UNITED NATIONS SUPPORT TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ALMATY PROGRAMME OF ACTION,

1. UNITED NATIONS SUPPORT TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ALMATY PROGRAMME OF ACTION, THE COMPREHENSIVE TEN-YEAR REVIEW AND PROSPECTS FOR A NEW UN PROGRAMME International Conference – “Prospects of Transport and Transit Development in Central Asia and the Caspian Region” 16 May 2012 Gladys Mutangadura UN-OHRLLS

2. Outline • Priority areas of the Almaty Programme of Action • Selected achievements • Challenges and new developments • Comprehensive Ten Year Review Conference • UN Support • Prospects of a new UN programme

3. Priority Areas of the Almaty PoA Objective is to establish a global framework for developing efficient transit transport systems, that will help LLDCs overcome their inherent geographical difficulties and support their efforts to eradicate poverty and sustain economic growth Priority areas (i) Fundamental transit policy issues (ii) Infrastructure development and maintenance, (iii) International trade and trade facilitation, (iv) International support measures and (iv) Implementation and review.

4. Almaty Programme of Action: selected achievements… • International conventions and agreements. • Regional and sub-regional agreements. • Streamlined border facilities and procedures. EG: one stop border controls; vehicle insurance schemes; common visa sticker for drivers; the use of ICTs for customs clearance; establishment of dry ports and intermodal infrastructure; reduction of number of checkpoints. • Institutional framework - transport and trade facilitation bodies or coordination committees, road funds • Development of interregional and sub-regional transport infrastructure networks • Increased international support (ODA, Aid for Trade, market access, debt relief). • FDI flows to LLDCs increased since 2003 – decreased global crisis 2009. • Private sector participation improved – limited to ICTs. • International Think Tank on LLDCs.

5. Challenges and new developments • Share of LLDCs in world’s trade remains low 1%. • Heavy dependency on natural resource exports • Vulnerability to price-volatility, internal and external shocks and low productive capacities • Limited technology development and adoption • Underdeveloped logistics sector • Absence of competition in transit transport services sector • Missing links and resource gap for road infrastructure development • Transport costs are still high - OHRLLS study shows that LLDCs as a group have higher the transport cost of 45 percent more than the group rate for transit developing countries in 2010.

6. Challenges and new developments Slow accession to international conventions Vulnerability to climate change - exacerbate desertification and land degradation, rise in sea-level is affect usability of ports. High economic and social disparities. Increasing fuel and food prices - impact on food security. Increased austerity measures. Need to address LLDC problems in a holistic manner beyond transport issues. New agenda must adequately respond to the needs of LLDCs.

7. Comprehensive Ten Year Review • To develop a new, more comprehensive development framework for the next decade, based on scaled-up partnerships and enhanced international support. • Three tracks; • Intergovernmental; • United Nations, international and regional organizations; • Private Sector • Preparatory events at all levels - National level, Regional - Sub-regional Levels, Global level • Ten-Year Review Conference 2014

8. UN Support - increasingly using a broader approach to the APoA in the UN and the General Assembly Away from looking at APoA as a sectoral transport issue, towards understanding its overall impact on trade, economic development and achievement of the MDGs. Global level: UNOHRLLS – coordination of UN support, advocacy, resource mobilization, monitoring of the APoA. UNCTAD - capacity building and technical assistance on trade and transport facilitation, FDI, enhancing of productive capacities etc UNDP – capacity building and technical assistance on trade facilitation national assessments for Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) and Aid for Trade initiatives UNECE – International conventions

9. UN Support to the Region Regional level • UNECE and UNESCAP have programmes that address transit transport development in the region. • EG. Euro-Asian Transport Linkages project; United Nations Special Programme for Economies of Central Asia

10. Prospects of the development of a new UN Programme for transport services between the Caspian & the Black Seas The UN Regional Commissions and regional and sub-regional organizations play a key role for regional and sub-regional development. Global organizations with specialized mandates also have a key role to provide expertise and support to efforts at the regional and sub-regional levels. The Ten year review conference of the Almaty Programme of Action provides a unique opportunity to revisit the issues that were agreed upon in Almaty and further expand and develop to make the new Programme of Action more holistic and address the diverse needs of different regions. OHRLLS through its coordination efforts help establish linkages between national, sub-regional, regional and global programmes.

11. Thank you