UN Secretary-General Appoints High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit for Landlocked Developing Countries

Road in Bolivia. Schame87/Adobe Stock

 New York, 24 September 2026 – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed the High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit for Landlocked Developing Countries (HLP-FoT), a landmark initiative mandated by the Awaza Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2024–2034 (APoA) to help advance the internationally recognized right of landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) to access global markets through efficient, reliable and cost-effective transit systems. 

The Panel was established pursuant to the APoA, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. It will examine the application of existing international laws and agreements on freedom of transit, identify implementation gaps and constraints, and provide recommendations to strengthen transit systems for LLDCs in accordance with international law. 

Comprising representatives from Member States, international organizations, the private sector, academia and independent experts, the Panel will function as an independent, impartial and technical body. Its final recommendations will be submitted to Member States during the eighty-second session of the United Nations General Assembly. 

The Panel's work will be supported by a UN Task Force and a group of international scholars providing academic, legal and technical input. 

For the world's 32 landlocked developing countries, home to more than 600 million people, the absence of direct access to the sea remains one of the most significant structural barriers to sustainable development. LLDCs continue to face disproportionately high transport and trade costs, lower participation in global trade and increased vulnerability to supply-chain disruptions. 

The High-Level Panel is the first United Nations mechanism to systematically examine the intersection of the law of the sea, international trade law, transit-related treaty frameworks and emerging digital and customs instruments that increasingly shape global trade and transport. 

Congratulating the panelists, Rabab Fatima, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, said: 

"The appointment of the High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit marks a significant milestone in the implementation of the Awaza Programme of Action. For the 32 landlocked developing countries, freedom of transit is not merely a transport issue. It is a development imperative. By bringing together leading expertise from across legal, trade, transport and development communities, the Panel will help identify practical and actionable solutions to ensure that landlocked developing countries can access global markets more efficiently, strengthen their resilience and accelerate progress towards sustainable development." 

Panel Composition 

Co-Chairs 

• H.E. Ms. Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia 
• H.E. Mr. Mokgweetsi Masisi, former President of the Republic of Botswana 
• H.E. Mr. Xavier Bettel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Minister for Development Coordination and Humanitarian Affairs of Luxembourg 

Members 

• H.E. Mr. Alexander Marschik, Ambassador Republic of Austria to the Federal Republic of Germany; former Permanent Representative and Co-Chair of the Preparatory Committee for LLDC3 (Austria) 
• Mr. Louis Savadogo, Member of the International Law Commission (Burkina Faso) 
• H. E. Mr. Enkhbold Vorshilov, Ambassador at Large; former Permanent Representative and Co-Chair of the Preparatory Committee for LLDC3 (Mongolia) 
• H.E. Ms. Wilma Patricia Frutos Ruiz, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs and Integration (Republic of Paraguay) 
• H.E. Mr. Dmitry Zverev, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Transport (Russian Federation) 
• Ms. Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General, Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) 
• Ms. Trudi Hartzenberg, Member of the United Nations Committee for Development Policy and Executive Director of the Trade Law Centre (Republic of South Africa) 
• Mr. Burak Aykan, Director General for EU and Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (Republic of Türkiye) 
• Ms. Jennifer Mwijukye, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Unifreight Group / Unifreight Cargo Handling Limited (Republic of Uganda) 
• Ms. Rabab Fatima, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, (ex-officio member) 
• Ms. Elinor Hammarskjöld, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, (ex-officio member). 

Key Links: 

• Additional information on LLDCs: https://www.un.org/ohrlls/content/landlocked-developing-countries 
• LLDC3 Website: https://www.un.org/en/landlocked 
• Awaza Programme of Action: https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/apoa_booklet.pdf 

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For media inquiries, contact: 

• May Yaacoub | Head of Advocacy and Outreach, UNOHRLLS | yaacoubm@un.org