With the world on the brink of breaching the 1.5°C global warming threshold before 2029, the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group is calling for urgent and transformative action at the UN Climate Meetings (SB 62), taking place from June 16 to 26, 2025, in Bonn, Germany.
WMO projects that global temperatures will remain at or near record highs over the next five years, intensifying climate risks and impacts on societies, economies, and sustainable development. Keeping 1.5°C within reach is vital to minimize the worst impacts – giving up on it would be a betrayal of the most vulnerable countries, including LDCs.
Backed by recent warnings from the latest WMO Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, which projects an increasing risk of surpassing 1.5°C within the next five years, the LDC Group is pushing for meaningful outcomes on adaptation, mitigation, and climate finance that match the scale and urgency of the climate crisis that disproportionately affects LDCs.
“We can no longer afford frameworks that look good on paper but fail to deliver where it matters most,” said Evans Njewa, Chair of the LDC Group.
In preparation for the Bonn sessions and COP30 in Belém, Brazil, the LDC Group convened a strategy meeting in April 2025 in Blantyre, Malawi. The priorities agreed at this meeting will guide its negotiations at SB 62 and will be further reflected upon during the upcoming LDC Ministerial later this year.
Among them is the call for a clear and credible roadmap to finalise measurable and meaningful indicators for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).
Mr. Njewa said, “These indicators must go beyond vague commitments and drive real progress in enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience, and reducing climate vulnerability. Importantly, they must also include the means of implementation – finance, technology, and capacity-building – without which adaptation will remain out of reach for many LDCs.
“Ahead of COP30, we also expect a clear, fair, and time-bound pathway to implement the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) decision and deliver the $1.3 trillion annual climate finance goal by 2035, ensuring adequacy, transparency, and predictability, while fully reflecting the needs and special circumstances of LDCs.
“While 2025 marks the deadline for developed countries to double adaptation finance, this target in our strong view is outdated, inadequate, and dangerously behind the times. Informed by science and the scale of escalating climate impacts, the LDC Group is calling for a bold leap: triple adaptation finance by 2030 as part of an ambitious New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) to meaningfully protect vulnerable communities on the frontlines of the climate collapse.
“The Global Stocktake clearly outlined what is needed to limit warming to 1.5°C. Governments must respond by submitting new, updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in 2025 that commit to deep cuts in emissions, reflecting their highest possible ambition and fair share of global action Yet, just 22 countries have stepped up so far. We can’t afford further delays and major emitters must lead by example to demonstrate genuine ambition and global solidarity.
“The LDC Group also expects rapid, direct, and simplified access to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), prioritising frontline communities who are already bearing the brunt of climate impacts.
“We are committed to supporting the incoming presidency in rebuilding trust in the climate process,” Mr. Njewa concluded. “This means moving beyond processes to deliver real outcomes – outcomes that are shaped by those most affected and designed to secure a safer, fairer future for all.”