Kathmandu, Aug. 5
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) continue to face persistent structural barriers including geographical isolation, dependency on transit countries, inadequate transport networks and limited integration into regional and global markets.
"These challenges are even more acute for half of the LLDCs that are also LDCs. Their very geography of 'landlockedness' continues to hinder their development," he said while speaking at the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Awaza of Turkmenistan on Tuesday.
According to him, despite two decades of journey from Almaty to Vienna Programme of Action, LLDCs still grapple with infrastructure and connectivity deficits, high trade and transit costs, limited diversification and little value addition, heavy reliance on primary commodity exports, and low levels of private investment.
These barriers, also including growing vulnerability to climate change and disasters, pose severe impediments to their economic growth and development, said PM Oli.
However, he said that the LLDCs are not only defined by their inherent geographical constraints but also by their potentials like untapped natural endowments and opportunities in investment.
They are home to youthful and innovative populations. They are increasingly engaging in the digital economy.
"This is the moment to unlock that potential. But we need stronger political will, renewed and strengthened global partnership that leaves no country behind, and coordinated actions at all levels," he said.
PM Oli also expressed his belief that with the right policies, strong solidarity and support, LLDCs can transition from landlocked to land-linked, from transit-dependent to trade-competitive, and from climate-vulnerable to climate-resilient countries.
The conference announced the Awaza Programme of Action with priorities in structural transformation and technological innovation, trade facilitation and regional integration, transit, transport and connectivity, climate resilience and adaptation, and means of implementation.
Mentioning these priorities, PM Oli said that while the conference was a call to collective resolve, the PoA was the pathway to equity, inclusion and shared opportunities.
He urged the LLDCs to invest in smart, sustainable and climate-resilient infrastructure, deepen regional and sub-regional cooperation, harness technology to advance and accelerate development and drive progress through inclusive global partnership with shared responsibility to turn isolation into integration and potential into prosperity.
PM Oli also informed the international community that as an LLDC, Nepal has been facing high transport costs, limited regional integration and inadequate infrastructure. However, the country is investing in highways and railways, cross-border trade routes, digital corridors and green partnerships to transform Nepal from a landlocked to a land-linked country.
"We are working closely with our neighbours, India and China, to enhance connectivity and integration across multiple domains. With strengthened partnerships, smart investments and unwavering collective will, we can overcome limitations of landlockedness and ensure economic prosperity to our people," said PM Oli.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 August 2025.
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