Today, the Civil Society Forum, organised within the framework of the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC), continued its work in the format of thematic sessions.

The session «Digital Economy, Innovation and Sustainable Development» considered the opportunities associated with digital transformation, discussed ways to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in today's rapidly changing technological environment.

Forum participants emphasized the need to ensure equal access to digital technologies for all, strengthen the relevant infrastructure, and improve the security and reliability of digital networks. Measures to support innovative ecosystems that promote the development of start-ups, the use of advanced technologies and increased labour productivity were also discussed. All this creates prospects for improving the quality of services and increasing the economic potential of countries.

In addition, the Forum participants will discuss the role of transformational technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, in the implementation of the «Avaza» Action Framework. The goal of this Framework is to remove infrastructure barriers related to the geographical location of landlocked developing countries. The use of innovative solutions can improve the efficiency of public administration, improve access to quality education and healthcare, simplify logistics and trade, and stimulate the development of new economic sectors. As a result, all this will contribute to the sustainable development of LLDCs and their successful integration into the global economy.

 In this context, it should be noted that one of the key tasks in Turkmenistan is to ensure universal access to digital and mobile services. Currently, major projects are being implemented to create a large-scale communication system based on advanced technologies, improve the quality and expand the range of services, including providing access to the Internet to residents of the most remote corners of the country.