Mining Indaba 2026 | Advancing Standards-based markets & Mining Acceptability

The Secretariat of the Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals was in Cape Town, South Africa, for African Mining Indaba, to organize a roundtable and an exclusive dinner with Global Council members, Special Advisors and partners to advance mineral governance agenda.

High-Level Roundtable: Enhancing High Standards Without Fragmenting Mineral Markets: A Global Dialogue Beyond the G7 

As the demand for minerals surges to meet global energy transition goals, geopolitical competition, export controls, and concentrated value chains are straining the pace and scale of minerals production needed for global decarbonization. In 2025, G7 leaders adopted a Critical Minerals Action Plan and Roadmap to promote “standards-based markets” and ensure the security of the supply while raising the bar on responsible practices. While essential for transparency, sustainability, and resilience, this push could risk creating a two-tier global system that could marginalize resource-rich countries.  

Africa, endowed with many of the minerals needed for the transition, sits at the center of this shifting landscape. At a time when governments are expanding production, pursuing local processing, and aligning mining with national development strategies, a market access requirement could sideline producers if not designed inclusively. In its recent Position Paper, the Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals outlines pathways to uphold high standards without fragmenting markets, emphasizing the need to build on existing tools, avoid weaponization, engage beyond G7 countries, foster responsible industrialization, and unlock investment.  

This roundtable held on the margins of Mining Indaba 2026 convened nearly 40 participants representing producing countries, industry leaders, G7 representatives, civil society and experts to assess evolving governance initiatives, examine risks and opportunities in standards-based markets, explore cooperation opportunities beyond G7 and G20 economies, identify mechanisms to scale responsible investment, and inform the next 2026 French G7 presidency. 

Key takeaways

Under its 2026 G7 presidency, France aims to make critical minerals a top-level priority, building on Canada’s leadership. The French approach is structured around four pillars: 

• Securing supply and mobilizing greater financing, 

• Improving market organization and addressing pricing, 

• Advancing traceability and transparency, 

• Accelerating innovation and circularity. 

The Canadian approach was presented as flexible and non-prescriptive, compatible with multiple existing standards while anchored in shared principles to reduce risk and attract investment. 

Representatives from producing countries, notably Botswana, warned against the emergence of a two-tier system. They highlighted the risk that standards designed without their involvement could marginalize Africa and fragment global markets. They called for mutually beneficial cooperation, stronger local value creation, and beneficiation, alongside improved environmental and social outcomes and tangible benefits for local communities. 

Civil society organizations and trade unions stressed implementation challenges and the blind spots of the current debate. Several interventions emphasized that the urgency of securing supply must not come at the expense of social protection. Participants warned of a potential “race to the bottom” in the context of growing demand and noted that overly stringent standards could effectively exclude some producers if institutional and regulatory capacities do not keep pace. The discussion also highlighted the risks of accelerated permitting - particularly through bilateral agreements - which may weaken safeguards, trigger local opposition, and ultimately delay production. 

Industry representatives called for a pragmatic, implementation-focused approach. Key priorities included: strengthening enforcement of mining codes and regulatory oversight, recognizing progress rather than aiming for unattainable perfection, distinguishing between substantive good practices and voluntary labels. They also stressed the importance of creating a stable and predictable investment environment. Concerns were raised about the geopolitical instrumentalization of standards and perceived inconsistencies in their application, particularly in sectors such as defense. 

A broad consensus emerged on the need to strengthen institutional capacity and governance in producing countries. Participants called for: 

• Increased technical assistance, 

• Legal and regulatory reforms, 

• Better integration of standards into national frameworks, 

• Credible validation and verification mechanisms. 

  
  

The proliferation of standards was widely criticized for encouraging “standard shopping.” Many called for benchmarking, improved comparability, stronger oversight, and enhanced data transparency. Participants also stressed that combating corruption and improving governance remain prerequisites for effective implementation. 

The discussion highlighted two major risks: 

• Tick-box compliance, where weak oversight reduces standards to reputational tools, 

• Exclusion, where overly costly or poorly adapted requirements marginalize artisanal and small-scale miners and producing countries. 

Several speakers emphasized the importance of viewing standards as pathways of continuous improvement, grounded in local dialogue and capable of delivering visible benefits for communities and local economies. 

Participants included Sheila Khama and Glen Mpufane (Global Council members), Benjamin Gallezot (French interministerial delegate for minerals and strategic metals), Olefile Cisco Mashabila (Chief Executive Officer of the Botswana Geoscience Institute) on behalf of Minister Bogolo Kenewendo (Minister of Mines and Energy Botswana and Global Council member), Ryan Clark (Director General of Central, Southern and Eastern Africa at Global Affairs Canada), Suneeta Kaimal (President and CEO of the Natural Resource Governance Institute), Susannah McLaren (Lead on Responsible Sourcing and Sustainability, Cobalt Institute), Vincenzo Conforti (Head of Government Relations, Glencore), Denis Gyeyir (Program Manager, Open Society Foundation), Ketakandriana Rafitoson (Executive Director, Resource Justice Network), Emmanuel Adjei-Danso (IndustriALL Global Union), Sascha Raabe (Head of Global Alliance for Responsible Green Minerals, UNIDO), J.J. Messner (Senior Lead, Downstream Purchasing Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance - IRMA),  David Sturmes (Co-Founder, The Impact Facility) - among others.

Download the key takeaways

Exclusive Dinner on "Acceptability in the Mining Sector"

On the margins of Mining Indaba in Cape Town, the Paris Peace Forum convened a closed-door dinner bringing together members of the Global Council for Responsible Transition Minerals, Special Advisors and partners to reflect on a central question for the energy transition: how to strengthen the social and political acceptability of mining.

The discussion highlighted a growing paradox shaping global debates. While European societies arguably resist new mining projects domestically, their economies remain deeply dependent on minerals extracted elsewhere, particularly in Africa. This tension feeds perceptions of imbalance and raises broader questions about fairness, responsibility and shared ownership of the energy transition. At the same time, Europe’s historical mining legacy and the depletion of many local reserves provide important context for understanding current dynamics.

Beyond public perception, governance emerged as a decisive factor in building trust. Responsible mining cannot rely solely on corporate commitments; governments play a central role through regulation, licensing and revenue management. Persistent distrust in how mineral wealth is distributed - compounded by governance challenges and the complexity of artisanal and small-scale mining activities - continues to shape societal acceptance of the sector.

The conversation also underscored a widening gap between the essential role minerals play in modern societies, enabling renewable energy systems, digital technologies and industrial transformation, and public awareness of this dependence. Despite significant progress in environmental and social practices across parts of the industry, reputational challenges remain shaped by uneven standards and historical legacies.

Looking ahead, advancing local processing, regional industrial hubs and South–South cooperation could help align economic development with the growing demand for transition minerals, while acknowledging that deeper integration inevitably brings trade-offs.

By creating a trusted and informal space for dialogue, the dinner illustrated the value of small, high-level exchanges in bridging perspectives and shaping more inclusive approaches to responsible transition minerals.

Additional information

For additional information, please reach out to clemence.contensou@parispeaceforum.org or maelle.lecureuil@parispeaceforum.org.

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