The Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) was held from 5–8 August 2025 in Awaza, Turkmenistan under the theme “Driving Progress Through Partnerships.” This once-in-a-decade conference brought together national leaders, policymakers, civil society, UN agencies, and other stakeholders to address the unique challenges faced by the world’s 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) including high trade costs, limited connectivity, and climate vulnerabilities—while advancing sustained and equitable development. A key outcome was the formal endorsement of the Awaza Programme of Action (APoA) 2024–2034, a forward-looking framework designed to promote structural transformation, trade facilitation, regional integration, climate resilience, and access to finance over the next decade.
For the first time in LLDC history, a Civil Society Forum was convened in advance of the main conference on 4–5 August 2025, providing a space for non-governmental organizations, women’s groups, youth networks, and other stakeholders to engage directly with governments, UN officials, and partners to shape discussions and outcomes. Civil society leaders issued a declaration calling for inclusive growth, climate justice, debt relief, equitable trade, and accountability mechanisms that ensure real-life impacts for communities in LLDCs.
Plenary sessions across the conference emphasized people-centered development, the digital economy, and reforms to global financial systems to better serve vulnerable nations. Speakers stressed that geographic challenges should not determine destiny and underscored the importance of multistakeholder partnerships to integrate LLDCs fully into global markets and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
