Secretary-General says United Nations remains strongly committed to helping

 

landlocked countries overcome obstacles to development

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s message to the Sixth Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries in New York yesterday, 19 September, as delivered by Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States:

I am pleased that Ministers and other high officials of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries are meeting in New York during the 60^th session of the United Nations General Assembly.  Your meeting comes soon after the conclusion of the High-Level Plenary Meeting, which was attended by an unprecedented number of Heads of State and Government, including many from your group.  The results are before you.

I believe that the Landlocked Developing Countries have positioned themselves well through the Almaty Declaration and Programme of Action, which was the outcome of the International Conference on Transit Transport Cooperation convened by the United Nations General Assembly in August 2003.  As I said in my message to that conference, the United Nations recognizes the special needs of landlocked developing countries and remains strongly committed to helping them overcome obstacles to their development.  Throughout the UN system, special efforts are being made to ensure that your concerns are taken into account in the decision-making processes of the international community.  Let me also emphasize the crucial role which South-South cooperation continues to play in the implementation of the Almaty Programme.  I hope such cooperation will be taken to greater heights in support of your development efforts. 

For my part, I will continue to provide every possible support.  I wish you success in your deliberations.

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For information media • not an official record