The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decisions 5/CP.7, 29/CP.7, 7/CP.9, 4/CP.10, 4/CP.11, 8/CP.13, 6/CP.16, 5/CP.17, 12/CP.18, 3/CP.20, 1/CP.21, 19/CP.21, 16/CP.24, 7/CP.25, 15/CP.26, 10/CP.27, 15/CP.29, 11/CMA.1, 19/CMA.1, 1/CMA.5 and 1/CMA.6,
Recognizing the specific needs and special situations of the least developed countries, as per Article 4, paragraph 9, of the Convention, Having considered the report on the 48th meeting of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group,
Recognizing the need for continued and enhanced efforts to support the least developed countries in having in place national adaptation plans by 2025 and having progressed in implementing them by 2030,
Noting that the key challenges faced by the least developed countries in implementing their national adaptation plans include insufficient availability of implementing partners to support national adaptation plan implementation; insufficient resources in the Least Developed Countries Fund to meet the cost of financing approved adaptation project proposals; and the inability to submit proposals for accessing funding for the implementation of a national adaptation plan as an integrated programme, necessitating multiple individual project funding applications,
1. Welcomes the report on the 48th meeting of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group and expresses appreciation for the continued efforts of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group in supporting the least developed countries in the formulation and implementation of national adaptation plans;
2. Welcomes the successful conduct of the NAP Expo held in Lusaka from 12 to 15 August 2025, and the regional capacity-building workshop on national adaptation plans for African least developed countries and small island developing States, held in Nairobi from 8 to 11 July 2025;
3. Expresses appreciation to the Government of Zambia for hosting the NAP Expo referred to in paragraph 2 above and the 48th meeting of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group, which was held on the margins of the Expo from 18 to 20 August 2025, and to the Government of Kenya for hosting the workshop referred to in paragraph 2 above;
4. Requests the Least Developed Countries Expert Group to continue organizing, with the support of the secretariat and in collaboration with relevant organizations, regional workshops for the least developed countries, focusing on topics central to the implementation of national adaptation plans;
5. Welcomes the submission between 21 June 2025 and 14 November 2025 of national adaptation plans by the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Somalia, bringing the number of national adaptation plans submitted by the least developed countries to 24, 3 and also welcomes the submission by Australia and France of national adaptation plans within the same period in response to the invitation of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation;
6. Notes that, as at 14 November 2025, of the 44 least developed countries, 24 had submitted a national adaptation plan,6 14 were in the process of formulating a national adaptation plan7 and 4 had not yet initiated formulation of a national adaptation plan, 8 and that up-to-date information on the status of national adaptation plan formulation was pending for 2 countries;
7. Also notes that, as at 14 November 2025, of the 20 least developed countries that had yet to submit a national adaptation plan, 17 had had projects for the formulation of national adaptation plans approved under the Green Climate Fund Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme;
8. Invites the least developed countries that have yet to submit national adaptation plans to do so expeditiously in order to have progressed in implementing them by 2030;
9. Requests the Least Developed Countries Expert Group to enhance efforts to support the least developed countries that have not yet initiated the formulation of a national adaptation plan to do so as soon as possible, and to include in its regular report to the Subsidiary Body for Implementation relevant information, including on the challenges faced by those countries in this regard;
10. Notes that, as at 14 November 2025, of the 24 least developed countries that had submitted a national adaptation plan, 23 had had proposals approved for accessing funding under the Green Climate Fund for implementing priority actions in their national adaptation plans, of which 22 had had at least one single-country project approved and 2 had had only multi-country projects approved;
11. Invites relevant entities accredited to the Adaptation Fund, the Green Climate Fund and the Least Developed Countries Fund to strengthen efforts to support the least developed countries in expediting the submission of project and programme proposals to these funds for the implementation of priority actions identified in their national adaptation plans;
12. Reiterates its invitation to United Nations organizations, specialized agencies and other relevant organizations, as well as bilateral and multilateral agencies, to support the implementation of national adaptation plans in the least developed countries, drawing on the work of, and where appropriate in consultation with, the Least Developed Countries Expert Group, and, where possible, to consider establishing programmes for supporting the implementation of national adaptation plans, within their mandates, as appropriate, which could facilitate the provision of relevant financial and technical support to the least developed countries and the achievement of the goals referred to in paragraph 59 of decision 1/CMA.5;
13. Also reiterates the request to the Least Developed Countries Expert Group to mobilize more partners to address specific priority needs of the least developed countries, as appropriate;
14. Requests the Least Developed Countries Expert Group to hold a meeting during NAP Expo 2026 to facilitate an exchange of views among relevant organizations and other stakeholders on enhancing the provision of support to the least developed countries for implementing national adaptation plans, and to include a summary of those views in its report to the Subsidiary Body for Implementation at its sixty-fifth session (November 2026);
15. Appreciates the integration by the Least Developed Countries Expert Group of gender considerations into its work and encourages continued efforts in this regard across all activities of the Group related to national adaptation plans;
16. Requests the Least Developed Countries Expert Group to continue efforts to enhance the transparency and accessibility of its meetings, thereby promoting the inclusivity of its workplan activities;
17. Invites Parties and relevant organizations to submit via the submission portal by 31 March 2026 views on the work of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group under its current mandate with a view to reflecting on the evolving needs of the least developed countries in the context of the upcoming midway point before the review of the mandate of the Group;
18. Requests the secretariat to prepare a synthesis report on the progress of the work of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group, taking into account the submissions referred to in paragraph 17 above and other relevant sources of information, for consideration by the Subsidiary Body for Implementation at its sixty-fourth session (June 2026);
19. Also requests the Subsidiary Body for Implementation to initiate at its sixty-fourth session its stocktake of the progress of the work of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group and its terms of reference with a focus on the evolving needs of the least developed countries, taking into account the information in the synthesis report referred to in paragraph 18 above, and to recommend a draft decision on this matter for consideration and adoption by the Conference of the Parties at its thirty-first session (November 2026);
20. Invites Parties and relevant organizations to continue providing financial and technical resources for supporting implementation of the work programme of the Least Developed Countries Expert Group for 2025–2026;
21. Takes note of the estimated budgetary implications of the activities to be undertaken by the secretariat referred to in paragraphs 4, 9, 14 and 18 above;
22. Requests that the actions of the secretariat called for in this decision be undertaken subject to the availability of financial resources.
