UN Officials and Civil Society Leaders at COP29 Advocate for Just and Equitable Mineral Supply Chains

“We are totally committed to, in the context of all of the intergovernmental processes and initiatives we can take, to move forward with all of your recommendations,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the launch of the UN Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals’ report. The report prescribes nine principles and five recommendations to empower communities, create accountability, and ensure that clean energy drives equitable and resilient growth in mineral-producing countries in the Global South. 

The Secretary-General also announced the creation of a high-level expert group to follow up on the panel’s recommendations on benefit sharing, value addition and economic diversification, with a view to unlocking the power of local mineral resources to foster greater equity and justice in producing countries. Guterres also committed UN agencies to follow up on the Panel’s accountability and traceability proposal to ensure human rights are protected throughout mineral value chains.

Suneeta Kaimal, president and CEO of NRGI, and a member of the United Nations Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, said: “The COP29 climate finance goal must include concessional finance for Global South transition mineral-producing countries to achieve meaningfully value addition and address energy, infrastructure and skilled labor bottlenecks.

"Justice and equity in transition minerals is reaching a crescendo in the climate agenda. Since the UN panel’s guidance was launched during the General Assembly in September, we’ve seen a surge in momentum: Leaders at COP16 linked transition minerals to biodiversity and the G20 declaration included critical minerals and the energy transition for the first time. Here at COP29 we have presidents and ministers declaring the critical importance of transition minerals to energy transition, and now Brazil has committed to take the mantle and elevate minerals in the agenda for COP30.”

Anabella Rosemberg, senior advisor on just transitions, CAN International, and a member of the United Nations Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals; said: “The urgency of the energy transition is being dangerously weaponised to accelerate mining projects, deepen extraction and violate rights of Indigenous Peoples and communities in the Global South. The panel has taken a first look at how equity and justice can be placed at the very heart of the energy minerals value chain. 

“The COP29 negotiations present a much-needed opportunity to bring the principles agreed by the panel into the climate conversation and ensure Just Transition becomes the framework and a key enabler for action. The Climate Action Network remains engaged and mobilised to ensure these minerals do no harm, and that their use is prioritised for the transition and not for military and conflict purposes:”

For interviews:

Gabriela Flores, +44 7931924934, [email protected] 
Attila Kulcsár, +44 7472124872, [email protected]