Ambassador Adão Soares Barbosa of Timor-Leste has been appointed the new Chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group on Climate Change, succeeding Malawi’s Evans Njewa, whose term ends in December.
The handover was marked at COP30 in Belém, with the formal transition expected to continue until January 2026.
Outgoing Chair Njewa thanked the 46-nation bloc for its support during years of intense negotiations. “From the deepest place in my heart, I want to express my profound gratitude to the people who held me upright through every long night of negotiations, every difficult moment, and every victory we carved out together,” he said.
Bangladesh, a leading voice within the group, praised Njewa’s stewardship and extended strong support to Ambassador Barbosa as he takes on the role.
Barbosa vowed to lead with “integrity and determination,” saying the LDC Group will push for scaled-up, predictable and grant-based climate finance, operationalising loss and damage support, and ensuring adaptation efforts remain rooted in equity. He also stressed the need to align global mitigation ambition with the capacities of the world’s poorest nations.
Malawi’s Deputy Chief Secretary Stuart Ligomeka expressed confidence in the new leadership, saying, “We are confident that Ambassador Barbosa will take the group to another level.”
