Follow-Up to the 2nd United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries

A/RES/78/163View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 20bFollow-up to the 2nd United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, published in 2023.

What other versions does this mandate have?

11 versions · 2016–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/151

2025A/RES/80/151Follow-up to the 3rd United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing CountriesLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/RES/79/219Follow-up to the 3rd United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing CountriesCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/163Follow-up to the 2nd United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing CountriesCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/77/246Follow-up to the 2nd United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing CountriesCompare with previous version
2022A/RES/76/217Follow-up to the 2nd United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing CountriesCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 topics

Conferences Landlocked Developing Countries Programme Implementation Sustainable Development Transit Countries Transport Facilitation Transport Infrastructure

What does this mandate say?

63 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014–2024;

Recalls the convening of the comprehensive high-level midterm review of the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014–2024 in New York on 5 and 6 December 2019 and the high-level Political Declaration, in which all the relevant stakeholders are called upon to commit to the accelerated implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action;

Underlines the need to give particular attention to the concerns and specific challenges of landlocked developing countries in all relevant major United Nations conferences and processes;

Recognizes that slow global economic growth, rising inflation and interest rates, geopolitical tensions and conflicts, supply chain disruptions, rising food prices and the energy crisis and the exacerbating impacts of climate change are all compounding landlocked developing countries’ trade- and transit-related vulnerabilities;

Calls upon States to ensure the normal functioning of open markets, global supply chain connectivity and cross-border travel for essential purposes, and to enhance the sustainability and resilience of supply chains that foster the sustainable integration of landlocked developing countries and promote inclusive economic growth, including through the increased participation of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises in international trade and investment;

Recognizes that the landlocked developing countries’ share in global merchandise exports has remained substantially unchanged during the implementation period of the Vienna Programme of Action, and calls for the strengthening of the trade and productive capacities of the landlocked developing countries, by enhancing aid for trade as well as market access towards landlocked developing countries;

Reaffirms the commitment at the very heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind and commit to taking more tangible steps to support people in vulnerable situations and the most vulnerable countries and to reach the furthest behind first;

Welcomes the political declaration adopted by the high-level political forum on sustainable development convened under the auspices of the General Assembly, held in New York on 18 and 19 September 2023, and urges timely action to ensure its full implementation;

Calls upon the landlocked developing countries and transit countries to enhance cross-border collaboration by minimizing disruptions to international transport during health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent future disruptions of a similar nature, while recognizing that regional economic integration is an important driver for sustainable development and integration into the global economy, and invites development partners and relevant international, regional and subregional organizations to enhance support to landlocked developing countries and transit countries in implementing the relevant international trade and transport facilitation conventions;

Encourages the landlocked developing countries, transit countries and development partners to actively engage in the dedicated session on transit issues that will be held annually until the next review of the Trade Facilitation Agreement is completed, pursuant to the decision taken at the twelfth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, held in Geneva from 12 to 17 June 2022, which will contribute to enhancing reforms aimed at facilitating transit for landlocked developing countries;

Invites the landlocked developing countries, transit countries, their development partners, the United Nations system and all other actors to implement the relevant actions, consistent with national priorities, agreed upon in the Vienna Programme of Action in its six priority areas in a coordinated, coherent and expeditious manner in the remaining period;

Reiterates the commitment to enhancing global, regional, national and local partnerships for sustainable development in landlocked developing countries, engaging all relevant stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, academia and youth, recognizing the important contribution they can make towards achieving the 2030 Agenda, and the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals, and also reaffirms the importance of the original dimension of sustainable development in addressing regional challenges and scaling up actions among countries;

Stresses that the harmonization, simplification and standardization of rules and documentation should be promoted, including the full and effective implementation of international conventions on transport and transit and bilateral, subregional and regional agreements, and invites Member States that have not joined the existing conventions to consider the possibility of accession;

Also stresses that cooperation on fundamental transit policies, laws and regulations between landlocked developing countries and their transit neighbours is crucial for the effective and integrated solution of cross-border trade and transit transport problems, and underlines that this cooperation should be promoted on the basis of the mutual interests of both landlocked developing countries and transit countries;

Calls upon the landlocked developing countries and transit countries, in a coordinated manner, to develop and upgrade international transport and transit corridors encompassing all modes of transportation, including roads, railroads, inland waterways, ports and pipelines, to address the special development needs and challenges of landlocked developing countries;

Recognizes that investing in the maintenance and development of hard and soft infrastructure can boost pandemic recovery efforts, notes the importance of sound infrastructure governance over the life cycle of the projects to ensure the long-term cost-effectiveness, economic efficiency, accountability, transparency and integrity of infrastructure investment, including through an open procurement process, stresses that the magnitude of the resources required to invest in quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure development and maintenance remains a major challenge that requires the forging of international, regional, subregional and bilateral cooperation on infrastructure projects, the allocation of more resources from national budgets, the effective deployment of international development assistance and multilateral financing in the development and maintenance of infrastructure and the reinforcement of the role of the private sector;

Also recognizes that both public and private investment have key roles to play in sustainable infrastructure financing, including through development banks, development finance institutions and tools and mechanisms such as public-private partnerships, blended finance, which combines concessional public finance, non-concessional private finance and expertise from the public and private sector, special purpose vehicles, non-recourse project financing, risk mitigation instruments and pooled financing structures;

Encourages multilateral financial and development institutions and multilateral development banks, including regional banks, in collaboration with other stakeholders, including the private sector, to make investments in landlocked developing countries to increase access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy, as well as in addressing gaps in renewable energy, information and communications technology, e-commerce, trade, transport and transit-related regional infrastructure;

Calls for the full and timely implementation of the Agreement on Trade Facilitation annexed to the Protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization, and in this regard urges members and relevant international and regional organizations to continue to provide and enhance technical and capacity-building assistance, particularly for the effective implementation of the provisions of articles on the release and clearance of goods, border agency cooperation, formalities connected with importation, exportation and transit, freedom of transit and customs cooperation;

Also calls for renewed and strengthened partnerships to support landlocked developing countries in diversifying their economic base and enhancing value addition to their exports in order to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth;

Reiterates its invitation to development partners to provide targeted technical and financial support, as appropriate, towards the implementation of the specific actions listed in the Vienna Programme of Action;

Underlines that South-South and triangular cooperation is vital to the landlocked developing countries, especially in the areas of productive capacity-building and training, infrastructure, energy, water, science and technology, trade, investment and transit transport cooperation, and its significant contributions to short-term pandemic response and long-term COVID-19 recovery, and in this regard highlights the importance of the implementation of the Buenos Aires outcome document of the second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation;

Recognizes that landlocked developing countries and their transit country neighbours need to effectively mobilize adequate domestic and external resources for the effective implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action, reaffirms that, for all countries, public policies and the mobilization and effective use of domestic resources, underlined by the principle of national ownership, are central to the common pursuit of sustainable development, including the implementation of the Programme of Action, and also recognizes that international public finance plays an important role in complementing those efforts, especially in the poorest and most vulnerable countries with limited domestic resources;

Also recognizes the constraints faced by landlocked developing countries in gaining access to sustainable investment, and stresses the need to strengthen capacity-building support for these countries, to integrate sustainable investment approaches into capital market development plans;

Underlines the prominent role that foreign direct investment plays in accelerating development and poverty reduction through employment, the transfer of managerial and technological know-how, on mutually agreed terms, and non-debt-creating flows of capital, recognizes the considerable role and potential of private sector involvement in infrastructure development for transport, telecommunications and utilities for landlocked developing countries, encourages Member States to facilitate foreign direct investment flows to landlocked developing countries in this regard, and calls upon landlocked and transit developing countries to promote an enabling environment, to attract foreign direct investment and private sector involvement;

Reiterates that the fulfilment of all official development assistance commitments remains crucial, and urges development partners to step up efforts to increase their official development assistance and to make additional concrete efforts to fulfil their respective official development assistance commitments;

Recognizes the essential role of the private sector in the development of landlocked developing countries, and in this regard underlines the need to continue promoting the participation of the private sector in achieving sustainable development and the critical importance of mobilizing private resources, including through foreign direct investment, for the development of landlocked developing countries, taking into account the leading role of Member States in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development and the Vienna Programme of Action;

Also recognizes that the economies of many landlocked developing countries remain reliant on a few export commodities, which often have low value addition and are greatly affected by external shocks, and stresses the need for renewed and strengthened partnerships for development to support landlocked developing countries in diversifying their economic base and enhancing value addition to their exports by entering and moving up global value chains through the development of their productive capacities, including through private sector involvement, and the development and formalization of small and medium-sized enterprises, with a view to increasing the competitiveness of the products of landlocked developing countries in export markets;

Further recognizes that foreign direct investment can reduce inequalities and help commodity-dependent landlocked developing countries to make the transition to manufacturing activities and other higher value-added activities;

Recognizes the crucial role of micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises in contributing to inclusive growth and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals through job creation and improving livelihoods for the poorest and most vulnerable, and in promoting support measures to develop micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises in landlocked developing countries, including their formalization and participation in international trade;

Stresses the need to assist landlocked developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt relief and debt restructuring and sound debt management, as appropriate, and welcomes the multilateral response to the pandemic, including the Group of 20 and Paris Club Debt Service Suspension Initiative, which ended in December 2021, and the Common Framework for Debt Treatments beyond the Debt Service Suspension Initiative;

Invites development partners to effectively implement the Aid for Trade initiative in assisting landlocked developing countries to address their special needs and requirements, including capacity-building for the formulation of trade policies, participation in trade negotiations and the implementation of trade facilitation measures, as well as the diversification of export products;

Recognizes that landlocked developing countries are vulnerable to and remain negatively affected by the adverse impacts of climate change, land degradation, desertification, deforestation, receding glaciers, floods, including glacial lake outburst floods, and droughts, recognizes the potential benefits of mutually addressing these challenges, and calls upon the international community to continue to support the efforts of landlocked developing countries towards climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience-building;

Takes note of scientific research undertaken by the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries, encourages the International Think Tank to continue to undertake its role of supporting the development efforts of the landlocked developing countries, urges those landlocked developing countries that have not yet done so to ratify, at their earliest convenience, the Multilateral Agreement for the Establishment of an International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries, and invites relevant stakeholders to support the International Think Tank;

Urges that coherent and effective linkages be made between the implementation, follow-up and review arrangements for the 2030 Agenda and those of all relevant United Nations conferences and processes, including the Vienna Programme of Action;

Calls upon relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, and invites international organizations and relevant regional and subregional organizations, to integrate the Vienna Programme of Action into their programmes of work, as appropriate, within their respective mandates, and to support landlocked and transit developing countries in their implementation of the Programme of Action in a well-coordinated and coherent manner;

Stresses that, in accordance with the mandate given by the General Assembly, the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States should continue to ensure the coordinated follow-up to, effective monitoring of and reporting on the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action and the outcome of its midterm review and undertake advocacy efforts at the national, regional and global levels;

Recalls its resolution 77/329, in which the General Assembly decided that the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries would be held in Kigali for a duration of four days, from 18 to 21 June 2024, and called upon all States Members of the United Nations and members of specialized agencies, in particular landlocked and transit developing countries and donor countries, as well as the United Nations system and international and regional organizations and other relevant stakeholders, to participate actively in the Conference at the highest level possible, and looks forward to its successful conclusion and an ambitious outcome with concrete targets and specific deliverables;

Decides that the theme of the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries shall be “Driving partnerships for progress”;

Expresses its appreciation to the Government of Rwanda as host of the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, in Kigali, to be held at the highest possible level, including Heads of State and Government, in line with the mandate specified in its resolutions 76/217, 77/246 and 77/329;

Welcomes the establishment of the Bureau of the intergovernmental preparatory committee and the appointment of its Co-Chairs, and recalls its decision to convene the first and second sessions of the preparatory committee in New York, from 5 to 8 February 2024 and from 29 April to 1 May 2024, respectively;

Invites the Bureau to convene further meetings on an informal basis in New York, as required and in the most efficient and effective manner, to discuss the draft outcome document of the Conference;

Takes note of the substantive and organizational preparations for the Conference, including the successful holding of the organizational session of the intergovernmental preparatory committee in New York, on 13 September 2023, and the three regional review meetings, with one meeting for the landlocked developing countries in Africa, jointly organized by the Government of Botswana, the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States and the Economic Commission for Africa, held in Gaborone on 29 and 30 May 2023, one meeting for the landlocked developing countries in Latin America, jointly organized by the Government of Paraguay, the Office of the High Representative and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Asunción on 27 and 28 July 2023, and one meeting for the landlocked developing countries in Europe and Asia, jointly organized by the Office of the High Representative, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and the Economic Commission for Europe, held in Bangkok on 22 and 23 August 2023, and also takes note of the outcomes of those meetings;

Emphasizes the importance of country-level preparations as a critical input to the preparatory process for the Conference and in the implementation of and follow-up to its outcome, and calls upon the Governments of the landlocked developing countries to submit their reports in a timely manner;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure, as appropriate, the full involvement of resident coordinators and country teams in the preparations for the Conference, in particular in the country level and regional preparations;

Stresses that the Conference and the preparatory activities should be organized and carried out in the most effective and efficient manner possible;

Encourages the active participation of all States Members of the United Nations, in particular landlocked and transit developing countries and donor countries, as well as of the United Nations system and international and regional organizations, in the Conference at the highest level possible;

Calls upon all stakeholders, while reviewing implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action, to identify innovative solutions and initiatives that can be launched as key deliverables at the Conference;

Reiterates its invitation to the Secretary-General to convene a high-level event of the United Nations system and other relevant international and regional organizations during the Conference, with a view to ensuring the full mobilization of the United Nations system in support of the landlocked developing countries;

Welcomes the holding by the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Economic and Social Council of a half-day dedicated thematic event on 7 December 2023 to provide substantive input to the Conference;

Stresses, while recognizing the intergovernmental nature of the Conference, the importance of the effective, well-structured and broad participation of all relevant stakeholders, including parliamentarians, civil society and the private sector, in the Conference and its preparatory process, including national and regional reviews and thematic preparations, as well as in the interactive thematic round tables and side events during the Conference, underlines that intergovernmental mechanisms at the global and regional levels, including those of the United Nations regional commissions, as well as relevant substantive material and statistical data, should be effectively utilized in the review process, and decides:

To invite non-governmental organizations that are in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council to register with the Secretariat in order to participate in the Conference and its preparatory process;

To invite other relevant stakeholders, including organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, international financial institutions, civil society organizations, the private sector, other international bodies and other non-governmental organizations, to participate as observers in the Conference and its preparatory process;

To request the President of the General Assembly to draw up a list of representatives of other relevant non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions and the private sector who may participate in the Conference and its preparatory process, taking into account the principles of transparency and of equitable geographical representation and with due regard for gender parity, and to submit the proposed list to Member States for their consideration on a non-objection basis and bring the list to the attention of the Assembly for a final decision by the Assembly on participation in the Conference;

Recalls its request to the Office of the High Representative to act as the United Nations system-wide focal point for the preparations for the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, pursuant to resolution 76/217, and reiterates its invitation to the Secretary-General to take the measures necessary to ensure effective, efficient and timely preparations for the Conference and to further mobilize and coordinate the active involvement of the organizations of the United Nations system;

Emphasizes the critical importance of the full and effective participation of the landlocked developing countries in the Conference and its preparatory process at the national, regional and global levels, stresses that adequate resources should be provided, and in this regard requests the Secretary-General to mobilize voluntary contributions in order to support the cost of the participation of government representatives from the landlocked developing countries;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that necessary and sufficient support is given to transit countries to maximize their contribution to the success of the Conference and its preparatory process;

Requests the Secretary-General, with the assistance of relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, including the Department of Global Communications of the Secretariat, in collaboration and avoiding overlap and duplication with the Office of the High Representative, to take the measures necessary to intensify their public information efforts and other appropriate initiatives to enhance public awareness of the Conference, including by highlighting its objectives and its significance;

Welcomes the decision of the Secretary-General to appoint the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States as Secretary-General of the Conference, with responsibility for making the arrangements necessary for carrying out the work of the Conference;

Reaffirms the important role of the Group of Friends of Landlocked Developing Countries, and calls for their active participation and support in the preparation for the Conference and at the Conference itself;

Underlines that the Office of the High Representative should be provided with adequate resources to fulfil its mandate for the timely and effective follow-up, monitoring and implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action and its successor and to extend effective support to the landlocked developing countries, and requests the Secretary-General to address the allocation of adequate resources for the Office in the context of the proposed programme budget for 2025;

Requests Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, major groups and other donors to contribute in a timely manner to the trust fund in support of activities undertaken by the Office of the High Representative to support the implementation of, follow-up to and monitoring of the Vienna Programme of Action, as well as the preparations for the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries and the participation of landlocked developing countries in the Conference;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session a report on the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries and decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-ninth session, under the item entitled “Groups of countries in special situations”, the sub-item entitled “Follow-up to the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries”.

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