KATHMANDU, June 27:Nepal has reminded the international community that the Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) should get uninterrupted and unhampered transit access to the nearest sea port for international trade.
Addressing the 5th Meeting of Trade Ministers of LLDCs held in Geneva, Minister for Commerce Jayant Chand also highlighted various geographical, physical and structural constraints faced by LLDCs which have impeded their share in global trade, which is around 1.2 percent at present, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce.
Minister Chand is returning home on Monday.
Nepal set to get access to seven China ports
Urging international community respect transit rights of LLDCs, Chand defined trade as an enabler of sustainable development, poverty reduction and sustained economic growth.
The 5th Meeting of Trade Ministers of LLDCs was organized by the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) and World Trade Organization (WTO).
The theme of the two-day ministerial meeting was 'harnessing the trade potential of the LLDCs to implement the Vienna Programme of Action (VPoA) for LLDCs and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'.
On the occasion, Chand highlighted the role of Trade Facilitation Agreement reached in 2013 for facilitating transit issues, especially for LLDCs. Emphasizing the need to invest more in modern transport infrastructure network and to ensure multimodal bilateral and regional transport connectivity, Chand also stressed the need to mainstream the priority areas of the Vienna Plan of Action (VPoA) in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs).
Chand also highlighted that VPoA and 2030 SDGs that have addressed the special development needs and challenges of the LLDCs in the spirit of leaving no one behind.
He also added that north-south, south-south and triangular cooperation, as well as enhanced and strengthened global partnership for transfer of technology, finance, ideas and know-how, which are essential to implement all globally agreed development goals, including VPoA and SDGs, are crucial for growing together.
