22 September 2022

Excellencies,

Deputy Secretary-General,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me begin by recognizing and commending the work of the Foreign Ministry and Permanent Mission of Botswana.

Your dedication to improving the lives of the citizens in your country.

Myself coming from a landlocked country, I cannot explain deep enough how dear your discussion and your work, how close it is to my heart. I thank you very much for inviting me to this discussion this morning.

I am particularly glad to see here other countries, other than LLDCs. Countries that have long seasides.

This shows that we have a common cause.

I would also like to express my thanks to you for supporting my vision statement and my vision.

It is to serve you.

We have spent a week, almost, recognizing the complexity of the crises that we are living in.

Now it is time that we established the diagnosis, let’s talk about the therapy.

Let’s get down to work.

The LLDC, as the whole world, need long-term sustainable solutions.

Solutions that are supported by solidarity and science.

LLDCs need increased development cooperation.

LLDCs need increased regional agreements to strengthen tourism and other industries.

LLDCs need investments to improve transport infrastructure to compete in world markets.

LLDCs need markets regulated to increase the accessibility of resources.

And, ultimately, LLDCs need long-term agreements rooted in science, innovation and trust.  

Trust in the usefulness of the cooperation.

Let me ask you also, in crisis time, we’ll need to improve our ability and readiness for purpose on the most important issues.

We are facing the unprecedented crises that have been discussed many times in group.

And what we need now is transformation.

If we have 100 items on equal footing, I fear that we might be losing focus on the direst needs of LLDCs. So let’s try to concentrate on the most important issues and let’s try to look through the lens of crisis management and transformation.

The Vienna Programme of Action Decade will come an end, as it’s been said, in 2024.

Less than two years are left and it’s high time to start thinking about what comes after.

I want us to focus to make this time very impactful.

Let me throw some ideas, what might be coming to our discussion.

Let’s think about developed cooperative management of water and land resources.

Let’s think how to boost regional scientific cooperation to form joint transport systems.

Let’s try to enhance joint disaster risk reduction planning and disaster response agreements and capabilities.

Let’s try creating joint education and capacity development programs benefitting the LLDCs.

Let’s bolster benefit sharing schemes and financial mechanisms to invest in regional water, food, and climate resilience.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have very limited time to prepare for the Third United Nations LLDC Conference in 2024.

So there’s no time to lose.

I invite you all back here in October.

I need your viewpoints. I need your best advice on how to move forward. And I need your best advisers to come over.

It’s about you, it’s about 450 million people across the world from 32 countries.

Four-hundred-fifty-million, which is which is equal to the whole population of Europe.

So let’s try to make the best use of the time.

Let’s try to make the best of this opportunity.

Thank you very much.