such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are essential components in many of today＊s rapidly growing clean energy technologies 每 from wind turbines and solar panels to electric vehicles and battery storage. Demand for critical minerals is set to by 2030 as the world transitions from fossil fuels to renewable energy in order to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions to net zero by 2050.
※A world powered by renewables is a world hungry for critical minerals. For developing countries, critical minerals are a critical opportunity 每 to create jobs, diversify economies, and dramatically boost revenues. But only if they are managed properly. The race to net zero cannot trample over the poor. The renewables revolution is happening 每 but we must guide it towards justice. §
UN Secretary-General Ant車nio Guterres
Without proper management, the for critical minerals risks perpetuating commodity dependence, exacerbating geopolitical tensions and , including impacts on livelihoods, the environment, health, human security and human rights, and can undermine efforts towards the energy transition.
As minerals extraction accelerates to match the needs of the energy transition, it is crucial to ensure that the countries and local communities endowed with these resources are the ones to benefit the most.
The Secretary-General＊s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals seeks to build trust between governments, local communities and industry, by addressing issues relating to equity, transparency, investment, sustainability and human rights. It builds on existing standards and initiatives, particularly the on Transforming the Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development and its , ＆Harnessing Critical Energy Transition Minerals for Sustainable Development,＊ to strengthen and consolidate existing efforts.
Co-chaired by Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa and Ms. Ditte Juul J?rgensen, Director-General for Energy of the European Commission, the Panel brings together governments, intergovernmental and international organizations, industry and civil society, to develop a set of common and voluntary principles to build trust, guide the transition and accelerate the race to renewables.
Through its work and the development of the principles, the Panel will seek to fulfill the following objectives:
- Support a just and equitable transition to renewable energies while harnessing critical energy transition minerals for sustainable development.
- Ensure countries and local communities endowed with these minerals fully benefit economically, including through local value addition, while safeguarding social and environmental protections for affected communities and ecosystems.
- Strengthen international cooperation including through the alignment and harmonization of existing norms, standards and initiatives and agree on areas for enhanced multilateral action.
The work of the Panel is supported by a technical secretariat led by the UN Secretary-General＊s Climate Action Team, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and comprised of over a dozen UN system entities.
Read the press release -and the Secretary-General＊s remarks on the launch of the Panel on 26 April 2024.
