Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) have formed a new climate negotiation alliance under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), uniting to champion their distinct environmental challenges in global climate talks. The initiative marks a significant shift, ensuring that the unique voices of nations without direct access to the sea are no longer sidelined in discussions that shape the global climate agenda.
Though LLDCs make up around 12 percent of the planet’s landmass, they disproportionately suffer climate-related disasters. Over the past decade alone, these countries have borne nearly 20 percent of the world’s droughts and landslides, clear evidence of their heightened exposure to environmental risks.
Their dependence on neighboring transit states for trade and mobility compounds their vulnerability. Climate-induced disruptions in adjacent countries can have devastating ripple effects, leaving LLDCs particularly exposed. The newly formed coalition seeks to correct this imbalance by placing LLDC concerns squarely on the global climate stage.
While the Awaza Programme of Action is not the first international initiative addressing the needs of LLDCs, it is the first to place climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction at its core. The 10-year UN plan supports LLDCs in building resilience through sustainable development strategies, early warning systems, and strengthened governance.
Natalia Alonso Cano, Chief of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, emphasized the urgency of addressing the compound threats these nations face.
“Landlocked countries in general, they suffer about three times the economic losses compared to the global average. Also, the mortality rates [when disasters strike these countries] much higher than the global average. Such big difference explained by a combination of this vulnerability, but also a combination of exacerbating impacts.”
Natalia Alonso Cano
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LLDCs often struggle with limited financial resources, weak infrastructure, and overreliance on commodity-based economies. In 2024, a third of these countries were classified as either unstable or in active conflict, further complicating climate resilience efforts. Ms. Alonso Cano underlined the importance of early warning systems in addressing these vulnerabilities.
“We know that early warning saves lives. It’s a fact,” she said. “When you can communicate to the communities affected that something is going to happen and they need to prepare – to evacuate, for example – they need to do certain things. If they know what they need to do, that’s part of the early warning system. Obviously, it saves lives, and it saves livelihoods as well.”
Ms. Alonso Cano
She shared an example of how drought preparedness could be improved through better planning: “If there [is] a systemic drought in an area, you work in the preparedness with the communities, they can, for example, take certain measures, reduce maybe the amount of cattle in the case of that, they can congregate towards points of water, etc. There are a number of measures to address that.”
Beyond immediate preparedness, long-term vision is also critical. “We need to take into account what is going to happen in 10, 20, 30 years. And climate change will become more extreme – we know this for sure,” she warned.
As the Awaza conference draws to a close, LLDCs are expected to reaffirm their commitment to the Awaza Programme of Action, first adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2024. The next phase of work begins now, with a strong focus on execution.
High Representative Rabab Fatima encapsulated the moment with a rallying call: “Let this forum be a turning point.”
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