AN ANNUAL MEETING OF FOREIGN MINISTERS OF THE LAND-LOCKED DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TOOK PLACE IN NEW YORK

On September 22, 2022, as part of a high-level week of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, an annual meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Land-Locked Developing Countries (LLDC), took place.

The theme of the meeting: “Acceleration of the Vienna Program of actions after the pandemia Covid-19 and the increase in the pace of preparation for the third UN conference on Land-Locked Developing Countries.”

Opening the meeting, Lemogang Kwape, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Botswana turned to the President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly of the Csaba Körösi, Deputy Secretary General of the UN Amina Mohammed and the President of ECOSOC and the Secondary Committee of the UN Lachezara Stoeva with a request to support the third UN conference of Land-Locked Developing Countries.

In conclusion, he expressed gratitude to the Government of Turkmenistan for the convocation of the conference of ministers of the LLDC countries, as a result of which the Avaza Final Statement was adopted.

The Under-Secretary-General of the UN, and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Land-locked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Rabab Fatima in her speech emphasized the need to speed up the actions of the third UN conference for LLDC, and noted that the conference of the ministers of transport of LLDC, held in Turkmenistan in August of this year, is an example. At the end, she urged all countries to prepare viewing national reports on the implementation of the Vienna program of actions.

The meeting participants discussed the progress achieved by the LLDC countries in the implementation of the Vienna program of actions, the agenda in the field of sustainable development for the period until 2030, as well as preparation for the third UN conference of Land-Locked Developing Countries.

During the meeting, a video address was made by R. Mededov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan following a Conference of Ministers of transport of LLDC countries, held on August 15-16, 2022 in the city of Turgmenbashi.

The delegations expressed gratitude to the Government of Turkmenistan for the successful organization of the International Conference of Ministers of transport of LLDC countries, in Avaza on August 15-16, 2022. They noted the timeliness of this Conference, which laid the foundation for the preparation of the third UN Conference in 2024, its importance for the successful implementation of the SDGs.

According to the results of the event, a Ministerial Declaration of the meeting was adopted.