At the end of July 2025, representatives from Uganda and Rwanda’s coffee sectors convened in Kigali for a South-South Exchange to examine the potential impacts of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and share lessons on preparing for its implementation. The EU’s upcoming due diligence frameworks, including the EUDR and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), are reshaping global coffee trade by imposing new compliance requirements, creating both challenges and opportunities for producers. Governments, private sector actors, and civil society are working together to ensure continued market access while supporting sustainable livelihoods for coffee farmers.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been actively supporting Rwanda to address these emerging challenges through initiatives such as the FIT for FAIR project, implemented with funding and technical assistance from GIZ and SASI. FIT for FAIR is helping Rwanda develop a regulatory framework to maintain access to key export markets, working closely with the National Agriculture and Export Development Board (NAEB). A central component of this effort is the 28-member EU Due Diligence (EUDD) Working Group, which brings together stakeholders from across the coffee value chain to co-create a roadmap of policy recommendations and secure public and private commitments, ensuring that Rwandan coffee remains competitive and sustainable for future generations.
Uganda and Rwanda, both facing similar challenges including low productivity, an ageing farmer population, and complex international market standards, benefit from established mechanisms for adaptive, coordinated policymaking. On 25 July 2025, representatives from the Uganda Coffee Platform met Rwanda’s EUDD Working Group in Kigali to exchange experiences and best practices for EUDR compliance. The session focused on approaches to national frameworks, the importance of public-private collaboration, and strategies for communication and awareness throughout the value chain. The exchange helped the EUDD Working Group advance its thinking on potential policy recommendations for Rwanda.
Key contributions during the exchange included opening remarks by Beatrice Uwamariya, Value Chain Specialist at NAEB, a presentation by Joseph Mutware on Rwanda’s legal and regulatory gaps regarding EUDR and CSDDD, and interventions by Samson Emong and Judith Muvara from Café Africa Uganda, sharing insights from Uganda’s 2024 EUDR Action Plan. Modeste Munezero, FIT for FAIR Project Coordinator, highlighted the value of cross-country learning, emphasizing that such exchanges help foster fresh ideas and strengthen policy roadmaps for the Rwandan coffee sector.
Looking ahead, the EUDD Working Group plans to hold two additional workshops in September and October 2025 before finalizing a comprehensive roadmap of policy recommendations and public-private commitments. The roadmap will be formally launched at a sector-wide event in Rwanda later in the year, with continued knowledge exchanges planned with other coffee-producing nations facing similar regulatory challenges.
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