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Honorable Dunyagozel Akmuhammedovna Gulmanova, Chairwoman of the Assembly of Turkmenistan,

His Excellency Philemon Yang, President of the 79th Session of the General Assembly,

Her Excellency Ms. S. Mikayilova, Vice President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Distinguished Members of Parliament,

Excellencies, Dear Colleagues,

It is my honour to welcome you to the Parliamentary Forum of the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries.

Your presence here today is a powerful message: a message of commitment to shaping the future of 600 million people living in the world’s 32 LLDCs.

We meet at a defining moment. 

The development challenges faced by LLDCs are persistent and structural.  They are shaped not only by geography, but by limited connectivity, narrow export bases, and constrained fiscal space.

The numbers speak for themselves. Take for instance:

?    LLDCs account for 7 percent of the world's population, but just 1 percent of global GDP. 
?    Trade costs are 30 percent higher than those for coastal countries. 
?    Only 61 percent of the population in LLDCs have access to electricity, compared to 92 percent globally. 
?    And only 39 percent have access to the internet. 

But these are not just statistics - they reflect real human challenges: farmers unable to export their produce; entrepreneurs locked out of global markets; and young people whose potential remains untapped.

The adoption of the Awaza Programme of Action for LLDCs for the Decade 2024–2034 marks a milestone. 

It offers a clear, actionable blueprint to transform these challenges into drivers of sustainable development and structural transformation grounded in principles of equity, resilience, and partnerships.

Its success, however, will depend on one key factor: implementation.

This is where your leadership as parliamentarians is critical.

You hold the constitutional authority to turn global commitments into national actions – through legislation, oversight, and budgetary decisions. The Awaza POA explicitly calls for the active engagement of parliaments in reviewing implementation, passing enabling laws, allocating resources, and ensuring no one is left behind.

Allow me to highlight five areas where your leadership can make a transformative difference:

First: parliaments can play a critical role to align national development strategies with APOA priorities – from transport to trade, energy to education.
Targeted legislative action is essential to translate APOA’s international commitments into actionable national policies, mobilizing resources, and driving measurable progress.

Without this alignment, progress will remain fragmented and slow. 

Second: it is critical to ensure adequate and sustained budgetary support to implement APOA targets and commitments. 

Infrastructure gaps are vast: LLDCs need nearly 200,000 km of additional roads and over 46,000 km of new railways. Likewise, electrification remains low, with only 61% of the LLDCs having electricity access.

Parliaments can ensure that resources are allocated where they are most needed.

Third: your role in advancing trade and regional integration is vital.

LLDCs account for only 1.1 percent of global merchandise exports, and 81 percent of those exports are still in primary commodities.  This underlines the urgent need to diversify economies and strengthen production capacity.
Greater integration into regional and global markets, through initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Eurasian Economic Union, or the South Asian Free Trade Agreement, among others - offer a clear path to diversifying exports and enhancing competitiveness.  

But for these frameworks to deliver results, they must be ratified, implemented, and actively monitored.

That requires parliamentary leadership through enacting relevant laws, ratifying trade and transit agreements, and ensuring their effective and timely implementation.

Fourth: parliaments must champion good governance, transparency, and accountability. 

Progress will not be sustainable without accountability.

Through parliamentary scrutiny, transparency measures, and citizen engagement, you can help build institutions that are trusted, inclusive, and resilient - consistent with SDG 16.

[Fifth and] Finally: I would like to propose the establishment of a dedicated Parliamentary Caucus on the APOA for a structured follow-up and oversight mechanism for its implementation. 

Such multi-party caucuses - drawing on successful models like climate change, or women’s parliamentary caucuses in many countries - would ensure sustained political engagement, cross-party cooperation, and continuity across electoral cycles. 

They can coordinate and oversee progress and engage all stakeholders in delivering results.

Excellencies, Honorable Parliamentarians, 

You are lawmakers, budget-makers, and champions of change. Your leadership is essential to ensure that the APOA delivers tangible and lasting results for the people of LLDCs.

This Forum offers a timely platform to strengthen partnerships, exchange good practices, and reaffirm the central role of parliaments in development.

 As you return to your capitals, I urge you to bring the priorities of the Awaza Programme to your national debates, committee deliberations, and legislative agendas.

Let us work together to ensure that geography does not define destiny - and that landlocked countries are not left behind but move forward with purpose and progress.

I wish you a successful and productive Forum, and I look forward to the outcome of your discussions.

I thank you.