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Once-in-a-decade push for the ‘locked out’: Global leaders set for landmark UN conference in Turkmenistan

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Backed by the new Awaza Programme of Action, the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries or LLDC3 will push for freer transit, smarter trade corridors, stronger economic resilience and fresh financing to lift development prospects for the 570 million people living in those countries.

For landlocked nations, geography has long dictated destiny.  

Trade costs are up to 74 per cent higher than the global average and it can take twice as long to move goods across borders compared to coastal countries. As a result, landlocked nations are left with just 1.2 per cent of world trade.

UN Video | What to expect from LLDC3 in Awaza, Turkmenistan

And amid global economic shifts, these countries face the huge risk of being left behind.

“LLDC3 is a pivotal opportunity to reverse this trajectory,” said Rabab Fatima, UN High Representative for Landlocked Developing Countries.

“At its heart, this conference is about people – it is about the millions of children who lack internet or digital tools, the farmers who cannot get their goods to market because of poor roads, and the entrepreneurs whose dreams are held back by border delays and limited access to funding.”

Broad engagement

The four-day event, from 5 to 8, August will feature plenary sessions, five high-level roundtables, and a Private Sector Forum focused on building partnerships and boosting investment.  

Dedicated forums with parliamentarians, women leaders, civil society and youth will bring voices from across society into the heart of the discussions.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres is expected to attend, underlining the urgency of the agenda.

World Bank/Curt Carnemark

Many landlocked countries, such as Botswana (pictured) are also on the frontlines of the impact of climate change, highlighting their vulnerability.

The Awaza Programme of Action

Central to the conference is the Awaza Programme of Action for 2024-2034, adopted by the UN General Assembly in December.  

It lays out five priority areas – structural transformation, infrastructure and connectivity, trade facilitation, regional integration, and resilience building – supported by five flagship initiatives.  

These include:

  • A global infrastructure investment facility to close financing gaps.
  • Regional agricultural research hubs to boost food security.
  • A high-level UN panel on freedom of transit, ensuring smoother cross-border flows.
  • Digital connectivity initiatives to bridge the digital divide.
  • A dedicated landlocked developing countries trade work programme at the WTO.

© UNICEF/Giacomo Pirozzi

Women shop at a vegetable market in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. Boosting food security is one of the priority areas of the Awaza Programme of Action.

Turkmenistan

For Turkmenistan, hosting LLDC3 is both a diplomatic milestone and a statement of intent.

“We are proud to host it on the Caspian Sea coast in Turkmenistan,” said Aksoltan Ataeva, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN.

“We look forward to welcoming [everyone] to Awaza for a transformative, action-oriented conference that puts landlocked countries at the heart of global partnerships.”

Organizers promise state-of-the-art facilities, cultural showcases and networking spaces designed to spur collaboration. Delegates will also experience Turkmen heritage firsthand, from local art to Caspian cuisine.

Cross-border infrastructure, such as these power lines, are crucial connections linking LLDCs with the regional and global electric grids.

The bigger picture

For the landlocked developing countries, the stakes are existential.  

These countries are among the most climate-vulnerable, least connected and furthest from global value chains. Without bold action, progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will remain out of reach.

“The destiny of humanity is inseparably linked to the destiny of these countries,” said Diego Pacheco, Ambassador of Bolivia, who currently chairs the LLDC Group at the UN.

“Together, we can unlock the potential of landlocked developing countries – not just for the benefit of our nations, but for the shared future of all humanity and the Mother Earth.”

As the countdown to Awaza begins, expectations are high – not about whether geography matters (it does), but whether global solidarity can transcend its limits.

LLDC3 aims to prove that it can.

There are 32 landlocked developing countries, of which 16 are also least developed.

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Landless and locked out: Young farmers struggle for a future

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However, this creates challenges by limiting land access for the next generation and diminishing their voice in agricultural policymaking. Without land assets, young people struggle to secure the resources needed to become agricultural producers themselves.

Between 2005 and 2021, the number of youth employed in agrifood jobs declined by 10 per cent, prompting concerns for food production worldwide.  

This is the challenge, examined by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s inaugural report on youth in agrifood systems examines. Released on Thursday, the report offers insights into the status of youth producers and the challenges they face.  

“Because youth are the next generation of producers, consumers, processors of food, service providers, it is really important to understand how they can benefit from and contribute to agrifood systems,” said Lauren Phillips, deputy director of rural transformation and gender equality at FAO.  

Key agents of change

With over 1.3 billion people worldwide between the ages of 15-24 – and 46 per cent of them living in rural areas – youth can be “key agents of change” for the agrifood sector, which is responsible for producing, processing and transporting the food that sustains the world.  

Agrifood systems currently employ 44 per cent of working youth, especially in low- and lower-middle income countries where 85 per cent of the world’s youth in that age range reside.  

However, over 20 per cent of youth are not in formal employment, education or training, meaning that their potential contribution agrifood and other economic sectors is underutilized.  

Ending worldwide unemployment for these young people could generate $1.5 trillion for the global GDP, $670 billion of which would come from the agrifood sector alone.  

“Young people can drive economic transformation and global prosperity,” said QU Dongyu, Director-General of FAO.  

Vulnerable jobs with low wages

While youth are “key agents of change” for the agrifood sector and the global economy writ large according to the report, they also face many challenges in realizing this potential. 

The next generation of agrifood producers will confront a growing global population requiring more food and increasing climate shocks threatening food supplies.

FAO estimates that 395 million youth live in rural areas expected to see declines in agricultural productivity due to climate impacts.

Despite large numbers employed in agrifood, most youth work in vulnerable jobs: 91 per cent of young women and 83 per cent of young men hold positions that often offer few benefits and are seasonal.

Give youth a reason to pick agrifood

Low wages and hazardous conditions discourage continued employment and drive migration to urban centers.

“Policies really need to make sure that they invest in preparing young people with skills and education so that they can have decent jobs in agrifood systems,” Ms. Phillips said.  

One major barrier for youth aspiring to become producers is lack of social and financial capital – policy makers often overlook youth voices, and young people struggle to access loans, banking services, and land deeds.

Youth involvement in policymaking can sometimes feel “tokenistic.” The report highlights that collective action—whether through informal networks or formal unions and cooperatives—can amplify youth voices.

It also calls for expanded training and restructuring financial systems to improve access for young people.

“FAO is unconditionally committed to stepping up its work with and for youth to ensure their voices are heard and that their participation in and contribution to sustainable and inclusive agrifood systems are fully harnessed,” FAO Director-General QU said.  

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