On November 4, a consultative meeting was held at the UN House, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia in collaboration with the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and the International Analytical Center for Landlocked Developing Countries. The meeting discussed the implementation of the Awaza Action Program, covering the period from 2024 to 2034. Details were published on the official page of the ministry on Facebook.
The Awaza Action Program was approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2024 and received endorsement at the Third UN Conference held in Awaza (Turkmenistan) in August 2025. It includes a decade-long framework aimed at addressing the unique development challenges faced by 32 developing landlocked countries.
Multilateral negotiations that took place in New York from January to June 2024 under the joint chairmanship of Mongolia and Austria played a key role in the development of the Action Program. Representatives from Mongolia's government structures, civil society, the academic community, and international organizations participated in the discussions. They examined the opportunities and challenges facing Mongolia in the context of the five priority areas of the Awaza Action Program and exchanged views on ways to implement it.
The main report was delivered by Enkhbold Vorshilov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, who previously served as Mongolia's Permanent Representative to the UN. He noted that as of 2022, developing landlocked countries accounted for only 1.1% of the total volume of global merchandise exports, 0.7% of service exports, and 0.3% of digital services, highlighting the persistent structural problems hindering these countries' integration into the global economy.
The meeting also included representatives from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, as well as experts from Mongolia's transport, logistics, and customs sectors, including scholars from the National University of Mongolia and the Mongolian University of Science and Technology.
Participants in the discussions emphasized the importance of integrating the recommendations of the Awaza Action Program into national development strategies, creating a clear roadmap for its implementation, and strengthening international and intersectoral cooperation. The meeting also featured a presentation of the Awaza Action Program in the Mongolian language.
