As the global community prepares to meet in Turkmenistan for the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) under the theme “Driving Progress through Partnerships,” Uganda stands as a powerful example of how landlocked nations can redefine their development trajectory through bold, inclusive, and forward-thinking collaboration. Uganda’s recent hosting of the 2025 African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) underscored its leadership in advancing regional cooperation and sustainable development. With strong support from UNDP, which played a key convening role in mobilizing stakeholders and facilitating dialogues, the Forum showcased Uganda’s commitment to leveraging partnerships to overcome structural challenges. Preceding the ARFSD, Uganda’s leadership in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and G77+ China in 2024 highlighted its growing role on the global stage. These milestones underscore Uganda’s continued demonstration that meaningful progress for landlocked countries is possible through strategic cooperation and national ownership.

Uganda’s vision

Geography has long dictated the narrative for landlocked countries, characterized by high trade costs, dependency on transit routes, and vulnerability to external shocks. Yet Uganda Vision 2040, through its attendant National Development Plans and the recently adopted 10-fold growth strategy, which aims to grow its economy from US$50 billion to $500 billion, challenges this narrative. Achieving this ambitious vision necessitates reimagining innovative development models that emphasize a national commitment to structural transformation, inclusive growth, and regional integration. This vision aligns with the 2023-24 Human Development Report’s call to "break the gridlock" through renewed cooperation, a principle that Uganda has embraced.

Strategic partnerships

Our collaboration and partnerships with the Government of Uganda and development partners have been situating Uganda’s progress firmly on course to realizing the objectives of sustainable economic growth, regional trade integration and climate resilience in line with the Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) for the Decade 2024-2034. We recognize that development is no longer defined solely by access to seaports or global trade. It is also about building resilient systems, vibrant communities, and inclusive governance that allows people to thrive where they are. This approach challenges the notion that landlocked countries must rely exclusively on external trade or infrastructure investments for progress. We are demonstrating that internal resilience, rooted in a community-centric approach, local governance, and inclusive digital systems, is equally foundational to sustainable development. UNDP Uganda is proud to work alongside the Government of Uganda and partners worldwide to catalyze this shift through several strategic and transformative partnership actions in Uganda, including:

1. Digital equity through South-South cooperation:  With support from the South Korea-based UNDP Seoul Policy Centre, we are building national statistical capacity through artificial intelligence (AI) driven technology to enhance data analytics, access, and use.  Working with the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, we are supporting an AI chatbot that will enable citizens, from teachers to health workers, to access and understand data such as the national census and household data for evidence-based decision-making. This initiative epitomizes how partnerships can transform data into a tool for equity and local empowerment.
2. Building systems and community resilience:  In the Karamoja region, together with the Government of Uganda, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Government of South Korea, we are “Building Resilience for Conflict-Affected and Fragile Communities of Karamoja” (BRICK). This multi-year initiative focuses on strengthening community resilience through integrated support in revitalizing community livelihoods for the most marginalized, particularly women and girls. It also provides large-scale water infrastructure for the community and livestock in a water-scarce region and it integrates peacebuilding to address local and cross-border challenges of conflict. Central to the approach is empowering local institutions and communities to lead in their development, demonstrating how international partnerships can be effectively localized to achieve sustainable impact in hard-to-reach, climate-affected areas.
3. Unlocking trade: Uganda’s proactive stance on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is helping to break down trade barriers. With UNDP support, the Entebbe-Nigeria trade route facilitated by Uganda Airlines is creating new market linkages. Simultaneously, e-commerce programmes are enabling women, youth, and informal traders to access regional and global markets, demonstrating that physical borders need not limit economic potential.
4. Climate resilience and wetlands management: Our partnerships with the governments of Uganda, Austria, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Japan, the United States, and others have actively advocated for the effective management of the country’s wetlands. This collaboration resulted in the National Environment (Declaration of Wetlands) Notice, 2023, which officially protected all 8,613 wetlands. It established a legal foundation for government action regarding wetland degradation, promoted sustainable management, and enhanced Uganda’s ability to cope with the impacts of climate change. Conserving Uganda’s wetlands also focuses on boosting the country’s tourism potential and creating improved economic opportunities for communities.
5. Building resilience through inclusive insurance: Our South-South partnership with South Africa has led to an inclusive insurance model that was first developed to protect vulnerable communities against climate shocks. Adapted for Uganda’s climate-vulnerable regions, such as Karamoja, it helps farmers and pastoralists manage risk and recover more quickly from droughts and floods. 

These efforts closely align with the messages of both the 2024 and 2025 Human Development Reports, which together call for breaking global gridlock through renewed cooperation, inclusive governance, and collective agency, while also rebuilding trust and empowering people in an AI-driven world. Uganda’s development journey reflects this dual imperative. 

The road to sustainable development for landlocked nations may be longer, but it is not blocked. Uganda demonstrates that borders need not be barriers and that the partnerships we build can dismantle much more than physical isolation. When bold national visions are combined with strategic partnerships and locally anchored solutions, landlocked countries can unlock inclusive, people-centred development that transcends geography.

Uganda is not waiting to be connected. We are forging connections through communities, cooperation, and courage.