UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launched a support mechanism to help mineralrich developing countries turn demand for clean energy resources into jobs and industrial growth, with six countries selected for initial assistance.
Guinea, Indonesia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe will be the ¿rst bene¿ciaries of the Country Support Mechanism on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, the United Nations announced in New York on September 23. The initiative will provide technical assistance and help countries strengthen governance, process more minerals locally and protect communities and the environment.
The announcement addresses a central challenge for resource-rich economies: how to secure a larger share of the gains from minerals used in clean energy technologies instead of remaining suppliers of raw materials. Copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are used across technologies including wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and battery storage, the UN said. It projected that demand for critical minerals would almost triple by 2030 as the world shifts towards renewable energy.
The UN Development Programme and the UN Development Coordination Oႈce will lead the mechanism, bringing together expertise from across the UN system.
Teams working through UN resident oႈces will identify each country’s needs and coordinate tailored assistance. Priorities include governance, local processing, industrial development and environmental and human safeguards. The work will follow principles and recommendations developed by the Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.
Value creation
UN Development Programme Administrator Alexander de Croo said mineral wealth could help transform economies, providing value creation, environmental protection and good governance.
The task force is co-led by the UN Development Programme, the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the UN Environment Programme. The announcement did not specify a funding amount for the new mechanism
