SB64 Bonn Climate Change Conference
10:00 am – 10:30 am

Good morning and thank you for joining us.

I am pleased to be joined by my esteemed colleagues Anne and Amjad from AOSIS. In fact, Timor Leste has the privilege of being a part of both these inspiring groups fighting against climate change.

The strong partnership between the LDCs and AOSIS has consistently delivered strong outcomes on advancing our shared climate ambitions.

We are now at a critical stage of the negotiations, yet progress across several key agenda items remains slower than the urgency of the climate crisis demands.

Communities in Least Developed Countries cannot afford further delays while climate impacts continue to intensify and development gains are increasingly undermined.

We came to Bonn to build the foundation for a substantial outcome at COP31. As we approach the final days of SBs, the LDC Group is extremely concerned about the progress made so far.

1.5°C REMAINS A LIFELINE FOR LDCS

Recent scientific findings, together with the endorsement by the United Nations General Assembly of the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, reinforce the urgency of keeping the 1.5°C goal within reach.

Yet current global mitigation efforts remain far below what is required. We remain concerned by attempts to weaken the role of the best available science in guiding climate action and informing pathways that keep 1.5°C alive while avoiding dangerous levels of overshoot.

As I speak to the press, let me also address civil societies, as we have consistently stated, for LDCs every fraction of a degree matters. It translates directly into lives lost, livelihoods disrupted, ecosystems degraded, and development opportunities diminished.

The growing risk of temperature overshoot that will devastate our communities, the process needs to deliver fairer and faster. We are advocating for a strengthened Mitigation Work Programme that delivers on ambition to reach 1.5°C in this critical decade complementing the outcome of first global stocktake, and facilitate implementation of mitigation activities.

In this regard, the implementation of the first Global Stocktake outcome is of utmost importance, and heading into the technical phase of the second GST, the LDCs believe it is essential that the IPCC AR7 reports  are  available in time to serve as inputs to GST2.

CLIMATE FINANCE DELIVERY IS A MAJOR CONCERN

On Climate finance, shrinking support is negatively impacting our ability to deliver on climate action. We recognize the challenging global economic and political environment. However, these challenges cannot become a reason to delay from climate finance commitments.

Our countries are making serious efforts to implement  our climate action plans, however stronger commitment and effective delivery of commitments is needed to urgently scale-up support for the transitioning energy system, secure the 1.5°C target, implement adequate adaptation action and minimise loss and damage.

With the NCQG implementation underway through times of uncertainty, meaningful progress towards the core goal of $300 billion per year by 2035 is crucial. This is a priority.

Urgent and ambitious action is needed to triple funding delivered through the climate funds by 2030 and to achieve the goal for tripling finance for adaptation by 2035 agreed in COP30.

Resources should be available when and where needed, at sufficient scale and low cost. Continuously enhancing access to climate finance is fundamental. Delivering improved access implies, among others, efforts in scaling up resources and refining instruments and channels.

Several climate funds will start replenishment processes this year. Some of these funds, like the LDCF, play a relevant role in accessing climate finance for our countries, as they provide dedicated channels and resources to LDCs for adaptation action. The replenishment processes are a concrete opportunity to raise much needed ambition and rebuild trust through robust funding pledges to be delivered across all funds.

ADAPTATION MUST MOVE FROM DISCUSSION TO IMPLEMENTATION

Adaptation remains a top priority for LDCs.

We need tangible progress on operationalising the indicators under the global Goal on Adaptation and advancing the  Belém–Addis Vision.

Parties should focus on improving and testing the agreed adaptation indicators rather than reopening elements that have already been negotiated.

However, despite this agreement, there is still no explicit reference to the commitment in the current GGA negotiating text at SB64.

The issue is not about seeking new pledges; it is about ensuring implementation, accountability and delivery of an already agreed commitment.

The LDC Group, which championed the call for tripling adaptation finance, believes the commitment must be reflected in the negotiations and translated into concrete action.

For LDCs, adaptation finance is critical for protecting lives, livelihoods and development gains from escalating climate impacts.

JUST TRANSITION WORK PROGRAMME FACES A CRITICAL TEST

Parties are deadlocked on the ToRs for reviewing the Just Transition Work programme with little time left to engage on the just transition mechanism. Without agreement on these Terms of Reference here in Bonn, we risk undermining the continuity of the JTWP and arriving at COP31 having wasted precious time. We call on all Parties to have a constructive approach and urgently adopt the ToRs.

As I conclude:

The remaining days of SB64 will be critical.

We still have an opportunity to deliver meaningful outcomes, but time is running short.

Progress at SB64 remains slower than the realities facing communities on the frontlines of climate change.

Least Developed Countries need outcomes that strengthen implementation, deliver support, and keep the goals of the Paris Agreement within reach.

We cannot afford further delays on adaptation, mitigation, agriculture, climate finance, technology, or the future of the Just Transition Work Programme.

The world is watching. More importantly, the communities we represent are counting on us to deliver.

We stand in solidarity with AOSIS in calling for substantial progress for the benefit of our people.