United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres made a compelling appeal on Tuesday for the international community to "break down barriers and restore fairness in global development." His plea came during the opening remarks at the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) held in Awaza, Turkmenistan.

The four-day conference, spanning from August 5 to 8, 2025, gathers representatives from the 32 landlocked developing countries, which collectively house over 500 million people but contribute to merely one percent of global trade. In his powerful address, Guterres emphasized the unfair disadvantages imposed by geography on these nations: "Geography should never define destiny. Yet for the 32 Landlocked Developing Countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, geography too often limits development opportunities and entrenches inequality... These inequalities are not inevitable. They are the result of an unfair global economic and financial architecture unfit for the realities of today’s interconnected world, compounded by systemic neglect, structural barriers – and in many cases, the legacy of a colonial past."

The conference also marks the launch of the Awaza Programme of Action for LLDCs (2024–2034), a strategic ten-year plan prioritizing climate resilience, connectivity, trade facilitation, and economic diversification. This ambitious plan calls upon developed nations and international financial institutions to extend increased support to these countries.

Further addressing the financial challenges, Guterres called for reforms to the global financial architecture, advocating for more equitable lending practices and debt relief for LLDCs, which often face some of the highest borrowing costs globally.

Parallel sessions highlighted LLDC leaders reaffirming their commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), stressing the necessity for international solidarity to be matched with tangible actions.

This conference is notably the first of its kind since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. The newly adopted Awaza Programme of Action, which replaces the Vienna Programme of Action, is set to define multilateral interactions with LLDCs for the coming decade.

Guterres concluded his speech with a call to action, underscoring the interconnectedness of global success with the prosperity of LLDCs: "The success of LLDCs is essential to the success of the 2030 Agenda. We have the knowledge, and we have the tools. Together, we can write a new chapter in the history of landlocked developing countries – one of economic integration, resilience, and shared prosperity."

The outcomes of this conference and the implementation of the Awaza Programme of Action are awaited with anticipation, as they are crucial for reshaping the future of global development in favor of those who have long been sidelined by their geographic limitations.