Malawi’s Vice President Dr Michael Usi has called on representatives from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to intensify their efforts in addressing the global challenge of climate change.
Speaking at the LDCs Strategy and Ministerial Meeting in Lilongwe, Dr Usi urged the delegates to unite and have one voice ahead of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 29), scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“Climate change is not just a challenge for individual nations; it is a global crisis that demands collective action and solidarity,” Dr Usi stated after officially opening the LDCs Ministerial Meeting.
He further emphasised that the ongoing impacts of climate change continue to devastate vulnerable countries, causing immense suffering to millions worldwide.
He said: “We must intensify our pleas to donor countries, as numerous commitments remain unfulfilled.”
The Vice President’s remarks were echoed by Fenella Frost, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Malawi, who agreed on the necessity of a unified approach.
“A unified voice is crucial as we present the LDCs’ challenges at the upcoming global platform on climate change,” Frost remarked.
Addressing the meeting virtually, Mukhtar Babayev, the UNFCCC COP 29 President-Designate and Azerbaijan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, called on the LDCs to maintain their momentum in the fight against climate change.
“It is critical for developed countries to accelerate action on climate finance, making it accessible for all, particularly for the most vulnerable,” Babayev stressed.
The ministerial meeting in Lilongwe followed a two-day LDCs Group on Climate Change Strategy Meeting, which brought together participants from 45 Least Developed Countries across the globe. The discussions highlighted the urgent need for concrete steps to be taken at COP 29 to address the growing impacts of climate change on the world’s poorest nations.
