EU Statement – UN High Level Political Forum: Official meeting on Accelerating SDG achievement in African countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Middle-Income Countries (MICs)
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Mr Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The European Union and its Member States remain steadfast partners of African countries, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries in accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
This is a timely session as we move towards the High-Level Midterm Review of the Doha Programme of Action in March 2027, a central framework for addressing the structural vulnerabilities of Least Developed Countries and accelerating progress towards sustainable development.
The European Union and its Member States continue to support the Awaza Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2024–2034, and its swift and effective implementation, including through timely operationalization of agreed working bodies.
Together, the Doha and Awaza Programmes of Action provide important roadmaps for implementation. They remind us that progress for LDCs and LLDCs requires more than commitments: it requires investment, stronger and more accountable institutions, connectivity, productive capacity, resilience, – including to climate change -, and inclusive partnerships that deliver results on the ground.
The EU remains committed to mobilising increased and better-targeted financial and technical resources. Official Development Assistance remains essential, particularly for the most vulnerable, but should increasingly catalyse investment, strengthen accountable and inclusive institutions and support long-term resilience including to the effects of climate change, alongside domestic resource mobilisation, private investment and debt sustainability.
Mr. Chair
This is the approach underpinning the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy, the EU’s main external contribution to the implementation of the SDGs and 2030 Agenda. Through Global Gateway, the EU is working with partner countries to mobilise sustainable and high-quality investments that respond to national priorities and deliver lasting benefits.
For LDC and LLDC, Global Gateway plays an important role in helping to close infrastructure gaps, improve connectivity, strengthen regional integration, diversify economies and create opportunities for young people and women. Some concrete examples:
On connectivity and regional integration, Global Gateway supports strategic transport and economic corridors, helping to improve logistics, trade links, regional value chains and access to markets.
On energy access, the EU is supporting regional power infrastructure and renewable energy investments, including the Ruzizi III regional hydropower project and the Zambia–Tanzania–Kenya Interconnector.
On digital connectivity, Global Gateway is helping expand fibre-optic backbones, rural connectivity and digital infrastructure in partner countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Our collective focus must be on impact: better partnerships, better investment, better implementation, and better outcomes for the people of LDC and LLDCs. That is why core principles such as democratic values, good governance and transparency as well as equal partnerships are woven into the fabric of the Global Gateway approach.
I thank you.