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Kazakhstan Leads Regional Efforts to Combat Climate Change and Boost Connectivity for Landlocked Developing Countries
In April 2026, Astana will host a Regional Environmental Summit in partnership with the United Nations, aiming to strengthen joint efforts in combating climate change. The summit will be attended by various world leaders, including Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The summit comes as President Tokayev highlighted the challenges faced by landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) at the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Turkmenistan. These challenges include limited regional transport links, barriers in access to finance, technology, and global markets, disproportionate vulnerabilities to climate change, and structural bottlenecks.
Limited regional transport links have led to high transit and trade costs, economic difficulties, and increased vulnerability to geopolitical factors such as conflicts, sanctions, and supply chain disruptions. This limitation also affects the competitiveness and well-being of citizens in LLDCs.
Barriers in access to finance, technology, and global markets have hindered economic growth and development in these countries. Many LLDCs still face obstacles in accessing financing, technologies, and world markets.
Disproportionate vulnerabilities to climate change, including water shortages, glacial melt, desertification, and other environmental challenges, exacerbate the development difficulties of LLDCs.
Structural bottlenecks such as underdeveloped infrastructure and continued marginalization from global trade networks have persisted despite previous international efforts.
President Tokayev emphasized the need for louder voices from LLDCs, deeper regional and international cooperation, innovative financial mechanisms to stimulate investment in transport, energy, and digital infrastructure, and political support from transit countries and international organizations to overcome these challenges.
He also referenced the Awaza Action Programme adopted at the conference as a roadmap for the next decade (2024-2034), focusing on structural economic transformation, sustainable infrastructure development, trade facilitation, regional integration, and resilience-building as strategic priorities to address these issues.
Kazakhstan, along with its partners, is making significant efforts to strengthen regional connectivity, promote digital transformation, and contribute to long-term sustainable growth. The experience of Central Asia shows that geography does not dictate destiny, and with political will, strategic investments, and international partnership, landlocked status can be a driver of growth, not a barrier.
In 20 years ago, Kazakhstan hosted the first conference, and it signed an agreement with the UN to establish the Regional United Nations Centre for Sustainable Development for Central Asia and Afghanistan, with its headquarters in Almaty. The Almaty Programme of Action, adopted at the first conference, included the issues of a group of landlocked developing countries in the global development agenda.
Kazakhstan considers landlocked developing countries to be equal and promising partners in shaping global solutions. Many landlocked developing countries face water scarcity, glacial melt, desertification, and extreme weather events due to climate change.
The Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries is currently taking place in Turkmenistan, where the focus is on finding practical solutions to the challenges faced by these countries and fostering sustainable development.
- Recognizing the challenges faced by landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), President Tokayev has advocated for louder voices from these nations to address issues such as climate change, limited regional transport links, barriers in access to finance, technology, and global markets.
- To combat climate change and boost connectivity, the Regional Environmental Summit in Astana, held in partnership with the United Nations, will focus on innovative financial mechanisms and political support to stimulate investment in transport, energy, and digital infrastructure.
- In line with this, President Tokayev emphasized the need for deepening regional and international cooperation, as well as the importance of education and self-development and career development in equipping LLDCs with the skills needed for job search and to navigate war and conflicts and general news.
- Addressing climate-change-induced disproportionate vulnerabilities faced by LLDCs, such as water shortages, glacial melt, desertification, and other environmental challenges, is a priority for the summit.
- The summit also aims to tackle structural bottlenecks such as underdeveloped infrastructure and continued marginalization from global trade networks, highlighting the role of policy and legislation and politics in facilitating sustainable development.
- As part of this ongoing commitment to environmental science and addressing climate change, Kazakhstan has partnered with the UN in the past to establish the Regional United Nations Centre for Sustainable Development for Central Asia and Afghanistan to foster long-term sustainable growth in LLDCs.
