The TEI Altamira Summit 2025 brought together over 100 participants from 25 countries across global agricultural supply chains. Hosted in the Amazonian municipality of Altamira, the official Pre-COP30 event created a high-level platform for policy dialogue, peer learning, and collaboration toward deforestation-free and sustainable value chains.
Organized by the Secretariat of the Team Europe Initiative on Deforestation-Free Value Chains (TEI DFVC) and hosted by the SAFE Program of GIZ Brazil, with support from MAPA and the Municipality of Altamira, the Summit strengthened international partnerships ahead of COP30 in Belém.
A Shared Commitment in the Amazon
Local and international leaders opened the Summit by emphasizing the importance of joint responsibility for forest protection and sustainable rural development. Representatives from MAPA, the European Commission, the Netherlands, and Germany highlighted national priorities as well as Europe’s commitment to inclusive, deforestation-free markets—placing smallholders at the centre of long-term solutions.
The hosts also offered a warm cultural welcome with traditional Amazonian food, music, and hospitality, setting the tone for an inspiring week.
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More InformationProgress Across the TEI Network
The TEI DFVC now cooperates with 37 partner countries, and the Summit showcased impressive progress:
- Multi-stakeholder zero-deforestation coalitions and interministerial roundtables
- Producer registers, geolocalisation, digital traceability and monitoring systems
- Approaches to smallholder inclusion, sustainability, and innovation
An interactive Marketplace highlighted products, tools, and best practices from TEI flagship operations across regions.
From Policy Dialogue to Field Realities
Technical sessions on EUDR readiness, legality, and due diligence provided practical insights from EUDR Dry-Run exercises in cocoa, coffee, soy, and beef value chains. Countries shared lessons on gaps, strengths, and opportunities for collaboration with European operators.
During field visits across the Trans-Amazonian and Xingu regions, participants met family farmers, cooperatives, and indigenous producers applying agroforestry, restoring forests, and creating high-quality chocolate in award-winning local businesses. These exchanges underscored that effective policies must reflect the realities of producers and local communities.
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More InformationInnovation & Inclusion: World Café Dialogues
Two interactive World Café rounds enabled open peer-learning:
- Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) sessions highlighted the potential of interoperable, open-source systems—such as AgroBrasil+Sustentável, FAO’s Aim4Commodities, and Zambia’s ParcelCert—to strengthen traceability and legality.
- Smallholder Needs, Gender Equity & Social Inclusion (GESI) discussions focused on land rights, minority empowerment, and inclusive policy design.
Local producers from the Xingu region joined the event to showcase their products and exchange directly with policymakers—bringing real-life experiences to the centre of the Summit.
Key Takeaways
- Many countries and sectors show solid progress toward deforestation-free production and EUDR alignment, while remaining gaps must be jointly addressed.
- Producers must be at the centre of policies; their market access and capacities require continuous support.
- Policies and systems must remain simple, accessible, and practical.
- Cross-sector and multi-actor platforms build strong zero-deforestation coalitions.
- National reference systems, producer registers, and interoperable databases are essential for demonstrating legality and sustainability.
- Companies need robust internal traceability systems and effective data management.
- Due diligence is not a box-ticking exercise; operators must conduct meaningful risk assessments.
- Deforestation risk is often low in smallholder-based production systems.
- Digital Public Infrastructure strengthens data quality, comparability, and transparency.
- Access to finance, tax incentives, and blended-finance mechanisms is crucial for scaling sustainable production.
- Gender and social inclusion must be integrated from the outset.
- Field implementation must start with basic, achievable steps—EUDR compliance can be built gradually.
- Cooperatives, entrepreneurship, and local innovation improve livelihoods and resilience.
- Local stories and leadership—especially by women and indigenous communities—drive real change.
Looking Ahead
The Altamira Summit closed with a strong message: deforestation-free value chains are achievable when producing and consuming countries collaborate, share knowledge, and build trust. The event demonstrated that global transformation begins locally—and strong partners can lead the way toward a sustainable and inclusive future.
