From Landlocked to Landlinked For the world’s 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), lack of direct sea access drives up transport costs, slows deliveries, and limits competitiveness. Climate change is adding to the strain, damaging roads, disrupting supply chains, and exposing fragile infrastructure to extreme weather. The Third UN Conference on
By Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director, UN Global Compact Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) face unique economic challenges due to their geographic isolation. With no direct access to seaports, LLDCs rely on neighboring countries for trade routes, increasing transport costs and reducing competitiveness. Yet, these 32 countries, with a population
By Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC) Although it may not be obvious at first glance, Mongolia, Paraguay, Switzerland, and Zambia share more than the colour red in their flags: They have all dealt with – or are still dealing with – red tape and trade bottlenecks as
Geneva, August 5, 2025 — Delegates from more than 170 nations gathered today at the United Nations’ Palais des Nations to begin the final scheduled round of negotiations for a landmark Global Plastics Treaty. The talks, known formally as INC-5.2, are widely seen as the world’s last best chance to
By Gerd Müller, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) We live in a time of multiple, interconnected crises – crises which hit developing countries the hardest. Hunger and poverty remain widespread and have been worsened by the COVID pandemic. Moreover, they are exacerbated by conflicts and
Key Impact Points: UN’s Gold Standard Publishes Engineered Carbon Removal Guidelines to Accelerate High-Integrity Projects Gold Standard has released its Engineered Removals Activity Requirements, a comprehensive framework to guide high-integrity engineered carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects toward certification. The publication marks a major expansion of the NGO’s efforts to bring
Key Impact Points: High-Level Push for Stronger Plastics Treaty Panama’s Juan Carlos Navarro, Minister of Environment, and Juan Carlos Monterrey, Special Representative for Climate Change, joined global leaders in demanding that the UN Plastics Treaty tackles the root of the problem: plastic production. “We cannot recycle our way out of
Key Impact Points: Azerbaijan Expands Renewable Energy Investments in Europe The State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) will acquire a 49% equity stake in a 402 MW solar portfolio in Italy from Enfinity Global, which will retain 51% and manage the assets long-term, the companies announced on
Key Impact Points: Fashion Industry Veteran Joins Mango’s Board Mango has appointed Helena Helmersson, former CEO of the H&M Group, as an independent member of its Board of Directors. The move is part of the fashion giant’s ongoing push to professionalize its management structure and align with international governance standards.
Key Impact Points: Eni and Azimut Launch €100 Million Clean Energy Tech Venture Fund Italian energy giant Eni, through its venture capital arm Eni Next, is teaming up with asset manager Azimut to launch a €100 million clean tech-focused venture capital fund. The initiative aims to scale up startups and
