On 7 August 2025, the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) Side Event “Unlocking SDG Finance in LLDCs through Integrated National Financing Frameworks” was held at the Awaza Conference Center in Turkmenistan. Organized by the INFF Facility (UNDP, UNDESA, UNICEF, OECD) together with UNDP, the event brought together government leaders and development partners to discuss how Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) can help Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) address their unique financing challenges.
LLDCs face severe constraints due to geographic isolation, high trade costs, limited access to global markets and rising climate risks. More than 20 LLDCs are using INFFs to mobilize and align public and private investments, ensuring financing flows are directed toward national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We summarised 5 takeaways, and you can also find the recordings at the link below:
📺 Event recording
🇱🇸 Lesotho's sharing
🇲🇼 Malawi's sharing
1. Integrated financing mechanisms are key to bridging the SDG finance gap in LLDCs
“The creation of integrated national financial mechanisms has a positive impact on the implementation of the goals and objectives of the 2030 Agenda.”
- H.E. Mammetguly Astanagulov, Minister of Finance of Turkmenistan
Minister Astanagulov set the discussion in the context of the global SDG financing gap and outcomes of the Seville Financing for Development Conference. He stressed the need for diversification, innovation, regional integration and reforms in the international financial system to support LLDCs. He called for stronger global cooperation, technical assistance and private sector involvement in mobilising resources for sustainable development.
“Integrated national financing frameworks have emerged as a transformative approach… aligning all sources of finance within a coherent national strategy.”
- Mr. Samuel Doe, UNDP Resident Representative in Ethiopia
Mr. Doe highlighted in his opening remarks that INFFs are a transformative tool to create sustainable, transparent and efficient financing ecosystems that integrate fiscal and investment policies. He shared Ethiopia’s INFF experience as an example: Ethiopia’s Ministry of Finance developed the Ethiopia Integrated Sustainable Financing Strategy (E-ISFS). The Strategy seeks to restructure debt, mobilize domestic savings, advance public–private partnership (PPPs) and blended finance and align financing with Ethiopia’s Ten-Year Development Plan, Homegrown Reform Agenda and the SDGs.
2. LLDCs are using the INFF approach and tailoring it to their context
“The idea is that by 2063, Malawi should be self-sufficient, taking care of our development needs…The Integrated National Financing Framework or strategy is speaking to the key priorities of our 10-year implementation plan.”
- Mr. Adwell Zembele, Director of Economic Planning, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Malawi
In the panel discussion, Mr. Zembele explained that Malawi’s INFF is anchored in its long-term vision, Malawi 2063, which seeks national self-sufficiency, supported by phased 10-year implementation plans. He stressed alignment with regional and global agendas such as the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the SDGs. Priorities include improving agricultural productivity, pursuing industrialization and developing tourism, while leveraging local mineral resources like uranium and bauxite.
“Our Integrated National Financing Strategy is now at the final stage of preparation… [it] prioritizes gender-responsive budgeting and gender-sensitive tax policies.”
- Ms. Malineo Seboholi, Director, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Business Development, Lesotho
Ms. Seboholi said Lesotho faces a decline in development financing, making its INFFs vital to align resources with national goals. She explained that Lesotho’s INFF consolidates gains while promoting transparency, inclusiveness and fiscal sustainability. Key priorities include strengthening public financial management (PFM), establishing gender-sensitive frameworks, enhancing transparency in public investment and institutionalizing structured dialogue among government, parliament, civil society and the private sector.
3. Integrated, inclusive and innovative financing can deliver SDGs
“Blended finance is a game changer. By using concessional finance to de-risk investments, the Green Financing Facility was able to attract private sector participation in areas previously considered too risky.”
- Ms. Rita Columbia, UN Resident Coordinator, North Macedonia
Ms. Columbia shared the example of North Macedonia’s Green Financing Facility (GFF), established to reduce coal dependency, cut air pollution, and promote renewables. Supported by the Joint SDG Fund, government, EBRD, and private banks, and implemented by UNDP, IOM, and UNECE, the facility blends finance to make clean energy accessible to small and medium enterprises and vulnerable households. She highlighted results already achieved in renewable capacity, emissions reductions, and private sector engagement, stressing the importance of inclusiveness, capacity-building, and just transition principles.
4. The importance of private financing
“Very often that public funding alone…is not sufficient, and we have to look for possibilities to mobilize, first of all, private funds. This is critical to closing the investment gaps.”
- Ambassador Beata Pęksa, Head of the European Union Delegation to Turkmenistan
Ambassador Pęksa said public funding and ODA are insufficient to meet financing needs, making private sector mobilization essential. She explained the EU’s Global Gateway initiative, which blends grants, loans, and guarantees from EU institutions, member states, and private investors, with examples in Central Asia on transport connectivity. She connected this philosophy to INFFs—mobilizing and coordinating diverse financing sources. She identified INFFs as a critical mechanism endorsed in both Addis Ababa and Sevilla for scaling up country-driven financing strategies and fostering inclusive, climate-resilient growth, and emphasized the need for capacity-building on PFM, tax cooperation, governance, transparent procurement and stronger country-led donor coordination.
5. INFFs strengthen partnerships and coordination
“Well-designed INFFs can provide greater clarity on how to best use international resources.”
- Ms. María Asunción Sánchez Ruiz, Chargée d'Affaires a.i., Embassy of Spain in Tashkent
Ms. Sánchez Ruiz reaffirmed Spain’s strong commitment to INFFs, referencing the Seville Conference and Spain’s financial contributions to the INFF Facility. She stressed ownership, decentralization, and linking INFFs to wider UN initiatives on jobs, social protection and education.
The event demonstrated that while LLDCs face unique barriers, they are also innovating—whether through long-term national visions in Malawi, inclusive gender-responsive frameworks in Lesotho, or blended finance facilities in North Macedonia. Partnerships with the EU and Spain are supportive and proving critical in scaling up these efforts.
