UN General Assembly adopted Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for Decade 2024-2034

• It builds on Vienna Programme of Action (2014-2024) & Almaty Programme of Action (2003), which laid groundwork for addressing challenges faced by Landlocked Developing Country (LLDCs). 
• It identifies 5 priorities (refer Infographic) & sets various targets under it. 

Key Targets 

• Boost labour productivity & job opportunities across all sectors by 50% by 2034. 
• Provide support to develop special economic zones, industrial parks, etc.
• Reduce/eliminate arbitrary & unjustified non-tariff barriers & double their global merchandise exports by 2034. 
• Effective implementation of WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation in all LLDCs.
• Reduce disaster risk in LLDCs through full implementation of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015– 2030.

About (LLDCs)

• Landlocked countries are countries that do not have direct access to the sea. There are 32 LLDCs with a population of about 570 million.
• Liechtenstein & Uzbekistan are doubly landlocked countries (surrounded by other landlocked countries).

Challenges faced by LLDCs

• Hurdles in Trade: Relying on transit nations, leads to higher trade costs, delays & reduced competitiveness in global markets.
• Slower Economic Growth: Due to limited trade & export opportunities,reduced FDI etc. 
  • Global merchandise exports from LLDCs accounts for just 1.1% of total global exports (2022).

India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently signed a $350 million policy-based loan under the second subprogram of SMILE (Strengthening Multimodal and Integrated Logistics Ecosystem) program.

About SMILE Program

• It is a programmatic policy-based loan (PBL) by ADB to support the government of India to undertake wide ranging reforms in the logistics sector. 
• Objective
  • To strengthen the institutional and policy framework for inter-ministerial coordination and planning for incentivizing private sector participation in multimodal logistics projects (MMLPs)
  • To improve efficiencies in external trade logistics and encourage the use of smart and automated systems for improved service delivery.

The 2024 edition of the Network Readiness Index (NRI) has officially launched.

• The theme of this year is “Building a Digital Tomorrow: Public-Private Investments and Global Collaboration for Digital Readiness.”
• India climbed 11 ranks, securing the 49^th position in NRI 2024.
• The report maps the network-based readiness landscape of 133 economies based on their performances in four different pillars: Technology, People, Governance, and Impact.
• It is co-published by Portulans Institute and Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.