UAE participates in 3rd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Turkmenistan

Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Turkmenistan, led the UAE delegation participating in the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, which opened on 5th August in Awaza, Turkmenistan, and runs until 8th August.

Al Mazrouei affirmed that the United Arab Emirates' participation in the conference is part of its established approach in supporting global development efforts. He emphasised that the UAE's involvement reflects its commitment to backing international initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable development, achieving regional economic integration, and providing advanced infrastructure that enables countries to overcome geographical challenges and bring prosperity to their peoples.

He expressed hope that the conference would contribute to building effective partnerships, the exchange of expertise, and the opening of new horizons for investment and shared growth.

The UN conference, which is held once every ten years, aims to highlight the development challenges faced by Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), home to approximately 570 million people. It explores ways to enhance international partnerships, encourage smart investments, facilitate free movement of transport, and establish more flexible and efficient trade corridors.

The four-day conference will discuss the Awaza Programme of Action (APoA) for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) for the Decade 2024–2034, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 24th December 2024.

In order to drive transformative growth, the PoA is built around five interlinked priority areas that together address the challenges LLDCs face and create opportunities for sustainable development: Structural Transformation and Science, Technology, and Innovation; Trade, Trade Facilitation, and Regional Integration; Transit, Transport, and Connectivity; Enhancing Adaptive Capacity, Strengthening Resilience, and Reducing Vulnerability and Implementation, Follow-Up, and Monitoring.

On the sidelines of the conference, Al Mazrouei held a series of bilateral meetings with Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan; and Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure of Türkiye. The meetings discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of energy, infrastructure, and transportation, to serve mutual interests.

Al Mazrouei was accompanied by an official delegation that included Ahmed Al Hameli, the UAE Ambassador to Turkmenistan, along with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure.