Awaza, Turkmenistan — Agriculture is a critical sector in landlocked developing countries, as more than half (55 percent) of the population is employed in the agriculture sector – significantly higher than the global average of 25 per cent. As such, the deterioration of food security in landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) is an unfolding catastrophe.
There are 32 LLDCs, with a combined population of nearly 600 million people. The prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity rose from an estimated 43 percent in 2015 to 51 percent in 2023, and the rate of undernourishment from approximately 15 percent to 19 percent in the same period.
Today, participants from across the globe heard about efforts to establish regional agriculture research hubs to support LLDCs’ agricultural transformation and bring much-needed innovation, resilience and hope during a high-level event focused on agriculture at the ongoing Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Awaza, Turkmenistan.
“Establishing regional agricultural research centres is an important deliverable in the Awaza Program of Action, aimed at turning the untapped agricultural potential of the LLDCs into drivers of inclusive growth, food security, and sustainable development,” said Rabab Fatima, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, and Secretary-General of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.
Amrit Bahadur Rai, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, told participants that in the LLDCs, “agriculture contributes only 17 percent of GDP and engages around 55 percent of the labour force. So, we can clearly see the concentration of poverty in this agricultural sector, while the productivity in the agricultural sector is alarmingly low.”
“These research hubs, when operationalised, are envisaged as centres of excellence to champion sustainable agriculture, promote reasonably coordinated yet locally rooted innovation and reinforce science-based research and development ecosystems.”
Adopted by consensus by the UN General Assembly in December 2024, the Awaza Programme of Action (APoA) 2024-2034 provides a bold, forward-looking blueprint to tackle structural barriers in trade, infrastructure, climate resilience, and financing. Key deliverables include the establishment of Regional Agricultural Research Hubs to strengthen food security and the launch of an Infrastructure Investment Finance Facility to mobilise critical funding.
It also includes the creation of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit, implementation of a dedicated WTO Work Programme for LLDCs and development of a UNFCCC Negotiating Body to advance trade and climate resilience. Keynote speakers during a press briefing today laid out many of the factors that necessitated the establishment of the LLDC Group under the UNFCCC.
Fatima also emphasised a landmark achievement for the LLDCs.
“The establishment of a formal negotiating group under the UNFCCC [the UNFCCC is the primary international treaty for addressing climate change] for the LLDCs. For too long, despite being among the most climate-vulnerable countries, the landlocked developing countries have not been getting special treatment such as access to climate finance from the global community.”
“For the first time,” she continued, “Climate change as a substantive action has been recognised and has a dedicated priority for the LLDCs in the new programme of action. The establishment of the negotiating group under the UNFCCC is the first tangible deliverable of this Programme of Action.”
She further stressed that this is a critical step towards ensuring that the specific vulnerabilities and unique challenges of all LLDCs are addressed, allowing them to be effective in global climate decision-making. LLDCs face significant challenges in addressing climate-related issues. A third of LLDCs were in fragile or conflict-affected situations in 2024.
Bolivia is the chair of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) under the UNFCCC and was instrumental in leading the group to this position. Malawi currently holds the position of chair for the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group under the UNFCCC.
The Vice President of Malawi, Dr Michael Bizwick Usi, lauded the establishment of the LLDCs group under the UNFCCC and highlighted the need for research that reflects the realities of these countries, as it then provides them an opportunity to chart their path rather than simply consuming prescribed solutions.
Amid escalating climatic changes and suffering from droughts, desertification, and floods, he said LLDCs are now in a much better position to negotiate and produce solutions tailored to their unique circumstances. This is especially true now, as farmlands are shrinking due to the severe impacts of rising temperatures.
The Awaza Programme of Action for LLDCs for the Decade 2024-2034 supports climate adaptation, disaster risk reduction, climate finance, resilient infrastructure development, loss and damage, and biodiversity loss. Fatima stressed that one of the most pressing problems in the world today is the untapped agricultural potential of the LLDCs and that building resilience to climate change is a significant part of the solution.
“Agriculture remains the backbone of the economy in most landlocked developing nations, and it provides livelihoods for the majority and is central to reducing poverty and building resilience. Yet, despite its importance, agriculture in landlocked developing nations remains underperforming and underfunded,” she said.
“The structural constraints are well known,” Fatima continued, “difficult topographies, high transfer costs, climate shocks, limited market access, and outdated practices. Nearly 54 percent of the landlocked developing countries’ land is classified as dry land, and 60 percent of the landlocked developing countries’ population live in these areas compared to just 36 percent in neighbouring transit countries.”
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Against this backdrop, the formation of the LLDCs as a recognised group of highly vulnerable countries in the relevant processes and negotiations under the UNFCCC is the key first step to providing a structured and institutional framework for such partnerships to address the LLDCs’ vulnerabilities and specific needs.
The unique geography of the LLDCs makes a unified negotiation for more favourable climate outcomes urgent for millions of lives and livelihoods, as these countries are typically situated in internal drylands, where desertification and heat stress are worsening, as well as mountainous regions that are especially exposed to melting glaciers, landslides and flash floods.
With roughly 12 per cent of the world’s land surface, LLDCs suffered more than 20 per cent of the total number of droughts and landslides between 2012 and 2023. And despite representing just 7 per cent of the world’s population, LLDCs accounted for about 18 per cent of the globally affected population by droughts and landslides over this period.
Even the complex transit routes LLDCs depend on for access to international markets are often undermined by disasters and extreme weather events, severing and jeopardising their trade and competitiveness in the global markets. Ahead of COP30, hope now looms large that the LLDCs will successfully negotiate in line with their most pressing climate-related challenges.
IPS UN Bureau Report
