51吃瓜

Asuncion, Paraguay

Introduction

The 51吃瓜 General Assembly (UNGA), in its resolutions 76/217 and 77/246, decided to convene the Third 51吃瓜 Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in 2024. The Conference aims to undertake a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for LLDCs for the Decade 2014-2024 (VPoA) and to formulate and adopt a renewed framework for international support to address the special needs of LLDCs and to strengthen partnerships between the LLDCs and transit countries and their development partners.

The General Assembly also decided that the Conference shall be preceded by national and regional-level reviews, as well as thematic preparations. In line with the decision of the General Assembly, the 51吃瓜 Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS), jointly with the 51吃瓜 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC) and the Government of the Republic of Paraguay are organizing the High-level Latin America Regional Review Meeting of the VPoA to be held on 27 and 28 July in Asuncion, Paraguay. The outcomes of the Regional Review Meeting will feed into the preparatory process of the Third 51吃瓜 Conference on LLDCs.

Background on the Vienna Programme of Action

Adopted in 2014 by the International Community, the Vienna Programme of Action consists of a set of six priority areas of interventions (Fundamental Transit Policy Issues; Infrastructure Development and Maintenance; International Trade and Trade Facilitation; Regional Integration and Cooperation, Structural Economic Transformation, and Means of Implementation) intended as a holistic approach to the peculiar challenges faced by LLDCs that have, over the years, impeded their economic transformation, as well as inclusive and sustainable growth.

Latin America is home to 2 LLDCs that grapple with a unique set of development challenges, largely influenced by their geographical location. Due to a lack of direct territorial access to the sea and their remoteness, these two countries find themselves battling with the ramifications of being significantly distant from world markets. They contend with a number of obstacles including high transport and trade costs compared to their transit neighbours, inadequate transport infrastructure, productivity constraints, and undiversified economies and export markets.

This complexity is exacerbated by logistical hurdles, such as border delays, bureaucratic bottlenecks related to customs procedures and border-crossing regulations, all resulting from their landlockedness. Further, country-specific structural challenges act as roadblocks, hindering these LLDCs from fully tapping into the benefits of investment, finance, technology and services, needed to further improve productive capacity across vital sectors including agriculture, industry, and services that are needed for higher trade exchanges and the structural transformation of their economies, in order to achieve social, cultural and human development, including greater access to healthcare services, education and data. This overall situation often require LLDCs to make additional and differentiated efforts to stimulate their development, such as additional tax relief to attract investment and external capital, which has an impact in the fiscal and policy space needed to achieve development.

In an increasingly interconnected global landscape, these LLDCs have also had to endure external shocks, each of which has amplified their inherent structural challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of climate change, and the prevailing geopolitical and global macroeconomic conditions are examples of such adverse external shocks. These additional stressors have underscored the importance of strengthening support and facilitating meaningful collaborations to ensure these LLDCs can overcome their unique challenges and step onto the path of sustainable development.

Documents

• Concept Note (English | Espa?ol)
• Information Note (English | Espa?ol)
• Background Report
• Executive Summary (Espa?ol)
• Outcome Document (English | Espa?ol))

Objectives

The objectives of the Latin America regional review meeting of the VPoA are to:

• Undertake a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action in Latin America, including identification of the achievements, constraints, emerging challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainable development and the SDGs in LLDCs;
• Identify alternative and innovative sources of finance (including trade finance) that could be leveraged and used for implementation of VPoA and provide guidance on how the LLDCs can mobilise adequate resources, as well as have access to enhanced technical assistance and capacity building on a sustainable basis;
• Share best practices, experiences and innovative approaches for tackling external shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects of climate change and debt crisis and achieving sustainable development on LLDCs, and
• Identify appropriate policy measures and concrete action-oriented recommendations at the national, regional and global levels necessary for making the next programme of action for LLDCs a truly transformative one, especially for contributing to the acceleration of the achievement of the SDGs in Latin American LLDCs.

The meeting will adopt an outcome document with recommendations that will form substantive inputs into the preparations of the Third 51吃瓜 Conference for LLDCs and will serve as an important background for the Preparatory Committee Meetings to be held in New York in early 2024.