Statement by Ambassador Mher Margaryan at the First session of the Preparatory Committee for the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries

05 February, 2024

Co-Chairs of the Preparatory Committee, Ambassador Enkhbold Vorshilov and Ambassador Alexander Marschik,

Madam Under-Secretary General, Rabab Fatima,

Thank you for your remarks and tireless efforts to ensure the smooth work of the Preparatory Committee. I also commend the Chair of the Group of LLDC, Ambassador Gladys Mokhawa, for successfully coordinating the Group’s activities ahead of the 3^rd UN Conference on LLDCs.

We congratulate the Office of the Representative for the Land locked developing countries and fellow core drafting team members for successfully finalizing the work on the Outcome document; the presented text represents a strong and action-oriented framework to guide the LLDCs in the upcoming decade. Building on the lessons learned from the VPoA, the five priority areas of the new document address the needs and aspirations of the LLDCs in a more comprehensive and holistic manner. We hope that upcoming discussions on the draft will further solidify the text with concrete recommendations to ensure action-oriented outcome.

Chair,

In the run-up to the 3^rd LLDC Conference Armenia, jointly with the OHRLLS organized a thematic ministerial meeting on December 14-15, in Yerevan entitled “Enhancing equitable, affordable and inclusive transport connectivity as a driver for sustainable and resilient economies”. The meeting provided a platform for the Ministers and high-level representatives of LLDCs from all regions, transit countries, development partners, regional organizations, UN entities, private sector and other stakeholders to discuss the current challenges and identify possible solutions to improve transport connectivity and LLDC’s better integration into the global trade market.

During the thematic sessions ministers and other participants deliberated upon the progress and lessons learned on the enhanced transport connectivity since the introduction of the VPoA highlighting a number of key areas that should be better addressed within the preparatory process of the Conference.

Among the main takeaways of Yerevan meeting were:

The need to establish a dedicated infrastructure financing facility for LLDCs within the international financial system to address the challenges related to the poor maintenance of infrastructure, missing links, and inefficient transport and logistics services.
Prioritization of the development and maintenance of resilient transport infrastructure, harmonization and simplification of customs procedures and regulations, and promotion of trade facilitation.
Deepening the economic, political, and cultural ties between LLDCs and transit countries for regional prosperity and stability.
Establishment of favorable conditions for LLDCs to develop digital economy and e-commerce by creating an appropriate environment that includes the necessary policies, legal and regulatory frameworks.
The need to expend South-South and triangular cooperation and to leverage existing and innovative financing arrangements.
To enhance and attract private sector investment and overall FDI towards infrastructure development.

Chair,

In this critical juncture in the run-up to the LLDC Conference, as well as other milestone intergovernmental processes such as the Summit of the Future later this year and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025 stronger cooperation and linkages are required to ensure that interconnected and persistent challenges faced by LLDCs are met accordingly. The Armenian delegation will continue to be fully supportive of these efforts.

Thank you.

MFA RA
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