Malawi, serving as the Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group on Climate Change, will host the LDC Strategy & Ministerial Meetings from August 26 to 28, 2024, at Bingu Wa Mutharika International Convention Centre (BICC).
The crucial and timely gathering will unite high-level representatives, including ministers, climate negotiators, and experts from the LDCs, marking a significant step in the global climate dialogue.
Under the theme “Uniting for 1.5°C – Aligned Climate Action and Resilient Futures,” the meeting will focus on reviewing progress in international climate negotiations, addressing critical issues, and crafting strategies to ensure impactful engagement at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Participants will align on priorities, set goals, and explore future strategies while building support for LDC-led initiatives.
The meeting follows a technical strategy session held in March in Lilongwe and the 60th UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB 60) sessions in Bonn, Germany. The leaders will tackle highly important topics such as the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), the remaining rules on Article 6 on carbon trading, mitigation outcomes for COP29, financing to address loss and damage, and common position on matters related to the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).
Evans Njewa, Chair of the LDC Group, highlighted the meeting’s significance.
“This gathering represents a crucial moment in our unified efforts to achieve an ambitious outcome at COP29. Our goal is clear: to set an ambitious new goal for climate finance that reflects the needs of our countries, to limit global temperature rise to below 1.5°C and bolster resilience in our most vulnerable nations,” he said.
Njewa stressed the LDCs’ commitment to impactful action: “The outcomes of this meeting will be instrumental in shaping our collective positions and priorities moving forward. The Lilongwe meeting will play a key role in setting a unified agenda for the LDCs, strengthening our negotiating stance at COP29, and advancing towards a sustainable and resilient global climate framework.”
Highlights of the meeting will culminate into the Lilongwe Declaration, accompanied by a detailed report and follow-up plan, reflecting positions informed by latest climate science, the needs of LDCs and the overall outcomes of the Global Stocktake (GST).
The declaration will be shared with participants and relevant LDC representatives to ensure a unified approach at COP29, aiming to raise ambitions and address the urgent need for financial support for the most vulnerable countries.
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Group consists of 45 nations spanning Africa, the Asia-Pacific, and the Caribbean, representing over one billion people. These countries, highly susceptible to environmental and economic shocks and disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, come together as a united bloc at UN climate talks.
The Group’s collective aim is to advance a fair and ambitious global response to climate change, addressing our shared vulnerabilities and striving for equitable solutions.
