Operating within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the group aims to amplify their voices in global climate talks, where their distinct vulnerabilities have long been overlooked.
Disproportionate climate risks
Although LLDCs account for approximately 12 per cent of the world’s land surface, they have experienced nearly 20 per cent of the world’s droughts and landslides over the past decade – underscoring their disproportionate exposure to climate-related disasters.
Lacking access to the sea, these countries rely heavily on neighboring transit states, which further increases their vulnerability to climate-induced disruptions.
The Awaza Programme of Action is not the first global framework to address the development needs of LLDCs, but for the first time, such an action plan includes a strong focus on adaptation to climate-related disasters.
A call for resilience and preparedness
Natalia Alonso Cano, Chief of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, emphasized this in an interview with UN News.
LLDCs, she said, face overlapping risks: over half of their territory is classified as dryland; many are in mountainous regions; and some sit in seismically active zones.
“Landlocked countries in general, they suffer about three times the economic losses compared to the global average,” she said. “Also, the mortality rates [when disasters strike these countries] are much higher than the global average. Such big differences can be explained by a combination of this vulnerability, but also a combination of exacerbating impacts.”
Limited capacity, growing challenges
Landlocked developing countries often struggle to respond to climate challenges due to limited financial capacity, dependence on undiversified, commodity-based economies, and weak governance. In 2024, one-third of LLDCs were either in conflict or considered unstable.
The new 10-year UN action plan aims to support LLDCs in climate adaptation, sustainable development, and disaster risk reduction.
“We know that early warning saves lives. It’s a fact,” Ms. Alonso Cano explained. “When you can communicate to the communities affected that something is going to happen and they need to prepare – to evacuate, for example – they need to do certain things. If they know what they need to do, that’s part of the early warning system. Obviously, it saves lives, and it saves livelihoods as well.”
She gave an example of drought preparedness: “If there [is] a systemic drought in an area, you work in the preparedness with the communities, they can, for example, take certain measures, reduce maybe the amount of cattle in the case of that, they can congregate towards points of water, etc. There are a number of measures to address that.”
Ms. Alonso Cano stressed the need for long-term planning: “We need to take into account what is going to happen in 10, 20, 30 years. And climate change will become more extreme – we know this for sure.”
Women and girls at the forefront
Within LLDCs, women and girls are particularly at risk, making gender a key concern at Thursday’s events at LLDC3 in Awaza. One highlight was a Women Leaders’ Forum, opened by UN Under Secretary-General Rabab Fatima, who emphasized that sustainable development cannot be achieved without the full participation of women and girls.
Ms. Fatima, the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, noted progress over the last 25 years: women now occupy one-third of parliamentary seats in LLDCs, compared to just 7.8 per cent in 2000.
“This is higher than the global average,” she said, adding that 11 of the world’s 54 female speakers of parliament come from LLDCs.
Persistent gender gaps
Yet challenges remain. “Progress is uneven and far too slow. One in four women in LLDCs live in extreme poverty – that is nearly 75 million women; and nearly half – about 150 million – face food insecurity.”
Employment statistics show wide gender disparities. While 80 per cent of women in LLDCs work informally, without contracts or protections, the global average is 56 percent. One in three girls in LLDCs marries early – nearly twice the global rate – and only one in three completes secondary education. In addition, just 36 per cent of women in these countries have access to the internet.
“That is why gender-responsive industrial and development policies are so important,” Ms. Fatima stressed. “These policies must be tailored to national contexts, and industrial development in rural areas, business support, formalization of employment, and strengthened partnerships must be priorities.”
Digital inclusion for women and girls
She also called for improved internet access and education for women and girls.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN specialized agency, is addressing these challenges.
Dr. Cosmas Luckysin Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, told UN News that while some regions such as the CIS have achieved gender parity in internet access, LLDCs still face major barriers.
“That’s why we’ve developed special programmes for women and girls in this region,” he said. “It’s not just about access, but also about building coding skills and introducing girls to fields like robotics. Our programmes aim to motivate young women and girls to pursue careers in STEM sectors.”
Turning point for action
As the Awaza conference nears its conclusion, participants are expected on Friday to reaffirm their political commitment to the Awaza Programme of Action, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2024.
The time has come for implementation – or as High Representative Rabab Fatima put it, “Let this forum be a turning point.
