WRFA Supports UNEA-7 Draft Resolution on Minerals and Metals Management

The World Resources Forum Association (WRFA) hereby expresses its strong support for the draft resolution jointly presented by the Government of Colombia and the Sultanate of Oman to the Seventh United Nations Environment Assembly on the environmentally sound management of minerals and metals.

WRFA is an independent international non-profit organisation serving as a global platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue and action on resource governance, connecting governments, international organisations, business, finance, science and civil society. At the World Resources Forum 2025 recently concluded in Geneva, which brought together participants from over 60 countries, discussions converged on a clear conclusion: global mineral demand driven by the energy and digital transitions is expanding in the absence of sufficiently strong, transparent and multilateral governance frameworks, amplifying environmental risks, social impacts and geopolitical tensions.

In this context, the proposal to establish an expert group under UNEP to explore options for international instruments, including legally binding approaches, represents a timely and strategically important step. Currently, fragmented national regulations, opaque value chains, weak data on material flows and uneven adoption of standards are undermining trust in global mineral markets. Without a coherent multilateral framework, risks related to illegal mining, environmental degradation, social conflict and unfair distribution of costs and benefits will continue to rise.

WRFA wishes to further emphasise that environmentally sound management must be understood in a comprehensive life cycle perspective, from the extraction to the use and after-use stages. Environmental protection, social justice and economic resilience are inseparable dimensions of responsible mineral governance across all life cycle stages. At the same time, sustainability and supply security must be aligned as mutually reinforcing objectives, not treated as competing priorities.

From this perspective, the draft resolution represents a concrete and constructive first step towards a more coherent international governance framework for minerals and metals. Such a process could support the consolidation of existing initiatives, strengthen alignment between environmental, trade and development agendas, and lay the groundwork for a future international instrument capable of addressing the full life cycle of minerals in a transparent, fair and sustainable manner.

WRFA stands ready to contribute to this process by sharing insights from its multi-stakeholder dialogues and projects, and by supporting inclusive exchanges among governments, industry, finance, science and civil society.