General Assembly General Assembly

75th Session of the UN General Assembly 

Annual Meeting of LLDC Ministers of Foreign Affairs

      India Statement

 

(23 September 2020)

 

We thank the Chair of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries and the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan for organising this annual meeting on the theme “Partnering for the accelerated implementation of the VPoA and achieving sustainable development in LLDCs”.

 

2. This annual meeting has proven to be a very useful opportunity to review the progress made so far in implementing the Vienna Programme of Action, and has served as a platform for identifying challenges and sharing experiences.

 

3. The UN Roadmap for Accelerated Implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action presented by the UN-OHRLLS Secretariat is a comprehensive and timely document presenting a blueprint for implementation of multiple practical projects of the UN member states and UN agencies. We hope that our discussions today, and the forward-looking Ministerial Declaration being adopted will provide further impetus to its implementation.

 

Excellencies,

 

4. The implementation of the VPoA constitutes an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the commitment of the international community to leave no one behind, including the LLDCs.

 

5. Despite the remarkable socioeconomic progress that the world has witnessed over the past few decades, the geographic remoteness of LLDCs compounded by weak transit, transport and customs infrastructure, resource and capacity constraints and limited access to technology have prevented the effective integration of LLDCs into the global economic and trading system.

 

6. This state of affairs is being compounded by the widespread socioeconomic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. While LLDCs remain relatively less affected by the virus, as we have heard from our DESA colleagues, the COVID-19 pandemic is increasing the risks of a balance of payments crisis, a food crisis and a debt crisis in LLDCs. A few LLDCs—with extremely high levels of external debt owed to private creditors—are particularly vulnerable.

 

7. Timely international support is critical in helping LLDCs avoid an immediate crisis. India has also extended its hand to assist its LLDC partners in their COVID-19 response, with medical assistance including testing kits, protective gear and supplies of medicines. However, over and above this, a long-term rescue and recovery plan is needed to steer their economies towards meaningful structural changes.

 

8. As a transit and as a fellow developing country, India remains fully committed to extend its support and share its developmental experience with LLDCs, even more so in these challenging times.

 

9. In our neighbourhood, India has been extremely forthcoming in the context of LLDCs and provided extensive access and facilities. We have established the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) initiative to strengthen economic cooperation and transport connectivity of landlocked Nepal and Bhutan and give BBIN countries greater access to global supply chains. Cooperation under BBIN is also being discussed in the areas of power, water resources management, inland water ways and rail connectivity.

 

10. The India-Afghanistan direct air freight corridor, established in 2017, provides Afghan nationals, including the farming and trading community quick and direct access to the Indian markets for health services, education and marketing their produce and commodities. India is also developing the Chahbahar Port in Iran, to cater to Afghanistan’s trade and connectivity requirements.

 

11. In 2017, in the spirit of South-South cooperation, India established the US$150 million India-UN Development Partnership Fund, which is aimed at Southern-owned and led, demand-driven, and transformation projects aimed at fulfilling the SDGs in developing, LDC and LLDCs.

 

12. We are pleased to see that the UN Roadmap for Accelerated Implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action prepared by by the UN-OHRLLS Secretariat includes several of these projects.

 

13. More broadly, India is undertaking extensive cooperation with LLDCs in the context of its development partnership programme. Our commitment to development cooperation has been expanded considerably in recent years, with more than USD 30 billion extended as Lines of Credit, and a range of other projects executed through grants, particularly in the landlocked countries in our neighbourhood. In the landlocked countries of Africa, we are taking up substantive projects which directly contribute to enhancing the quality of life of the people – these range from power projects and IT related projects to major infrastructure and water projects.

 

14. These are all examples of India’s abiding commitment to fostering structural economic transformation by responding to priority initiatives articulated by LLDC governments. We assure you once again of India's strong support and steadfast commitment to continue sharing our development experience and expertise with you, to overcome challenges and achieve the 2030 Agenda.

 

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