The Least Developed Countries Group on Climate Change (LDC Group), hosted by the Government of Timor-Leste and chaired by H.E. Ambassador Adão Barbosa, has concluded its first Strategy Meeting of 2026, held from 28 to 30 April at Novo Turismo Resort in Dili. The three-day meeting brought together LDC thematic coordinators, Elders, and technical experts to reflect on the outcomes of COP30 in Belém and to deliberate on the Group’s strategic priorities ahead of the climate negotiations at the 64th session of the Subsidiary Bodies in June 2026 in Bonn, and the thirty-first Conference of the Parties (COP31) in Antalya.

The meeting reaffirmed the unity and collective commitment of the LDC Group to advancing climate justice, ambition, and implementation for the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. Discussions focused on key negotiation areas, with participants emphasizing the urgent need to make further efforts to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5°C, avoid the risks of overshoot, and mobilise adequate support for implementation, ensuring that global climate action responds to the lived realities of LDCs.
“The temperature overshoot would take us closer to adaptation limits, increase loss and damage, and increase finance needs. Therefore, urgency must drive climate action. In the context of ‘moving from negotiation to implementation’ we need to secure ambitious climate action that deliver 1.5°C aligned action and reflect the needs for adequate financial support.” said H.E. Ambassador Adão Barbosa, Chair of the LDC Group.

The Group stressed that, while some progress has been made, access to finance remains difficult and available resources continue to fall far short of the needs of LDCs. There was a call for enhancing the provision of climate finance by urgently implementing the new finance goal (NCQG) decision, in particular through scaled-up grant-based finance and simplified access, while taking into account the special needs and circumstances of LDCs. There was further call for support to LDCs through enhanced means of implementation in executing National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and actions to address loss and damage, recognising their urgent need to build climate-resilient communities.

“The need to scale up adequate, accessible, and predictable grant-based climate finance remains important to help strengthen resilience and implement urgent climate action for LDCs’’, said H.E. Ambassador Adão Barbosa, Chair of the LDC Group.

The meeting concluded with renewed commitment from LDC members to speak with one strong and united voice across the different thematic areas. As Chair of the group, H.E. Ambassador Adão Barbosa reaffirmed Timor Leste’s commitment to supporting effective coordination within the Group and ensuring that the priorities of LDCs remain central in international climate negotiations.

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About the LDC Group:

The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Group consists of 44 nations across 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. Their collective aim is to advance a fair and ambitious global response to climate change, addressing shared vulnerabilities and striving for equitable solutions. Ambassador Adão Soares Barbosa is the current Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group on Climate Change representing the Government of Timor- Leste. He is Timor-Leste’s Special Envoy and Ambassador-at-Large for Climate Affairs. He has more than two decades of experience in international climate policy and negotiations and has been deeply engaged in the UN climate change process since the early 2000s.