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Unlocking connectivity potential of LLDCs through investment in infrastructure development

Infrastructure is a key priority of the Vienna Programme of Action, which is entering its final year of implementation. For LLDCs, their geographical constraints and remoteness create many challenges which can be addressed by improving infrastructure for transport, energy and information & communication technologies. Additionally, infrastructure development lies at the nexus of economic growth, productive investment, job creation, and poverty reduction.

The side event will focus on addressing the need to increase financing for infrastructure development and maintenance in LLDCs, amongst others. Considering the insufficient progress achieved during the period of implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action, exacerbated by the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and by current geopolitical tensions, LLDCs need to scale-up the development of resilient infrastructure that helps them boost their connectivity. The investment needed to close the infrastructure gap far outweighs the resources available from any single source, so it becomes crucial for LLDCs to attract finance from various traditional and innovative sources.

The interlinkages between infrastructure and the other SDGs in review during the 2023 HLPF (water, energy, sustainable cities and partnerships) underlines the importance of enhancing financing for infrastructure in LLDCs, in a consequential moment as we progress towards creating a new programme of action for this group of countries, to be adopted at the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries to be held in Kigali, 2024.