Addis Ababa – From 21-23 March, members of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to assess the status of the UN climate change negotiations following COP23 and devise a strategy to bring the priorities and interests of LDCs to centre-stage in 2018.

Mr. Gebru Jember Endalew, Chair of the LDC Group, said it had been a valuable meeting, with coordinators on key issues in the negotiations collaborating on how to ensure a holistic approach is taken to advance the positions of the LDC group on all fronts, particularly to develop and finalise the rules of the Paris Agreement by the end of 2018, as mandated. Priorities across all areas of the climate change negotiations were discussed, including, for example:

• Continuing to push for enhanced global climate action and the provision of support;
• Engaging in the Talanoa Dialogue to building momentum for greater mitigation ambition in NDCs to be communicated by 2020, in the context of putting the world on a 1.5°C pathway;
• Maintaining focus on the global goal of limiting temperature increases to 1.5°C, noting that models and analysis must focus on achieving 1.5°C rather than 2°C to protect the lives and livelihoods of people in LDCs;
• Advancing discussions on a new collective goal on climate finance to scale up existing support to meet actual needs in developing countries, and urgently agreeing a definition on what constitutes climate finance to address ongoing issues such as the double counting resources provided;
• Ensuring an agenda item is devoted to the Paris Agreement’s article on loss and damage at the negotiations of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, reflecting the urgent need for concrete action to address loss and damage; and
• Advocating for the entry into force of the Doha Amendments of the Kyoto Protocol in 2018.
• Incorporating the Gender Action Plan into all elements of the Paris ruleset.

The importance of enhancing cooperation with negotiating groups sharing common interests was also highlighted. Mr. Mohamed Nasr, Chair of the African Group, joined the meeting and both Chairs emphasised the value of collaboration between the two groups, noting 34 African countries are LDCs.

The LDC group will next convene in Bonn, Germany for preparatory meetings from 24-25 April 2018, to consolidate LDC positions and strategies ahead of the upcoming Bonn Climate Change Conference.