PRESS RELEASE : The Third Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries is an opportunity for action – UK statement at the UN [February 2024]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 13 February 2024.

Statement by Ambassador Tom Woodroffe at the first session of the Preparatory Committee of the Third Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries.

Thank you, Chair, Excellencies, Colleagues,

The Third Conference for Landlocked Developing Countries is an opportunity for action – innovative solutions, meaningful partnership and increased investment.

The UK very much welcomes the focus on partnerships, which is also at the heart of the UK’s Development White Paper launched by the PM at the end of last year.

We are keen to learn how to make the most of our partnerships to deliver for LLDCs, like our British Investment Partnerships that continues to increase investment in climate-resilient infrastructure and just energy transition in many of those countries.

And the UK ’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which came into force last year and is already cutting tariffs, removing conditions and simplifying trading rules for over 65 developing countries including LDCs and LLDCs.

So we very much look forward to working together to build on the Vienna Programme for Action, and agree a development partnership framework that delivers real commitments and real progress for the LLDCs. The zero draft is a comprehensive start, and I’d like to thank the LLDC Group for their time in drafting it. The UK looks forward to constructively engaging in the negotiations on the text and participating in the Conference in June.