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#Locked Out: Breaking Barriers, Driving Connectivity
Let us harness our shared commitment and solidarity to drive transformative change in the lives of 570 million people living in 32 LLDCs and ensure that no one is left behind in our pursuit of sustainable development.
-- Rabab Fatima, High Representative of the United Nations for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
Spread across four continents, more than 570 million people live in the world’s 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs). They share unique challenges: geographic isolation, remoteness from global markets and dependence on trade and transport systems in neighbouring transit countries.
Due to a lack of direct access to the sea – their imports and exports take long, expensive journeys of hundreds, if not thousands of kilometres, to and from the closest maritime ports. Their geographic constraints heighten their vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change.
It is hence no surprise that most landlocked developing countries find it difficult to grow their economies and achieve their long-term development aspirations. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many of them were off track to achieve the SDGs. Today, in the face of lingering impacts of the pandemic, geopolitical tensions and the global economic downturn, the situation in most landlocked countries has deteriorated.
In 2024, the United Nations will host the Third UN Conference on the Landlocked Developing Countries that will culminate in a ten-year plan of action to improve landlocked economies. This will essentially be a development compact between the LLDCs, transit countries and development partners for the coming decade. The landlocked conference presents a critical juncture where the global community will come together to renew and strengthen commitments to transform the lives of over half a billion people living in landlocked nations.
Support LLDCs in five areas of focus
Efficient transport systems and transit regulations are important for landlocked developing countries as they do not have access to the sea and rely on their neighbouring countries to import goods and export products to global markets. LLDCs go through complicated customs and border processes, which increases their operating costs and makes their products more expensive and less competitive in the global market.
What can be done?
Landlocked developing countries require financial support to upgrade their road networks and transport systems to make them more modern, faster and better connected to their neighbours that have seaports. This will reduce the time it takes for them to import the raw materials they need to produce their goods and to export the goods that they make to global markets. It is also important for LLDCs to work very closely together with their neighbouring transit countries to develop and enact rules and regulations that will make customs procedures at borders faster and smoother.
In addition to having good roads and transport networks, having good telecommunications, power and energy infrastructure is equally important for the economic progress of landlocked developing countries. Inadequate infrastructure limits LLDC economies from growing as much as they could. For example, having good broadband and digital infrastructure translates to more widespread internet access which will allow businesses in landlocked countries to go online and sell their products on the internet, while access to energy is an essential enabler for economic activities such as agriculture, commerce and industry. It is also crucial that all this infrastructure is built to withstand extreme weather conditions that have become more common because of climate change.
What can be done?
Landlocked developing countries need both financial and technical support to plan, build, and manage long-lasting and climate-resilient infrastructure. They need infrastructure for clean energy, clean water, good sanitation, telecommunication systems and the right education and skills for their population to use and maintain this infrastructure.
It is important for everyone in LLDCs – women, men, young and old - to be able to use and benefit from digital information products and services, equally and equitably. This is called digital inclusion. Widespread internet access in LLDCs would make it easier for people in these countries to access online learning resources that can improve their skills. They could also operate online businesses and sell more products to more customers worldwide, contributing to the growth of LLDC economies. Overall, widespread internet coverage translates to increased access to better financial and health services that will help people in LLDCs to make better decisions by increasing the amount of information available to them.
What can be done?
To ensure everyone in LLDCs has access to affordable and reliable internet – LLDCs need support to develop and expand broadband networks and mobile connectivity. LLDC governments can also promote digital literacy programs, and create platforms for their people, particularly young people, to access digital technologies.
Landlocked developing countries rely a lot on agriculture and natural resource extraction, so climate change hits them hard, causing problems like deforestation and land degradation. There is also not always enough clean fresh water in most LLDCs, climate change has made this worse - many areas in these countries are turning into drylands, making it tough for people to cultivate enough food or have adequate water and energy. Extreme weather events, amplified by climate change, are also damaging vital transport infrastructure, disrupting LLDCs' connections to global markets and to the world.
What can be done?
In addition to investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, LLDCs also need to be well-prepared when climate disasters strike. This can be done by putting in place disaster warning systems, allocating money and resources specifically for climate issues and exchanging knowledge and technologies with other countries. Their needs and priorities must also be better integrated into the global climate-related agreements and general discourses to help them get better at confronting climate-induced environmental challenges.
Young people are often at the sharp end of the problems being dealt with by LLDCs: high unemployment, lack of training and educational opportunities, and at risk of being left behind by the digital revolution. But young people represent a valuable demographic dividend and can contribute significantly to economic development and social progress in these countries. For example, 70% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa, where most LLDCs are located, is under 30 years of age. When empowered with education, job opportunities, digital access and equal participation in decision-making, young people can drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and inclusive growth.
What can be done?
Landlocked Developing Countries need to create an enabling environment that promotes youth participation in governance and economic activities. This includes creating opportunities for young people’s voices to be heard, supporting young entrepreneurs, making sure young people have access to digital technologies, and implementing policies and programs that prioritize the empowerment of youth.
