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KATHMANDU, Aug 9: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has returned home after attending the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) held in Turkmenistan.

At Tribhuvan International Airport’s VVIP lounge, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, and Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Prasad Pandey welcomed him. The Chief Secretary, Chief of Army Staff, heads of security agencies, and senior government officials were also present. The Nepali Army offered a guard of honor to the Prime Minister.

Oli attended the conference in Avaza, Turkmenistan, from August 5 to 8 at the formal invitation of Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedow and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. As Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of Least Developed Countries, he addressed the conference, co-chaired a high-level roundtable meeting, and took part in several other events.

Representatives from 32 landlocked developing countries across Asia, Europe, Africa, and South America participated. The meeting discussed challenges caused by lack of direct access to the sea, trade and transport constraints, and ways to maximize benefits from global markets.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the conference focused on boosting the competitiveness of LLDCs, which depend on transit through other countries for international trade. Long distances from major markets, cumbersome transit processes, poor infrastructure, and high overall costs remain key obstacles.

On the sidelines, Oli met with heads of delegations, senior UN officials, and representatives of international organizations. LLDCs face difficulties in global trade, connectivity, and economic growth due to lack of direct sea access, which also hampers infrastructure development and achievement of sustainable development goals.

The conference called for stronger partnerships and increased investment to address these challenges and to help LLDCs reach their full potential. It also underlined cooperation for building a shared and prosperous future.

The previous LLDC conference was held in Vienna, Austria, in November 2014, which reviewed the Almaty Programme of Action and discussed new and emerging challenges in trade and transport cooperation.

Oli was accompanied by Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, First Lady Radhika Shakya, Chief Adviser Bishnu Prasad Rimal, lawmaker Surya Bahadur Thapa Chhetri, Chief Personal Secretary Rajesh Bajracharya, personal physician Dr. Divya Singh Shah, senior officials, journalists, and security personnel.

People’s News Monitoring Service