The European Commission and the United States have officially welcomed seven new countries to the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) Forum during an event held in New York City. The gathering, which took place on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week and Climate Week NYC, saw the inclusion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the Philippines, Serbia, Türkiye, and Zambia as new members. These nations join an existing group of members, including Argentina, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Namibia, Peru, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, who were introduced at the inaugural MSP Forum in July 2024.
The MSP Forum, co-chaired by Maive Rute, European Commission Deputy Director-General for Internal Market, and Jose W. Fernandez, U.S. Under-Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, provided a platform for discussions on the responsible mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals. These materials are essential for sectors such as energy transition and other key strategic industries. Ministers and high-level officials from across the partnership discussed key opportunities, challenges, and priorities related to the critical mineral sector, with a focus on project development, environmental, labour, and social governance aspects.
The newly added members expressed their interests in further developing their critical mineral sectors, emphasizing the need for investment in local value addition and environmentally sustainable mining practices. The group also discussed the MSP Forum’s roadmap, which includes two primary workstreams on project development and policy dialogue.
Looking ahead, the European Commission and the U.S. plan to host the next MSP Forum event during Raw Materials Week in Brussels in December 2024.
