Ambassador Prasad called on the UN to support LLDC’s to “establish corridors of renewable energy; corridors of high speed connectivity; corridors of high biodiversity and corridors of sustainability and opportunity”.
Ambassador Prasad welcomed the adoption of the political declaration and asked Member States to reflect on whether the United Nations Development Systems (UNDS) reforms go far enough in supporting LLDCs and if the Finance for Development agenda is innovative and responsive enough to help LLDCs to realize their sustainable development goals.
In his opening address, the President of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Tijjani Muhammad Bande of Nigeria, told UN Member States that “Landlocked developing countries are at risk of being left behind as many of these countries are below the range of high human development”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres added “that cooperation among transit countries and development partners is crucial to overcoming the challenges landlocked developing countries face”.