Remarks by Suneeta Kaimal at the UN High-Level Meeting on Critical Energy Transition Minerals

Excellencies, colleagues. Two years ago, as members of the Secretary General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals we said with one voice: justice requires change. And two years ago, we shared a road map for a new mining paradigm: one that does not simply extract value from the Global South, but actually builds it there — through industrialization, through jobs, through rights upheld.

Two years ago, we charted the path. But today, the world is off course. Human rights abuses linked to transition minerals have surged 73% in the past year. Instability and conflict persists. Over 200 mining projects have been announced in the last six months alone, and most of those are shrouded in opacity. National security is invoked to fast-track projects and bypass hard-won safeguards. And trade rules and traceability frameworks are being rewritten without developing countries and affected communities at the table. 

Through an open letter, we, the Natural Resource Governance Institute and 130 other civil society organizations call for Member States to act today.

First, follow developing producer country leadership. Support the mineral policy mechanisms producer countries are proposing — such as the DRC's in the Security Council and Colombia's in the UN Environment Assembly. Launch, without delay, the Country Support Platforms of the UN Task Force, so discussion becomes coordinated action in producer countries, on their terms and with the active involvement of Indigenous People and broader civil society. 

Second, move from ambition to action. Ensure that the incoming Secretary-General treats this agenda as the priority that it is for peace and security, for human rights, and for sustainable development. Establish a Special Envoy for the Equitable and Just Mineral Governance to drive forward progress. And push the multilateral development banks, including through their Critical Mineral Joint Collaboration Framework, to align investments with the Panel's Guiding Principles. 

And finally, keep the energy in energy transition minerals. Reground the critical minerals agenda in its original purpose: sustainable development and just transitions, not AI and military dominance. Agree on equitable, time-bound targets for material sufficiency, efficiency, and circularity to preserve the integrity of the planet. And in 2027, leverage the African COP32 leadership and the UK G20 leadership, building on South Africa’s to jointly advance a shared agenda for energy and economic equity. 

Two years ago, the task and the timeline that the Secretary-General handed to us as panel members seemed impossible. But, the UN provided a unique space. Where we could look past our competing agendas. Where all stakeholders and all rights holders had a seat at the table. Today, we in civil society stand ready to marshal and scale that sense of urgency and the spirit of cooperation. To work together to unlock a fairer, more peaceful and prosperous future for us all. Thank you.