PM Oli Urges Turning Landlocked Challenges into Opportunities

 KATHMANDU, AUGUST 5 — Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that being a landlocked country should no longer hold back a nation's progress.

Speaking at the UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) on Tuesday, Oli said that with strong partnerships, smart investments, and united efforts, countries like Nepal can overcome the limitations of not having access to the sea and achieve economic growth.

He said Nepal believes in the power of regional and global cooperation to close development gaps. "With continued support from our neighbors India and China, and the global community, we can turn our landlocked status into an opportunity," he said.

Nepal, as an active member of the LLDC group, is ready to help drive change—not just as a country needing help, but as a partner in creating solutions.

Call for Better Connectivity and Innovation

Oli called for collective efforts to build a future based on better connectivity, innovation, resilience, and inclusiveness. However, he admitted that LLDCs still face serious challenges like isolation, reliance on other countries for trade routes, poor transportation systems, and weak links to global markets. These problems are worse for LLDCs that are also Least Developed Countries.

Even after two decades of international efforts like the Almaty and Vienna Programmes of Action, LLDCs continue to suffer from high trade costs, limited exports, and climate risks.

Focus on Potential and Digital Opportunities

The Prime Minister emphasized that LLDCs should not be seen just for their disadvantages. They have rich natural resources, young and innovative populations, and growing involvement in the digital world.

He said the new Awaza Programme of Action is a great opportunity to address long-standing problems and promote inclusive growth. But he warned that without real action, ambition alone won't be enough.

The Awaza plan focuses on five key areas: transforming economies, boosting trade, improving transportation and connectivity, tackling climate change, and ensuring proper support and funding.

With the right strategies and support, Oli said, LLDCs can shift from being landlocked to land-linked, from relying on others for trade to becoming competitive in the global market, and from being climate-vulnerable to climate-resilient.

He highlighted the power of digital technology to overcome physical barriers and called for inclusive partnerships to connect isolated regions to the rest of the world.

Nepal's Commitment

Oli confirmed that Nepal fully supports the Awaza Programme of Action, which matches Nepal’s national goal of “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali.”

Even though Nepal will graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status next year, it still faces high transport costs, poor regional connectivity, and infrastructure challenges.

“Our aim is to transform Nepal from a landlocked to a land-linked country,” he said.

Nepal is focusing on improving roads, railways, cross-border trade routes, digital networks, and green energy projects. The country is working closely with India and China to boost connectivity and ensure the specific problems faced by LLDCs are addressed effectively.

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