India hosts LMDC meet in New Delhi

Ahead of the Paris climate summit, Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) accused rich countries of “shifting the financial burden” to the developing world, without addressing the core problems of the irreversible consequences of climate change.

“LMDC express concern over the financial burden on developing countries and the attempt to expand the list of countries with obligations under the (UN) Convention to provide climate finance,” LMDC nations say in a statement, issued after their meeting in Delhi.

Representing 50 per cent of the world’s population, LMDC is a strong negotiating group on the table. Representatives from 12 countries — Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Malaysia, Iran, Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam and Venezuela — took part in the Delhi meet that was hosted for the first time by India.

Several negotiators from the LMDC countries told Deccan Herald that developing countries are under pressure from the industrialised nations to revisit some of the fundamental issues like “common but differentiated responsibility” and  “right to adaptation”

“It is important for us to be coherent and speak with one voice, because of the pressure that is building on developing countries,” said one of the negotiators from the LMDC block on the condition of anonymity.

The rich nations received flak for making attempts to shrink the list of nations eligible for receiving climate finance. They say the developed nations ought to come out with a roadmap for fulfillment of their commitment of $ 100 billion per year by 2020.