Saudi Arabia urges collective action to boost mineral supplies and future jobs

Riyadh hosted the fifth Future Minerals Forum ministerial roundtable, bringing representatives from 100 governments and 70 international organisations to discuss a draft Future Minerals Framework and the appointment of a 17‑member steering committee to guide implementation.

Riyadh hosted the fifth ministerial roundtable of the Future Minerals Forum under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz. The meeting brought together representatives from 100 governments and 70 international organisations to discuss securing critical mineral supplies needed for digital and green transitions. Organisers presented a draft Future Minerals Framework and announced a permanent ministerial steering committee of 17 founding member states. The forum builds on initiatives launched in 2023 to align supplier and consumer countries and attract investment for mineral value chains. Meeting highlights: - Representatives from 100 governments and 70 international organisations attended the ministerial roundtable in Riyadh. - A draft Future Minerals Framework was presented to enhance cooperation between producing and consuming countries and to attract public and private investment into mineral value chains and infrastructure. - Saudi Minister Bandar Alkhorayef announced a permanent ministerial steering committee of 17 founding member states to provide strategic guidance and oversee implementation. - The World Bank Group presented a new minerals strategy focused on policies and governance, core infrastructure, and private sector mobilisation and innovation to strengthen value chains and support jobs. - A voluntary sustainability standard will be developed over about two years, coordinated through a sustainability centre to be established at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco. - Officials identified challenges including slow project development, fragmented policies, infrastructure and financing gaps, and a need to build greater trust in the sector. Summary: The forum aims to strengthen partnerships between supplier and consumer countries and to build an investment ecosystem capable of securing mineral supplies that underpin electrification and digitalisation. The newly appointed 17‑member steering committee is expected to guide implementation of the forum's initiatives, and development of a voluntary standard is planned over the next two years. Participants welcomed multilateral engagement, including the World Bank's strategy, while emphasising the need to address infrastructure and financing constraints.