The Least Developed Countries (LDC) work programme was established in 2001 for the implementation of Article 4, paragraph 9 of the Convention (“Parties shall take full account of the specific needs and special situations of the least developed countries in their actions with regard to funding and transfer of technology.”) Since then, many developments that have direct and/or indirect implications to climate change and development planning in the LDCs have taken place. These include the establishment of the process to formulate and implement NAPs in 2010, the operationalization of the GCF in 2010, and the adoption of the SDGs and the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015. Considering this, COP 24 updated the LDC work programme. The box below contains the elements of the LDC work programme.
Box: The LDC Work Programme as updated in 2018
Strengthening and/or establishing, national climate change secretariats or focal points to enable the effective implementation of the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement in the least developed country Parties;
Providing training in negotiating skills and language to develop the capacity of negotiators from the LDCs to participate effectively in the climate change process;
Supporting the process to formulate and implement NAPs and related relevant adaptation strategies, including national adaptation programmes of action (NAPAs);
Supporting the preparation and implementation of successive nationally determined contributions (NDCs);
Promoting public awareness programmes to ensure the dissemination of information on climate change issues;
Strengthening cooperative action on adaptation technology development and transfer;
Strengthening the capacity of meteorological and hydrological services to collect, analyze, model, interpret and disseminate weather and climate information to support the implementation of adaptation actions;
Supporting capacity-building initiatives to enable effective engagement in reporting and review activities under the Convention and the Paris Agreement.
More information on support to the LDCs under the UNFCCC is available here.
