At LLDC3, UNIDO reaffirms commitment to driving structural transformation in LLDCs through Quality Policies
Awaza, Turkmenistan, 13 August 2025 - The historic Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) held in Awaza, Turkmenistan, from 5 to 8 August 2025, was opened by the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres who highlighted the urgent need for collective action to support Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs).
UNIDO reaffirmed its commitment to driving structural transformation, inclusive and sustainable industrial development in LLDCs through a side event on Quality Policies.
“UNIDO actively promotes the development of a robust and internationally recognized Quality Infrastructure (QI), not only as a means to enhance trade competitiveness and market access, but also as a tool to foster meaningful employment and reduce poverty, particularly among women and youth in rural areas. A National Quality Policy is a critical instrument that enables LLDCs to address these weaknesses in a holistic and strategic manner”, said Fatou Haidara, UNIDO Deputy Director General and Managing Director of the Global Partnerships and External Relations Directorate.
During UNIDO’s side-event on Quality Policies: Driving Structural Transformation, Trade Competitiveness, Connectivity and Resilience of LLDCs held on 5 August which was moderated by renowned journalist Femi Oke, key stakeholders including high-level Government representatives, Quality Infrastructure institutions, private sector leaders and development partners, deliberated on the important role of Quality Policies (QPs) in supporting LLDCs in the reduction of Technical Barriers to Trade (TBTs) and meeting international market requirements thereby enhancing their trade competitiveness and integration into regional and global value chains.
Speaking at the side-event, His Excellency Honourable Tiroeaone Ntsima, Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Botswana highlighted that “The National Quality Policy for Botswana seeks to enhance trade and economic development of Botswana and pursues the country’s integration into the global economy. Botswana commends the technical assistance support received from UNIDO through the European Union funded ACP QI Programme and looks forward to strengthening our collaboration to promote sustainable development in Botswana”.
Through a presentation of UNIDO’s work in regional and national QPs spanning various continents including Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific and a panel discussion from experts in the domain, the side-event explored opportunities to exchange among key stakeholders and highlight the importance of QPs in the evolving world context to spur socioeconomic development in LLDCs.
Dr. Amany Asfour, President of the Africa Business Council stated: “the Africa Business Council (AfBC) plays a pivotal role in advancing quality policies across the continent in the framework of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). As the voice of the African private sector, the Council brings together businesses, trade associations, and industry leaders to influence the development of harmonized standards and regulatory frameworks”.
UN Office for South - South Cooperation (UN OSSC) Director, Dima Al-Khatib noted “There is a huge potential that can be tapped through using South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC). By sharing knowledge and best practices, SSTC enables developing countries to learn from one another’s successes in building effective national quality systems”.
Dr. Reuben Gisore, Technical Director at the African Organization for Standardisation (ARSO) representing the African Union Commission (AUC), said that “ARSO is supporting developing countries in the alignment of their National Quality Policies with the Africa Quality Policy (AQP); which provides a continental framework to strengthen the Quality Infrastructure system by promoting harmonized standards, mutual recognition of conformity assessments, and stronger institutional frameworks that ensure products and services meet international quality benchmarks”.
Ali Qazilbash, Senior Technical Advisor at UNIDO highlighted UNIDO’s extensive technical cooperation expertise which spans over two decades in the development and implementation of Quality Policies and presented some of the ongoing projects implemented by UNIDO such as the EU-funded African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Quality Infrastructure Programme.
The LLDC3, a once-in- a decade opportunity to mobilize international support for the 32 landlocked nations convened over 5,000 participants including Heads of State, Vice-Presidents, Ministers, senior UN officials, development partners and private sector leaders to address the unique challenges faced by LLDCs — including high trade costs, infrastructure gaps, and climate vulnerabilities—while charting a bold path forward through the Awaza Programme of Action (APOA, 2024–2034).
For more information, please contact:
Bernard Bau
Head of the Competitiveness, Quality and Compliance Unit, UNIDO
B.Bau [at] unido.org
