The World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Partnership Meeting opened in Amsterdam with palpable energy and urgency as more than 500 global leaders gathered against a backdrop of unprecedented cocoa price volatility, climate pressure and regulatory change.

In his opening address, WCF President Chris Vincent described the current turbulence, with prices tripling in recent months, as a defining moment for the sector. He called on governments, companies and civil society to move beyond fragmented initiatives towards coordinated, system-level solutions that strengthen farmer resilience and long-term supply stability.

His remarks set the tone for two days of candid, forward-looking discussion. Across packed plenaries and standing-room-only breakout sessions, one message resonated: execution now matters more than ambition.

Debate centred on the practical realities of implementing the EU Deforestation Regulation, aligning farmgate pricing with sustainability goals and ensuring that smallholders are not left behind as traceability requirements accelerate. Leaders from producing and consuming countries emphasised that transparency, collaboration and smart implementation will determine whether regulation delivers impact on the ground.

Forest protection discussions focused on measurable outcomes rather than pledges alone, with speakers stressing that restoration, data integrity and financing mechanisms must scale rapidly to meet 2030 climate milestones.

There was also strong momentum behind integrating child labour monitoring systems and digital traceability tools, with participants describing interoperability and data governance as the next frontier for credible compliance.

Technology and innovation featured prominently, from precision agriculture to farmer data ownership, with repeated calls to treat digital traceability as infrastructure, not simply a regulatory obligation.

This year’s meeting also marks the launch of WCF’s refined strategy, setting out a sharper focus on climate resilience, cocoa diseases, traceability and regulatory readiness. The high-level participation of senior government officials and industry leaders underscored a growing recognition that cocoa’s future will depend on structured cooperation across the value chain.

The mood in Amsterdam was clear: volatility may define the current moment, but alignment is defining the response.