The President of Uzbekistan Puts Forward Key Initiatives to Address Common Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held in the Avaza National Tourist Zone in the city of Turkmenbashi.
In line with the conference agenda, participants discussed urgent issues such as strengthening transport connectivity and simplifying trade procedures, driving economic transformation, enhancing resilience to climate change and environmental challenges, and advancing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The President emphasized the vital importance of these discussions, noting that geographic remoteness from seaports and the need to transit through several countries create a number of objective challenges.
Among these are high tariffs, limited capacity of transport corridors and infrastructure, and dependence on the customs and transit policies of other countries.
According to the World Bank, high transport costs and transit instability cause Central Asia to lose up to 2% of its GDP annually.
Logistics costs account for up to 60% of the value of goods, several times higher than the global average.
In this context, the development of new, reliable transit corridors and logistics infrastructure becomes a critical condition for sustainable progress in Central Asia.
“The agenda that unites us today addresses a fundamental issue – the issue of justice. It is about ensuring that landlocked countries can participate in the global economy on equal terms,” the President of Uzbekistan stated.
He emphasized that solving this pressing issue requires meeting three essential conditions:
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Modernizing infrastructure as the foundation for sustainable development;
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Strengthening connectivity to prevent transit-related bottlenecks;
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Realizing the right to development as a key element of global equity.
In recent years, Uzbekistan has taken systematic steps to build a modern transport and logistics network, with active involvement of the private sector. Significant progress has been made in digitalizing trade and transport processes.
Ongoing structural economic reforms, trade liberalization, and a drastic improvement in the investment climate have delivered tangible results, such as increased competitiveness and accelerated innovation.
“A powerful impetus to dynamic transformation has come from achieving a qualitatively new level of trust and partnership in Central Asia,” the President noted.
A unified transport and logistics space is now emerging in the region. Programs and projects are being implemented to turn Central Asia into a full-fledged transit hub connecting East and West, North and South.
Over the past few years:
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Regional trade volume has increased 4.5 times, surpassing $11 billion;
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Investment has doubled;
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The number of joint ventures has increased fivefold.
This year, together with partners, construction began on the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, and cargo flow has significantly increased along the Uzbekistan–Turkmenistan–Iran–Turkey transport corridor.
To address the shared challenges of landlocked countries, the President of Uzbekistan proposed a number of specific initiatives:
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First and foremost, he stressed the need for coordinated action to accelerate the development of international transport corridors and infrastructure.
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He emphasized the importance of speeding up the construction of the Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan railway and integrating it with the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan line currently under development.
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“This will open the door to the formation of a new trade and economic space and a sustainable transport infrastructure across our vast region,” the President said.
He also called for the full utilization of the potential of the Middle Corridor, primarily through:
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Coordinated transit policies;
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Harmonized regulations;
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Introduction of optimal tariffs for container transportation.
The President proposed the development of a Global Transit Guarantee Agreement under the auspices of the United Nations, to:
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Ensure fair access to ports and communications for landlocked countries;
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Reduce risks in cargo transport;
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Mitigate inequality in global logistics.
Given the growing demand for flexible investment tools to fund major infrastructure projects, the President supported the creation of a UN-backed Fund to promote logistics integration of landlocked countries.
The annual investment need of Central Asian countries in transport infrastructure is estimated at nearly $40 billion.
He also advocated for the creation of a Global Vulnerability Index for landlocked countries to objectively assess transit limitations and better allocate international financial and technical support based on real needs.
Attention was drawn to the importance of establishing an Innovation Hub in Uzbekistan for Agricultural Development. This hub would:
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Promote adaptive agrotechnologies,
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Advance innovative water-saving projects,
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Ensure food security, and
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Facilitate knowledge and expertise exchange.
The President of Uzbekistan highlighted the need to actively engage leading experts and think tanks in developing solutions to shared challenges – including through international forums and roundtables.
“The agenda of such events could include issues such as deep integration into global value chains, rapid development of artificial intelligence and digital technologies, expansion of cross-border investment, and support for startups,” the President said.
He also announced Uzbekistan’s intention to join the work of the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries.
