A high-level Euro-Asia regional meeting on improving cooperation on transit, trade facilitation and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development will be held in Ha Noi from March 7-9.

Participants to the meeting include senior officials from landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), transit developing countries, development partners, including donor countries, UN system departments, agencies, funds and programs, international organizations, regional and sub-regional, private sector and NGOs.

The meeting aims to assess the key issues in transit cooperation, trade and trade facilitation in the Euro-Asia region, share best practices and lessons learned on transit cooperation and identify recommendations for cooperation towards implementing the Vienna Program of Action (VPoA) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Discussions are also expected to take place in relation to the Trade Facilitation Agreement of World Trade Organization that recently entered into force.

The VPoA for the LLDCs for the decade 2014 to 2024 underscores the importance of partnerships between LLDCs and transit countries for the improvement and maintenance of their infrastructure connectivity and of technical and administrative arrangements in their transport, customs and logistic systems.

It also stresses the importance of promoting enabling legal environments and institutional arrangements. 

Effective co-operation between landlocked developing countries and transit developing countries is crucial for their effective participation in international and regional trade and coordinated development of transit transport infrastructure. 

This is also important in light of the recent entry into force of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement which is expected to reduce trade costs, improve export diversification, enhance capacity to participate in global value chains and lower entry barriers to join international markets.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda recognize the special needs and challenges faced by landlocked developing countries and stress the need for the international community to support the development efforts of the LLDCs.

This meeting offers a platform where the LLDCs, their neighbors and other development partners can foster their partnerships to enhance the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

VGP