Bangkok--10 Nov--ESCAP
ESCAP research identifies priority transport, ICT and energy connectivityinvestment opportunities for Asia’s Landlocked Developing Countries
Linking infrastructure is a complex and expensivechallenge for Asia’s Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), which alsorequires strong political commitment and the involvement of public and
private sectors, according to a new report by the United Nations Economicand Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
ESCAP’s research shows that while deployment of physical infrastructureremains a priority, deeper regional integration, through cohesiveintegrated and terrestrial networks is key to effectively linking Asia’s 12LLDCs to the region’s infrastructure networks.
The new report, Bridging Transport, ICT and Energy Infrastructure Gaps forSeamless Regional Connectivity was launched by ESCAP on Wednesday at theSecond United Nations Conference on LLDCs, in Vienna, Austria. ESCAP’sanalysis presents strategies, policy recommendations and initiatives,designed to reinforce the regional coherence of connecting infrastructureand their cross-sectoral synergies.
“Over the last decade, Asian LLDCs have performed relatively well andinfrastructure improvements in some LLDCs show that with large-scaleinvestments and prioritization in policy planning, LLDCs can match, if notoutperform the achievements of neighbouring sea-accessing countries,”explained United Nations Under-Secretary-General and ESCAP ExecutiveSecretary Dr. Shamshad Akhtar during ESCAP’s side event on linking LLDCs toregional infrastructure networks.
“However, regional connectivity remains an unfinished agenda for LLDCs,”she added. “Bridging infrastructure gaps remain a complex and expensivemedium-to long-term challenge, and one that will require strong politicalcommitment and the involvement of a range of multi-sectoral stakeholders in
the public and private sectors."
ESCAP’s findings suggest new investments are needed to improve transporinfrastructure and logistics services, particularly along internationalintermodal transport corridors serving LLDCs. ESCAP’s research alsoidentifies high priority investments in terrestrial cross-borderfibre-optic infrastructure for ICT connectivity, among others inBhutan/India and Kazakhstan/Turkmenistan but even then, the analysissuggests that such bilateral solutions would bring greater benefits ifintegrated into a regionally cohesive approach that provides multipleconfigurations of routings.
These findings are in line with ESCAP’s Asia-Pacific InformationSuperhighway initiative, which is aimed at connecting each country’sbackbone networks and integrating them into a cohesive land- and sea-basedfibre infrastructure. ESCAP also estimates that demand for energy is set todouble by 2050. To enhance energy security, ESCAP is promoting the AsianEnergy Highway, which seeks to integrate more renewable energy into aseamless power grid for sustainable use of clean energy.
“The Bridging Transport, ICT and Energy Infrastructure Gaps for SeamlessRegional Connectivity report makes a valuable contribution to the policydebates about wider LLDC connectivity and will help shape futurepolicymaking in the region and beyond,” ESCAP’s Executive Secretary said.
The Second United Nations Conference on LLDCs was held from 3 to 5 November2014 in Vienna, Austria. At the LLDC Conference, participants fromgovernments of LLDCs, transit developing countries and donor countries, UNand other international organizations and the private sector have come
together to shape the new development agenda for the next decade, adoptingthe Vienna Declaration, incorporating a 10 year Programme of Action aimedat accelerating sustainable development in the world’s 32 LLDCs.