EUSR`s Speech at RoundTable no. 4 of the United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries “Building sustainable infrastructure, strengthening connectivity and promoting unfettered transit systems for landlocked developing countries”
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Distinguished guests, colleagues, and partners,
Today, I want to address a critical challenge that Landlocked Developing Countries, or LLDCs, continue to face: the urgent need to enhance connectivity through accelerated infrastructure development in transport, digital technologies, and energy sectors.
Drawing on the lessons from the Vienna Programme of Action and the ambitious targets set in the new Awaza Programme of Action for LLDCs, it is clear that progress depends on a multi-faceted approach.
We must significantly improve the quality of roads, railways, inland waterways, airports, and ports. At the same time, we need to increase the share of renewable energy in transport, ensuring sustainable growth.
But physical infrastructure alone is not enough. Human-centred digitalization, interoperability, streamlined border management, and harmonized customs procedures are essential soft measures that will unlock new opportunities.
We also need to ensure universal and affordable access to the internet and modern energy services by 2030, supported by robust national policies and public-private partnerships.
However, LLDCs face considerable barriers.
Their geographic isolation and high transit costs, fragmented border systems, and insufficient digital infrastructure limit their integration with global markets.
To overcome these hurdles, we must prioritize digital transformation, implement trade facilitation tools, harmonize legal frameworks, and adopt innovative technologies to create seamless and affordable connectivity.
For example, the EU supports the N’Djamena-Douala corridor to improve connectivity between the Sahel and the gulf of Guinea. In Central Asia, the Team Europe Initiative on Digital Connectivity will contribute to increase connectivity and regional integration, and at the Investors Forum for EU-Central Asia Transport Connectivity in January 2024, the EU agreed with Central Asian leaders to kick-start development of the fast route Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor, providing a cutting-edge, multimodal, and efficient route between Europe and Central Asia.
Regional integration and cooperation are vital. By working together, countries can build transport networks that link LLDCs to the sea and open new corridors for trade and prosperity.
Success in this area requires removing trade and transit barriers, aligning customs and legal frameworks, coordinating infrastructure projects, and engaging all stakeholders—governments, transit countries, development partners, and the private sector—in a shared vision.
Financing remains a critical challenge. To meet it, LLDCs should actively pursue dedicated infrastructure investment facilities and mobilize support from global financial institutions and private investors.
Public-private partnerships and innovative financing tailored to the unique needs of LLDCs will be key to unlocking the capital required for transformative projects.
Finally, building capacity within LLDCs is essential. This means developing strong national policies, fostering skills and knowledge through capacity-building programs, facilitating technology transfer, and providing technical assistance.
The international community, including development partners and organizations, must stand ready to support these efforts through collaboration and resource sharing.
Together, by addressing these challenges head-on and working in partnership, we can transform connectivity in LLDCs. We can unlock their economic potential, bring people closer to markets, and advance sustainable development goals that benefit us all.
Thank you.