Tashkent – The Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) QU Dongyu highlighted the large untapped potential of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) that needs to be harnessed to ensure an effective transformation of agrifood systems in these countries. He spoke on Thursday at the LLDC Forum on Food Security and the Sustainable Development Goals (5-6 September) in Tashkent jointly organized by FAO and the Government of Uzbekistan.
In his opening remarks, Qu pointed out that the unique geographical characteristics of LLDCs lacking direct sea access often leads to higher costs of infrastructure, logistics and transportation, which hinders their full integration into global markets. At the same time, the impacts of the climate crisis are further aggravating the situation in these countries, resulting in water scarcity, land degradation, and biodiversity loss, among others, jeopardizing food security and nutrition.
To overcome these complex challenges and unlock the full potential