An initiative of the
CONTEXT
The demand for minerals critical to technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, and electric batteries will have to surge dramatically for the world to achieve the net-zero green transition. The International Energy Agency estimates that our consumption of minerals will need to increase fourfold to reach the Paris Agreement targets.
Alarmingly, the current production rate might not have the capacity to reach the expected demand: the lead time from the discovery of a first deposit to the extraction of a mineral is typically 16 years and only 1 out of every 100 mining projects comes to fruition. Furthermore, efforts towards increasing the global supply of transition minerals have serious environmental and social implications. The mining industry's social license to operate, and thus the speed of the energy transition, will hinge on how effectively these issues are addressed.
Currently, geopolitical tensions are leading to fragmented approaches, primarily focused on friend-shoring minerals supplies. The lack of international coordination hinders our capacity to address the complex issues related to minerals and thus to accelerate the energy transition. Numerous initiatives exist, yet they frequently exacerbate geopolitical tensions by excluding non-aligned states, prioritize narrow national interests, or concentrate solely on specific segments of the supply chain or sectors. This has led to a crowded and fragmented landscape with minimal coordination of efforts and insufficient attention to global common interests or perspectives.
To promote global collaboration across geographies and sectors, the Paris Peace Forum has launched an independent and international high-level effort: the Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals.
HISTORY
The Paris Peace Forum has been committed to further collaboration around the sustainable sourcing of minerals necessary to the green transition since 2022. During its 5th Edition in November 2022, the Paris Peace Forum launched the initiative “Acting Together for a Responsible Critical Minerals Sector” together with a Call to Action signed by twenty high-level actors from diverse fields relevant to transition minerals, including the European Commission, the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM), the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In 2023, the Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals was launched, gathering for the first time on June 2024 in Benguerir, Morocco. Comprising 10 high-level members from diverse sectors, both from the Global North and South, the Council aims to reconcile diverging interests to tackle the complex, interconnected challenges surrounding transition minerals. In November 2024, the Global Council has released an interim report with 7 key recommendations and is set to publish its final report in November 2025.
The Global Council is assisted and adviced by a brain trust of independent experts from diverse sectoral backgrounds and geographies, who met for the first time in August 2024: the Special Advisors. They convene regularly to coordinate and engage in discussions, provide written and oral input, participate in public events and assist in the drafting and implementation of the Council's policy recommendations.
THE GLOBAL COUNCIL
The Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals is a high-level independent effort leveraging the experience and influence of its members to advocate for a global collaborative approach, on five workstreams and in collaboration with a diversity of relevant actors.
A HIGH-LEVEL INDEPENDANT EFFORT...
The Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals is a high-level multi-stakeholder effort representing companies, governments, international organizations and civil society across both the Global North and the Global South. The Global Council is independent from any State or industry interests.
