On 5-7 August, Undersecretary for Economic and Development Affairs Mariin Ratnik visited Awaza, Turkmenistan, to attend the third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3). Undersecretary Ratnik was one of the co-chairs of the conference’s roundtable on economic diversification and science, technology and innovation. 
Landlocked developing countries face a number of challenges. In addition to traditional development challenges, their economic growth is constrained by high trade and transport costs due to the lack of direct maritime connectivity and dependence on transit countries. The conference focused in particular on facilitating trade between landlocked countries and promoting technological and digital cooperation. Discussions took place in the framework of the new UN 10-year action plan, the Awaza Programme of Action, which aims to support landlocked countries in overcoming geographical isolation, limited market potential and high vulnerability to external influences.
In her presentation, Undersecretary Ratnik stressed the importance of digital development and science-based innovation. “Science, technology and innovation is not a luxury, but a necessity for all countries,” the undersecretary said. “They are key to increasing productivity, ensuring food security and integrating into global value chains.”
She also outlined Estonia’s current contribution to supporting developing countries through the GovStack initiative and the domestic AI education programme AI-Hüpe, which aims to promote artificial intelligence literacy and its responsible use. “The experience of Estonia’s e-governance and digital transformation shows how targeted investments and capacity building can lead to rapid and lasting changes,” Ratnik added.
In the margins of the summit, bilateral meetings were also held with representatives of Turkmenistan and Rwanda to discuss cooperation opportunities in the field of digital affairs, development cooperation and innovation.
Additional information
Communication Department
[email protected]
www.vm.ee | @MFAestonia