II Law and the Amazon International Conference

Thinking Locally and Beyond the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30)
2–5 December 2025 | Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
Venue: Auditório do Núcleo de Altos Estudos Amazônicos (NAEA),
Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01 – Guamá, Belém, Pará

About the Conference

The II Law and the Amazon International Conference took place from 2 to 5 December 2025 at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), in Belém, Brazil, at the Auditório do Núcleo de Altos Estudos Amazônicos (NAEA), located at Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, Guamá, Belém, Pará.

Bringing together an international community of scholars, practitioners, Indigenous leaders, and civil society actors, the conference fostered critical and interdisciplinary dialogue on the future of the Amazon and its role in global climate governance. Organized by Max Planck Law Forum Latin America in collaboration with leading Brazilian, Latin American, and European institutions, the event built on the success of its first edition held in Freiburg in 2024.

Held in Belém, the host city of COP30, the 2025 edition explored the theme “Thinking Locally and Beyond the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30)”, underscoring the Amazon’s centrality to legal, political, ecological, and social debates at both regional and global scales.

Purpose and Focus

The conference examined how local, Indigenous, and alternative perspectives challenge and enrich the climate governance frameworks advanced at the UNFCCC’s Conference of the Parties. By positioning the Amazon as both a site of frontline struggles and a source of transformative knowledge, the event emphasized its global relevance for climate justice and sustainable futures.

Program Overview

For full details of the sessions, speakers, and daily activities, the complete program of the II Law and the Amazon International Conference is available online. To access the full schedule, please visit the following link:

https://shre.ink/qXZh

Below is the detailed program of the conference:

Detailed Program

Tuesday, 02.12.2025

13:00–14:00
• Check-in and Cafezinho

14:00–14:15
• Presentation of Max Planck Law, the Forum Latin America Initiative, and the Conference Partners

14:15–14:30
• The Law & the Amazon: A Long-term Research Agenda

14:30–15:45
• First Conversatorio – Conducting Research in and About the Amazon. Educational and Methodological Approaches
Juan Acosta, Melanie Merlin de Andrade, Iván Vargas, Mario Yaucén
(Chair: Jenny García-Ruales)

15:45–16:00
• Cafezinho

16:00–17:10
• Keynote – Almires Martins Machado: “What is the Value of the COP?”
Discussants: Victor Russo, Rafaela Neves Daibes
(Chair: Linus Ensel)

17:20–18:30
• Session N°1 – Human Rights and the COP
Carolina Bejarano, Flavia do Amaral, Mariana Monteiro de Matos, Rayane Xipaia
(Chair: Linus Ensel)

18:30–18:45
• First day wrap-up

19:30–21:30
• Dinner – Restaurant (self-pay)

21:30–22:00
• Reflections About Legal Studies in and on the Amazon and Latin America

Wednesday, 03.12.2025

08:30–09:00
• Check-in and Cafecito

09:00–10:30
• Session N°2 – The Amazon Territory
Fabio Cardoso, René Kuppe, Maria Clara de Padua, Ana Luisa Santos
(Chair: Bruno Lima)

10:40–12:10
• Session N°3 – Cities in the Amazon
Carla Peixoto, Raul Marino Zamudio, Pablo Campaña, Natali Cáceres
(Chair: Germán Johannsen)

12:10–14:00
• Group picture (20 min) and lunch

14:00–15:10
• Session N°4 – Rivers, Waters, and the Sea
Yenny Vega, Frida Segura, Renã Margalho Silva
(Chair: Carolina Bejarano)

15:20–17:00
• Session N°5 – Regulating Commodities and Trade
Julian Trujillo, Paula Wojcikiewicz, Camila Pintarelli, Claire Debucquois
(Chair: Bruno Lima)

17:00–17:30
• Cafezinho

17:30–19:00
• Second Conversatorio – Slavery and Labour Exploitation
Livia Miraglia, Suzy Cavalcante, Lorraine Coelho, José Claudio Brito
(Chair: Saulo de Matos)

Thursday, 04.12.2025

09:00–11:30
• Museum – Guided Visit and Get-Together
Meeting point: Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi – Parque Zoobotânico
(Av. Magalhães Barata, 376, São Braz, Belém, Pará – CEP 66040-170)

11:30–13:30
• Back to the University and lunch

13:30–15:00
• Session N°6 – Traditional Knowledge
Rayane Xipaia, Gabriele Cifrodelli, Tulio Viteri, Bruno Lima
(Chair: Jenny García-Ruales)

15:00–15:15
• Cafezinho

15:15–17:45
• Mesas de Trabajo (parallel and interactive)
a) Gender and Social Justice
Guided by: Ana María Noguera, Emerson Ramos, Damaris Rozo Lopez

b) Race and Social Justice
Guided by: Flavia Carlet, Juma Noah Omollo, Karina Fernandes

17:45–18:00
• Cafezinho

18:00–19:00
• Keynote – Lise Tupiassu Merlin: Climate Justice
Discussant: Nírvia Ravena

19:00–onwards
• Get-together at a traditional bar in Belém

Friday, 05.12.2025

09:00–10:30
• Session N°7 – Community Empowerment
Daniela Soberón, Ranieri L. Resende, Karla García, Jonatha Pereira Bugarim
(Chair: Linus Ensel)

10:40–11:50
• Session N°8 – Litigation and Negotiation
Agustín Grijalva, Ángel González, Luis Monteiro de Brito, Vanessa Ferreira Lopes
(Chair: Germán Johannsen)

11:50–12:20
• Cafezinho

12:20–13:30
• Session N°9 – Brazilian Institutional Approaches
Pedro Oliveira Cuco, Manuellita Oliveira Filha, João Souto
(Chair: Melanie Merlin de Andrade)

13:30–14:30
• Lunch

14:30–16:00
• Roundtable – Sharing Conclusions from Mesas de Trabajo

16:00 (approx.)
• Closing remarks

• Closing Remarks – So, what’s next?