The United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution designating June as the International Day of Awareness of the Special Development Needs and Challenges of Landlocked Developing Countries, delegates said at a U.N. press conference.

At the Oct. 25 press briefing, Sharada Fair, Permanent Mission of Bolivia to the United Nations, speaking on behalf of Bolivia in its capacity as chair of the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC) group, said the new day will be observed beginning Aug. 6 and annually thereafter. "It is a moment very important for the LLDC group," Fair said, adding that the day will be a space to highlight the rights, challenges and vulnerabilities of landlocked states.

The resolution's inaugural observance will take place in the context of the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, to be held in Awaza, Turkmenistan, Aug. 5–8, 2025, speakers said. Diego Pacheco Balanza was introduced at the start of the briefing as chair of the LLDC group; other speakers included Campe Pilacone, deputy permanent representative of Laos to the U.N., and Irene Juru, deputy permanent representative of Zimbabwe to the U.N.

"Being a landlocked country represents a major disadvantage compared to coastal states," Fair said, noting that the 32 LLDCs account for more than 600,000,000 people across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America and continue to face obstacles to sustainable development that require international solidarity and cooperation.

Campe Pilacone of Laos said the international day enshrines global recognition of LLDCs' special development needs and will provide recurring opportunities to assess progress and mobilize political will. Pilacone described common constraints including limited access to global markets, high transport costs, complex transit procedures and inadequate infrastructure, and said Laos has integrated relevant U.N. programmes into its national socio-economic development plan for 2021–2025.

Irene Juru of Zimbabwe said the day could help scale up technical and financial support from transit countries and development partners and accelerate implementation of the program of action for LLDCs. She called the upcoming conference "a critical platform" to operationalize the program of action and noted that preparatory work included segments for member states, parliaments, youth, women and the private sector.

Bolivia’s remarks also referenced historical context specific to Bolivia: Fair said the international day "will be a space to highlight the right, the challenges, and vulnerabilities of Bolivia as a country deprived of sovereign access to its coastline," and reiterated that any resolution of those historical issues should proceed by dialogue and peaceful, mutually beneficial means.

The press conference did not record a roll-call vote; delegates described the measure as adopted "by consensus." No additional formal actions, funding commitments or implementation timelines beyond the inaugural observance dates and the conference schedule were presented during the briefing.

Speakers said they expect the international day and the LLDC conference in Awaza to serve as recurring platforms to engage U.N. member states, the U.N. system, development partners, civil society, the private sector and academia in addressing the specific development needs of LLDCs.