The Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group, representing 44 countries and more than one billion people on the frontlines of climate change, has called for meaningful progress at the UN Climate Change June Meeting – the Sixty-Fourth Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64), stressing the need for urgent action to raise ambition and scaled-up support to the world’s most vulnerable countries..

Meeting in Bonn ahead of the SB64, LDC Group’s negotiators aligned priorities across thematic areas and reaffirmed commitment to continue engaging constructively to advance the work in the lead up to COP31.

Speaking on behalf of the Group, Ambassador Adao Barbosa, Chair of the LDC Group, said SB64 represents a critical opportunity to restore confidence in the ability of the multilateral climate process to deliver on both ambition and support.

“For the 44 LDCs, climate change is not a future threat, it remains a daily reality. Communities across our countries are already experiencing devastating losses from droughts, floods, sea-level rise, snow melting, food insecurity and ecosystem degradation. SB64 in Bonn must demonstrate that the international community remains committed to addressing the climate crises and advancing climate justice.”

The Group stressed that the world remains significantly off track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and warned that growing evidence of a potential overshoot of the 1.5°C temperature limit reinforces the need for urgent action in this critical decade. LDCs called on major emitters to accelerate emissions reductions in line with the latest science and the outcomes of the first Global Stocktake.

Climate finance remains a central priority for the Group. LDCs will continue to push for enhancing provision of climate finance by urgently implementing the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and tripling  adaptation finance goal, in particular through scaled up grant based finance and simplified access, while taking into account the special needs and circumstances of the LDCs. The Adaptation Fund is important to LDCs and will push for a smooth transition arrangement to exclusively serve the Paris Agreement at SB64.

The Group also called for accelerated operationalisation and strengthening of the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), including increased resource mobilisation, the timely conversion of pledges into contribution agreements, and simplified and rapid access arrangements for vulnerable countries already experiencing irreversible climate impacts.

In the context of the recent adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution concerning the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, the Group recognises its relevance to ongoing global discussions on states’ obligations, climate action and the protection of present and future generations.

“Implementation without support cannot deliver the transformation that vulnerable countries require. The success of the Paris Agreement will be measured not by decisions adopted in negotiating rooms, but by whether people on the ground can access the finance, technology and capacity needed to build resilience and pursue sustainable development,” said Ambassador Barbosa.

The Group also emphasised the need for progress on adaptation indicators, just transition, technology transfer, agriculture and food security, and capacity-building, Action for Climate Empowerment – ACE, while ensuring that emerging discussions on trade and climate measures do not create additional burdens for Least Developed Countries.

As negotiations begin, the LDC Group reaffirmed its commitment to constructive engagement and collaboration with all Parties, while remaining steadfast in advocating for the special circumstances and development needs of the world’s most vulnerable nations.

“The people we represent have contributed the least to the climate crisis, yet they continue to bear its heaviest burden. SB64 must help build momentum towards COP31 and deliver the support, ambition and solidarity needed to keep the goals of the Paris Agreement within reach,” Ambassador Barbosa concluded.

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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.