such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are essential components in many of today’s rapidly growing clean energy technologies – 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 – 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 – but we must guide it towards justice.”
UN Secretary-General António 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.
To build trust between governments, local communities and industry and address issues relating to equity, transparency, investment, sustainability and human rights, on 26 April 2024, the Secretary-General launched the Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.
The Panel brought 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.
In particular, the Panel sought to:
- 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.
- Strengthen international cooperation including through the alignment and harmonization of existing norms, standards and initiatives and agree on areas for enhanced multilateral action.
A call for submissions was opened in July 2024 to help the Panel develop stronger and clearer principles and actionable recommendations.
The Panel's Report
On 11 September 2024, the Panel published its report “Resourcing the energy transition.” It outlined seven Guiding Principles and five Actionable Recommendations to embed equity and justice in the race to net-zero emissions.
A United Nations Task Force on Critical Energy Transition Minerals was launched on 10 December 2025 to coordinate UN activities across all principles and actionable recommendations. The Task Force will mobilize:
- Five technical clusters (on value addition, traceability, a global mining legacy fund, artisanal and small-scale mining, and circularity and material efficiency), drawing on existing efforts within and outside of the UN, to advance technical work on the Panel's actionable recommendations and inform UN support at the country-level.
- A Critical Energy Transition Minerals support mechanism to provide country-level support for the effective implementation of the Panel's principles and recommendations.
The Task Force is chaired by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and draws on the expertise and capacity across the entire UN system.
and read the Secretary-General’s remarks on the launch of the Panel on 26 April 2024.
Read the background paper and watch the for UN Member States on 12 July 2024.
