The European Union and its Member States remain steadfast partners of African countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) in accelerating implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the EU said in a statement delivered on 8 July 2026 at the UN High Level Political Forum in New York. The intervention, delivered by Marie-Aurélie Vernin, Team Leader SDGs at the European Commission's DG INTPA, highlighted the EU's Global Gateway strategy as its main external contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The statement comes as the international community moves towards the High-Level Midterm Review of the Doha Programme of Action in March 2027, a central framework for addressing structural vulnerabilities of LDCs. The EU also voiced support for the Awaza Programme of Action for LLDCs for the Decade 2024–2034, calling for its swift implementation through timely operationalization of agreed working bodies.
The EU statement emphasized that progress for LDCs and LLDCs requires investment, stronger institutions, connectivity, productive capacity, resilience to climate change, and inclusive partnerships. The EU committed to mobilizing increased and better-targeted financial and technical resources, noting that Official Development Assistance remains essential but should increasingly catalyse investment, strengthen accountable institutions, and support long-term resilience alongside domestic resource mobilization, private investment, and debt sustainability.
Under the Global Gateway strategy, the EU is working with partner countries to mobilize sustainable and high-quality investments that respond to national priorities. For LDCs and LLDCs, Global Gateway aims to close infrastructure gaps, improve connectivity, strengthen regional integration, diversify economies, and create opportunities for young people and women. Concrete examples cited include support for strategic transport and economic corridors, the Ruzizi III regional hydropower project, the Zambia–Tanzania–Kenya Interconnector for energy access, and expansion of fibre-optic backbones and digital infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
The EU stressed that core principles such as democratic values, good governance, transparency, and equal partnerships are woven into the Global Gateway approach, with a collective focus on impact: better partnerships, better investment, better implementation, and better outcomes for the people of LDCs and LLDCs.