Regional Technical Dialogues
Dialogue around technical approaches for EUDR preparedness and sustainable, legal and deforestation-free value chains is often fragmented. These inclusive Regional Technical Dialogues within the scope of the SAFE project serve as a space that facilitates discussions, technical exchanges, and consultations among diverse stakeholders across regions.
The goals of these dialogues are to build genuine, equitable partnerships and alliances, identify specific challenges, and showcase successful practices and approaches. A key focus is to support exchange on how can private and public sector actors and smallholder farmers cooperate in developing solutions and approaches for transitioning towardsfairer and more sustainable value chains.
These dialogues involve a wide range from both the public and private sectors – including supply chain actors, business associations, policy experts, and civil society representatives.
Regional Technical Dialogues
Producers, cooperatives, civil society, academia, traders, financial institutions and representatives of EU and Members States (incl. competent authorities)
39
Events in Latin America
1000
Participants in Latin America
1200
Stakeholders in South-East Asia
14
Events in South-East Asia
Regional Dialogue South-East Asia
Indonesia, Malaysia,
& participants from further
South-East Asian countries
15 March 2024 to 14 March 2026
Highlights:
- Beyond EUDR Compliance: Regional dialogues strengthen national policies and initiatives in Indonesia, Malaysia, and neighboring countries, with a focus on improving smallholder productivity and livelihoods.
- Key Regional Challenges: Land tenure insecurity, access to legal documents, traceability gaps, limited interoperability between digital data systems, lack of capacity building for smallholder farmers and insufficient financial incentives remain major barriers to production in line with national laws and avoiding deforestation.
- Collaborative Solutions: Participants stressed the importance of partnerships between the private sector, public sector and smallholders to scale tools, business models, and innovative financing. Successful examples include Malaysia´s Sawit Intelligent Management System (SIMS), the shared investment mechanism of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), Vietnam’s farmer–company–government partnerships for digital and agricultural transitions, and the Philippines’ cooperation between middlemen and local entrepreneurs to build self-sustaining economies that finance and reward sustainability practices.
- Incentives for Impact: Price premiums, partnerships for capacity building around legal requirements and government systems, sustainable agriculture and digital literacy were highlighted as effective ways to strengthen governance and encourage broader smallholder inclusion.
Past events
- A series of five Focus Group Discussions in Indonesia and Malaysia between 13th of June and 23 July 2024 in Indonesia and between 3rd September and 30th of September 2024 in Malaysia
- Regional Technical Dialogue#1 in Indonesia: “Accelleration of the National Dashboard” on 5 September 2024
- Regional Technical Dialogue #1 in Malaysia: Understanding the Technical Challenges in Meeting EUDR Compliance, 22 October 2024
- Regional Technical Dialogue #2: Navigating Supply Chain Towards EUDR Compliance, 3 December 2024 (with joint sessions between the countries)
- Regional Technical Dialogue #3: Smallholder Productivity and Quality to Improved Livelihoods and Global Market Access on 23 July 2025 (joint hybrid event)
- Regional Technical Dialogue#4: Strengthening Practical Traceability Solutions for Compliance and Market Competitiveness on 25 September 2025
- Jurisdictional Dialogue#1 in Siak, Riau Province, 26-27 February 2025
- Jurisdictional Dialogue#2 in Luwu Utara, South Sulawesi Province, 2-5 June 2025
- Jurisdictional Dialogue#3 in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatera Province, 9-10 July 2025
- Jurisdictional Dialogue in Perak State, Malaysia, 28-29 July 2025
Upcoming
- Jurisdictional Dialogue in Kedah State, Malaysia, in October 2025
- Regional Technical Dialogue#5: Scaling Sustainable Finance and Incentive Mechanisms to Support Producers and Smallholders, 3 December 2025
- Regional Technical Dialogue#6: Scaling Verified Jurisdictions and Landscape Collaboration to Demonstrate Deforestation-Free and Sustainable Production in February 2026
Regional Dialogue MERCOSUR
Argentina, Brazil,
Paraguay, and Uruguay
01 February 2024 to 31 January 2026
Highlights:
- Regional EUDR Dry Runs & Dialogue: SAFE and AgriChains supported soy and beef/leather dry runs, showcased in national and regional dialogues across Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, fostering exchange and cross-country learning on EUDR compliance.
- Showcasing Progress & Cooperation: Events highlighted MERCOSUR countries’ advances in traceability and monitoring systems, enabling European operators to engage directly with regional initiatives and encouraging stronger EU–MERCOSUR coordination.
- Shared Recommendations for Inclusive Transition: Systematisation workshops produced joint technical and political recommendations, emphasizing strengthened traceability, financing for transitions, adaptable regulations, and inclusion of small producers to ensure fair and sustainable market access.
Past events
- Inclusive Dialogue – Challenges for the Livestock Value Chain to Meet the EUDR in Brazil, 2024 (online event)
- Inclusive Dialogue – Opportunities and Solutions for Producers to Meet the EUDR in Brazil, 2024 (online event)
- 4th Sustainable Livestock Forum in Brazil in December 2024 (online event)
- First Regional Dialogue at the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB) in Punta del Este, Uruguay in October 2024
- EUDR dry runs for beef and soy supply chains in MERCOSUR in March 2025 (online event)
- Mercosur-EU Soya Bean Dialogue: Strengthening a Strategic Value Chain in Buenos Aires and Rosario, Argentina in May 2025
- EUDR Inclusive Dialogue and Traceability: Impacts and paths for Brazilian livestock farming in June, 2025 (online event)
Upcoming
- Altamira Summit in November 2025
EUDR Learning Community for Africa
Member countries of AFCA, ACRAM, and IACO
(up to 25 coffee-growing countries on the African continent)
November 2025 to July 2026
Highlights:
- Strengthening EUDR Readiness – Supports coffee sectors in African countries to prepare for EUDR (and CS3D), while fostering exchange of best practices across the continent.
- Collaborative Learning Platform – Brings together stakeholders from African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), Robusta Coffee Agency of African and Madagascar (ACRAM), and Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO), and beyond to network, share knowledge, and engage with experts and authorities on compliance.
- Targeted Projects & Tools – Promotes studies on country progress, builds on existing initiatives (e.g. International Coffee Organisation geospatial data table), and enhances regional cooperation between producing and consuming countries.
Related past events
- Side-Session on EUDR during AFCA Conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in February 2025
- TEI Outreach Event “EUDR readiness in the African Coffee Sector” in Kampala, Uganda in May 2025
Upcoming
The launch of the EUDR Learning Community for Africa is scheduled for 2026, more details coming soon.
Publications
Second workshop in the series ‘Dialogues on Sustainable Cocoa,’ entitled ‘Cocoa Traceability Requirements under the EUDR,’ organised by the European Union’s AL-INVEST Verde programme, in collaboration with the SAFE programme…
Video of the first workshop in the series ‘Dialogues on Sustainable Cocoa,’ entitled ‘Due Diligence for Deforestation-Free Cocoa under the EUDR,’ organised by the European Union’s AL-INVEST Verde programme, in…
This report summarises the lessons learned, achievements and experiences of the event ‘MERCOSUR–EU Soy: strengthening a strategic value chain’, which took place on 20 and 21 May in Buenos Aires…
