Malawi, in its role as Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group on Climate Change, will host a two-day strategy meeting from April 15 to 16, 2025, in Blantyre. The meeting will bring together climate negotiators, government officials, and key partners from across the LDCs to review progress, address key concerns, and coordinate LDCs approach ahead of crucial international climate change negotiations.
This will be the first major gathering of the LDC Group since the outcomes of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The meeting aims to reflect on the gaps left by COP29 and agree on strategies that will ensure the needs of vulnerable nations are fully addressed at COP30.
The meeting will also serve as a preparation for the upcoming 62nd sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SB62) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), scheduled to take place in June 2025 in Bonn, Germany.
The group will deliberate on how to access the $300 billion in annual climate finance pledged by 2035 and explore modalities for finalising the roadmap to mobilise $1.3 trillion in climate funding. A key priority will be unlocking timely and effective support from the newly operational Loss and Damage Fund.
Delegates will also reflect on the need for developed countries to enhance and implement more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the outcomes of the Global Stocktake. Furthermore, the meeting will focus on strengthening indicators and finalising the framework to effectively measure progress towards the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).
Evans Njewa, Chair of the LDC Group, underlined the urgency of the meeting, saying: “This meeting gives the LDCs a chance to regroup after COP29 and ensure our priorities are synchronised and clear ahead of COP30. As the impacts of climate change grow more severe, especially for our countries, we must push for real action, secure the finance that has been promised to us, and ensure that our people have access to adaptation support and clean energy solutions.
“These outcomes will be further refined following the SB62 sessions, during the LDC Ministerial Meeting. As the climate crisis deepens, developed countries must honour their commitments – not as an act of charity, but as a matter of justice, equity, and historical responsibility.”