Landlocked Developing Countries: Unlocking Potential for Social Progress

The Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held in Awaza, Turkmenistan, in August 2025, focused global attention on the structural barriers facing the world’s 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) — and what it will take to overcome them. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Awaza Programme of Action for the Decade 2024–2034, a roadmap for advancing economic transformation, trade connectivity, and climate resilience. 

More than 600 million people live in landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), where structural constraints and geographic isolation shape nearly every aspect of daily life. For these 32 countries, the simple fact of lacking direct access to the sea has cascading effects. Higher transport costs, limited access to global markets, greater exposure to climate shocks, and weaker digital infrastructure all contribute to persistent development gaps. 

Unequal starting points 

The disparities are stark. A person living in a landlocked developing country is more than twice as likely to live in extreme poverty, three times as likely to lack safely managed drinking water, and four times as likely to experience food insecurity compared to the global average. These inequalities are compounded by limited fiscal space and fragile supply chains that make it harder to respond to external shocks. 

Despite these challenges, many LLDCs are making important strides. Digitally deliverable services have more than doubled since 2019. Women now hold over 30 percent of seats in national parliaments, surpassing the global average. Access to renewable energy is rising, with bioenergy accounting for over 40 percent of energy use in LLDCs. At the same time, critical gaps remain. Fewer than 30 percent of girls complete upper secondary school. Only 12 countries meet global affordability targets for broadband. Transport costs are 63 percent higher than in transit countries, and infrastructure deficits continue to block economic transformation. 

Roadmaps and regional ambition 

The Awaza Programme of Action identifies five priority areas for action: structural transformation, trade facilitation, infrastructure connectivity, climate resilience, and financing. These efforts are closely linked to the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) for Least Developed Countries, adopted for the decade 2022–2031. The DPoA outlines a new generation of strengthened commitments from both LDCs and development partners, focusing on rapid and sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, access to innovative financing, resilience-building, and structural transformation. As many LLDCs are also current or recently graduated LDCs, the priorities of the two programmes intersect and reinforce one another. The DPoA calls for inclusive global partnerships, targeted support, and concrete deliverables, such as an international investment support centre and enhanced food security mechanisms — all relevant to the needs of LLDCs. 

Beyond geography 

The Secretary-General’s report on follow-up to the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (A/80/336) highlights both the urgency and the opportunity of this moment. Unlocking the potential of LLDCs will depend not only on geography, but on political commitment, financial support, and a renewed focus on inclusive social progress. 

Read more on the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries here. 

Read more on the Doha Programme of Action for LDCs here.