Remarks by the President of the General Assembly
H.E. Ms. Annalena Baerbock
at the Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Least Developed Countries

26 September 2025

 

[As Prepared for Delivered]

 

H.E. Mulambo Haimbe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Zambia, and Chair of the Foreign Ministers of the Least Developed Countries,

Excellencies,

 

Imagine a farmer whose entire crop yield is wiped out by unseasonally high floods, or drought for which they received little to no warning.

 

Imagine a high school student unconnected to the larger world – no internet, no cell phone, no laptop.

 

Imagine a mother who cannot access lifesaving health services because the nearest clinic is hours away and lacks essential medicines.

 

Imagine a government, struggling to fill those gaps and provide basic services to their citizens, but cash strapped and forced to pay down already sky-high debt.

 

That, dear excellencies, is where we are.

 

It is a story that is unfolding far too often across a range of sectors in dozens of countries.

 

Climate change.

 

The digital divide.

 

The health gap

 

The debt trap.

 

Each on their own can be devastating.

 

Together, this convergence of crises – particularly when found at the intersection of poverty and vulnerability – is catastrophic.

 

Excellencies,

 

Dear colleagues,

 

I am honoured to join you in addressing this Ministerial Meeting of Least Developed Countries.

 

I congratulate the Chair and Co-Chairs for their stewardship of this important voice within the General Assembly.

 

Colleagues,

 

If we zoom out from the examples I just outlined, we see the macroeconomic and social impacts of these challenges.

 

  • GDP growth is forecasted at 4.8%, well below the 7% target.
  • Food insecurity is on the rise, with over 20% in Africa alone facing hunger.
  • At least five countries are in what is deemed ‘debt distress’, with 15 more close behind.
  • And a shocking two thirds of the population of LDCs are offline, cut off from the very modern tools we take for granted.

 

The Doha Programme of Action is framed as a lifeline to help address these concerns.

 

It offers paths that includes the stockpiling of food, better climate resilience, access to digital tools, and investment support.

 

But Doha is only as successful as the resources we put behind it.

 

Solidarity, dear colleagues, is a beautiful principle, but it is meaningless if we do not back it with real world action and resources.

 

We need solidarity in practical tools, in education and resources, and in resilience building.

 

Most importantly, we need financial solidarity that reflects historical challenges and undoes the crippling legacies of the past.

 

Thankfully, momentum is on our side.

 

The Pact for the Future, the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, and the Secretary-General’s recent Biennial Summit on Finance, are all pushing us in the right direction.

 

There are clear calls now:

 

  • for donors to meet ODA commitments;
  • for debt relief and concessional finance;
  • for scaling up investment in universal health coverage;
  • and for efforts to bridge the digital divide through affordable access and infrastructure.

 

Likewise, the creation of the Loss and Damage Fund, which I had the privilege to negotiate with some of you present today, coupled with calls for debt-for-climate swaps and more support to adaptation, are offering hope of a reprieve from the cycle of endless natural disasters that deplete resources.

 

But work remains.

 

We still need to fully operationalize the Fund, as well as meet the $100 billion in climate finance long promised and yet undelivered.

 

Excellencies,

 

The 80th anniversary of the United Nations comes at a time when the winds of change are in the air; there is hunger for real reform for the first time in a long time.

 

This is an opportunity to align the UN System better with ongoing reforms of the international financial architecture, and truly ‘fix financing’.

 

It is an opportunity to build a more inclusive system that amplifies the voices of LDCs in decision making.

 

And it is an opportunity to ensure that our multilateral system can turbocharge delivery on the SDGs, as we agreed in the Pact for the Future.

 

Excellencies,

 

Each of these processes has clear implications on Least Developed Countries.

 

I therefore ask that you be engaged, constructive, and supportive as we move forward.

 

Together, we can aim for a win-win that strengthens resilience, that closes the digital divide, and that addresses the critical issues of financing.

 

I thank you.