Africa regional review meeting
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in its resolutions 76/217 and 77/246, decided to convene the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in 2024. The Conference aims to undertake a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for LLDCs for the Decade 2014-2024 (VPoA) and to formulate and adopt a renewed framework for international support to address the special needs of LLDCs and to strengthen partnerships between the LLDCs and transit countries and their development partners.
The General Assembly also decided that the Conference shall be preceded by national and regional-level reviews, as well as thematic preparations. In line with the decision of the General Assembly, the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) jointly with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Government of Botswana are organizing the High-level Africa regional review meeting of the VPoA to be held on 29-30 May 2023 in Gaborone, Botswana. The outcomes of the Regional Review Meeting will feed into the preparatory process of the Third United Nations Conference on LLDCs.
Background on the Vienna Programme of Action
Adopted in 2014 by the International Community, the Vienna Programme of Action consists of a set of six priority areas of interventions (Fundamental Transit Policy Issues; Infrastructure Development and Maintenance; International Trade and Trade Facilitation; Regional Integration and Cooperation, Structural Economic Transformation, and Means of Implementation) intended as a holistic approach to the peculiar challenges faced by LLDCs that have, over the years, impeded their economic transformation, as well as inclusive and sustainable growth.
Africa is home to half of the 32 LLDCs that contend with many development challenges due to a lack of direct territorial access to the sea, remoteness and significant distance from world markets. They face relatively high trade costs compared to their transit neighbours, limited infrastructure, delays at borders, bottlenecks related to customs procedures and border crossing regulations, productivity constraints, and undiversified economies and export markets. They are also not able to fully tap into the benefits of investment, finance, technology and services needed to further improve productive capacity in the agriculture, industry and services sectors that are needed for higher trade exchanges and the structural transformation of their economies. The COVID-19 pandemic and the current geopolitical and global macroeconomic situation have further exacerbated the structural challenges of LLDCs.
Documents
- Concept Note
- Programme
- Information Note
- Executive Summary (English | French)
- Outcome Document (English | French)
- Official report of the Meeting
Objectives
The objectives of the Africa regional review meeting of the VPoA are to:
- Undertake a comprehensive review of the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action in Africa, including identification of the achievements, constraints, emerging challenges and opportunities (including those brought about by the establishment and roll out of the AfCFTA) for achieving sustainable development and SDGs and Agenda 2063 in LLDCs;
- Identify alternative and innovative sources of finance (including trade finance) that could be leveraged and used for implementation of VPoA and provide guidance on how the LLDCs can access the resources;
- Share best practices, experiences and innovative approaches, and
- Identify appropriate policy measures and concrete action-oriented recommendations at the national, regional and global levels aimed at addressing the special challenges of LLDCs and accelerating their sustainable development progress over the next decade.
The meeting will adopt an outcome document with recommendations that will form substantive inputs into the preparations of the Third United Nations Conference for LLDCs and will serve as an important background for the Preparatory Committee Meetings to be held in New York in early 2024.