Least Developed Countries (LDCs) from across the globe gathered in Dili from 1 to 4 September for the LDC Group Strategy and Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change, hosted by the Government of Timor-Leste in its capacity as Chair of the LDC Group.

The meeting brought together technical delegations, ministers and high-level officials to take stock of progress in international climate negotiations, discuss common challenges, and agree on strategic directions for the Group's engagement ahead of COP31. It was organized with the support of the governments of Austria and Norway, and the European Union.

A Moment of Silence, a Reminder of Urgency

Opening the meeting, Ambassador Adão Soares Barbosa, Chair of the LDC Group, asked participants to observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims of last week's disaster in Nepal and Tibet — a sobering reminder of how climate change is already reshaping lives across vulnerable countries.

Ambassador Barbosa underscored that the climate crisis is not an abstract threat for LDCs, but one with very real and immediate consequences, as the disaster in Nepal had just shown. He called for international solidarity in responding to the crisis, noting that as an LDC Group, member countries share common interests: protecting their people and securing a sustainable future for their nations.

UNDP: "Climate Justice is Development Justice"

Speaking at the opening session, UNDP Timor-Leste Resident Representative Katyna Argueta framed the climate crisis as inseparable from the development challenges facing the world's poorest countries.

"Climate justice is development justice. While climate change is global, its consequences are not equal," she said. "For the Least Developed Countries, the climate crisis is not simply an environmental challenge. It is a challenge to poverty eradication, to food security, to health, to education, and ultimately, to the fundamental right of people to build a better future."

"This is why climate action for LDCs must be about more than emissions targets," she added. "It must be about resilience, climate justice, solidarity, and opportunity."

From Planning to Implementation

The opening session also featured remarks from Fátima Estrela Soares, Country Director of Plan International Timor-Leste; Artur Andrysiak, Country Director of the Asian Development Bank; and a Senior Economist from the World Bank Group.

Their interventions echoed a theme that ran throughout the meeting: LDCs have shown strong commitment to climate action, with 27 LDCs having submitted their National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and 23 having submitted third-generation Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0). Yet translating these plans into action remains a major challenge, as many LDCs continue to face significant barriers in accessing predictable, adequate and accessible climate finance — finance that is needed to deliver tangible benefits at the local and community level.

The Dili meeting placed particular emphasis on strengthening resource mobilization for the implementation of NAPs and NDCs at the grassroots level, with discussions focused on identifying opportunities, building investment-ready pipelines, strengthening country-led programming, and mobilizing partnerships that respond to the priorities and needs of LDCs.

As LDC delegations prepare to navigate an increasingly complex negotiation landscape in the lead-up to COP31, the active engagement of LDC representatives, ministers and high-level officials will remain essential to ensuring the Group's priorities are effectively represented on the international stage — a task the Government of Timor-Leste, as Chair of the LDC Group, helped advance by bringing the conversation to Dili.