The Amsterdam Declarations Partnership (ADP) held its annual Multi-Stakeholder Meeting in Berlin under the title “Forests Feed the Future: Linking Climate, Biodiversity, Food and People.” ConPolicy Managing Director Prof. Dr. Christian Thorun moderated the event, which brought together around 200 representatives from governments, businesses, civil society and academia.
The meeting focused on the importance of forests for agricultural production, food security and resilient supply chains. Discussions addressed, among other topics, how to create economic incentives for forest conservation and how mandatory and voluntary measures, as well as public and private sector approaches, can be effectively combined to halt deforestation.
Across two panel discussions and five thematic workstreams, participants explored the drivers of deforestation, the potential of digitalisation and traceability, the livelihoods and rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, opportunities for collaborative action, and the long-term resilience of commodity supply chains.
A key takeaway from the discussions was that successful forest protection requires not only appropriate political and economic frameworks but also fair economic opportunities for people on the ground. In particular, farmers, Indigenous Peoples and local communities must benefit from the transition to deforestation-free supply chains and be appropriately recognised and rewarded for their contributions to forest conservation.
The meeting took place under the chairmanship of the United Kingdom, the current chair of the Amsterdam Declarations Partnership, and was hosted by Germany.