Statement by Mr. Evans Njewa, Chair of LDC Group at the Joint COP/CMP/CMA and SBs Opening Plenary

COP Presidency, Chairs, Co-Chairs, Distinguished colleagues,

I would like to congratulate Your Excellency H.E Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 presidency designate on your leadership, and in fostering a space for parties to discuss and collaborate on their issues ahead of COP29. As LDCs, we are confident that under your guidance, our needs and priorities will be well recognized and met.
I would also like to congratulate the COP28 presidency for the great work that led to the delivery of the UAE consensus
I am delivering this statement on behalf of the 45 Least Developed Countries, a group of countries that are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, despite contributing minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions. This is not only unjust, but also undermines LDCs’ efforts towards achieving sustainable development.
LDCs have special needs and circumstances well enshrined in the Convention & the Paris Agreement; we must operate within the principles of the Convention and the Paris Agreement.
Here in Baku, parties must reach an agreement on a new goal for climate finance that aligns with the need of our countries, with due consideration of special circumstances of LDCs and SIDS
As the Group has stressed on several occasions, the Goal must support mitigation, adaptation, and addressing loss and damage.
The goal should be achieved through the provision of new and additional finance, predominantly as grants.
The NCQG should reflect the needs of developing countries, with a quantum in line with the second needs determination report by the Standing committee on Finance in the range of US$5.0 – 6.8 trillion by 2030. Our own estimate is that the LDCs will need at least 1.1 trillion by 2030. We have concrete examples in our member states, such as Malawi, Zambia, Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, and others.
Access to climate finance remains a particular challenge for the LDCs. The NCQG that we are constructing must give confidence to countries to enhance climate ambition and support implementation of NDCs, NAPs and LTS.
On transparency, the LDC Group reiterates that financial support and capacity building are critical to participate in the ETF. Targeted support should be provided to LDCs to build reporting capacities to account for GHG emissions, track progress towards implementation of NDCs, and to monitor and report on adaptation and loss and damage and support needed.
The GGA remains a high priority for the LDC group. After successfully establishing the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience, we must ensure that the UAE- Belem Work programme delivers comprehensive indicators by COP30. We must provide guidance and clarity to the GGA experts on the modalities of their work to refine existing indicators and develop new ones, to allow the immediate start of this work post-COP29. In addition, the LDC group firmly believes paragraph 38 needs to be seen as a separate sub-topic and shouldn’t consume the space allocated for the much-needed discussions on the indicators.
On the GST, we expect COP29 to deliver a strong call for and guidance on NDC 3.0, which are due early next year, requiring countries to fully implement the outcomes of the first global stock-take with 1.5°C-aligned NDCs, including through commitments of deep emissions reductions and scaled up support. The updated NDCs should also include information on how countries’ have responded to the GST outcome. The scope and modalities of the UAE Dialogue on implementation of the GST outcome must focus on implementation of all the GST outcomes with a focus on means of implementation.
On Loss and Damage, we expect the Review of the WIM to result in a strengthened loss and damage mechanism, with improved ability to deliver action and support for loss and damage on the ground. We reiterate that the governance of the WIM remains under the COP and the CMA, and so this decision must be taken by both bodies through mirror decisions
And as work continues by the Board to set up the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, it is critical that this Fund is adequately and sustainably capitalized. We look forward to additional pledges being made to the Fund, and for a sub goal for finance for addressing loss and damage being included within the NCQG.
LDCs also expect to see meaningful progress on the Sharm el-Sheikh joint work on implementation of climate action on agriculture and food security and delivery of support to LDCs towards development of guidelines and tools that incorporate gender responsive climate actions in the NDCs and NAPs.
LDCs need support to Implement their Technology Needs Assessments (TNAs) and that capacity building must be taken into account across all elements of Article 6, including to guide and facilitate reporting instruments, meet participation requirements, and access registries, in addition to having a more streamlined negotiation process at COP29.
We look forward to building on the two dialogues to ensure the UAE Just Transition Work Program can deliver actionable outcomes. Just transition is critical for our futures. It must take a whole-of-society approach, aid in scaling up means of implementation that can enable our respective national pathways.
The urgency of climate action and achieving the highest possible mitigation ambition in this critical decade remains paramount. The Mitigation Work Programme must actively drive this action, utilizing the clear guidance provided by the GST Outcome and move towards implementation.
Science has played a pivotal role in guiding our group’s engagement in the UNFCCC process, with the IPCC providing essential leadership and insights. We encourage the IPCC to continue this critical guidance throughout the seventh assessment cycle, especially given the importance of paragraph 184 of the GST decision.
At COP29, we are keen to actively participate in Earth Observation Day activities, recognizing the value of Earth observation in enhancing climate understanding and resilience. Additionally, we look forward to contributing to the discussions regarding the continuation of the periodic review, as it is a vital component of maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of the UNFCCC process.
We must work constructively to advance work on all other items, including Article 6, and Gender. We also need to explore ways in which to cover health and Climate Change and human mobility & migration for people that are affected by climate change impacts.
Presidency, Co-Chairs, Distinguished colleagues,
We must use our time in Baku efficiently to achieve consensus on various agenda items and the LDC group is prepared to support you in this course.
We must continue to demonstrate solidarity and work together as we have done throughout the years
We look forward to ambitious outcomes at COP29 that meet the urgency of the hour, with the guidance and support from the Presidency, Chairs and Co-Chairs

I thank you.

Filed under: Adaptation, Climate Finance, COP29, Global Stocktake, LDC Group Statements, Loss and Damage, Malawi, Mitigation, NCQG, Resources