29 December 2014 – “In race to wealth, no one should be left behind. We must not renege on our collective responsibility to guarantee the rightful place of LLDCs in global growth.”
Ambassador Lourdes O. Yparraguirre, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Vienna, delivered the Philippine Statement at the Second United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), which was held in Vienna, Austria from November 03 to 05.
Ambassador Yparraguirre stated that as UN Member States build on the existing Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) to set the stage for the new development agenda with a strong focus on poverty reduction and human well-being, it is important to ensure that the needs of LLDCs are given special attention. She underlined that the Philippines deems essential strengthened partnerships within the context of North-South cooperation, South-South Cooperation and triangular cooperation, as well as partnerships with relevant international organizations and the private sector, in addressing the special needs of LLDCs.
The Philippines itself provides modest South-South cooperation and triangular cooperaiton espacially for the Least Developed Countries through the Technical Cooperation Council of the Philippines. Moreover, as a founding and active Member State of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines is committed to the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015 and to the transformation of ASEAN into a well-connected community, bringing peoples, goods, services and capital closer together. An ASEAN Economic Community also includes policies and measures aimed at narrowing the development gap among Member States, and addressing the special needs of the Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Least Developed Country in ASEAN.
The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon opened the Second United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Vienna. Chaired by Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz of Austria, the Second Conference gathered several Heads of State, high level delegates, heads of UN specialized agencies, and representatives from the private sector and civil society.
According to the Report of the UN Secretary General, LLDCs lack territorial access to the sea, which means they can face significant challenges in trade, transport and infrastructure, amongst other areas. Many of the 32 LLDCs are also clasified as least developed countries. There are 16 LLDCs located in Africa, 10 in Asia, 4 in Europe and 2 in Latin America, with a total population of 400 million.
As it reviewed the progress achieved in the implementation of the 2003 Almaty Programme of Action: Addressing the Special Needs of Landlocked Developing Countries within a New Global Framework for Transit Transport Cooperation for Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries, which was adopted at the First Conference, the Second Conference adopted the Vienna Programm of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014-2024. The Vienna Programme of Action calls for renewed and strengthened partnerships at all levels and modalities, between public and private sectors, to promote the full and more effective integration of LLDCs into the global economy. END