An international minerals treaty proposed by Colombia and Oman at the seventh United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) encountered resistance from several member states, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Chile and Uganda. The initiative ultimately emerged as a nonbinding resolution after days of negotiations.
The proposal was debated at UNEA-7 in Nairobi, Kenya, Dec. 8-12. Colombia and Oman pushed for binding and nonbinding measures to address the social and environmental impacts of mining and the recovery of resources from mining waste. Their proposal was rejected by a broad group of states in favor of a nonbinding resolution to enhance international dialogue and cooperation on mineral governance as well as resource recovery from mining waste and tailings.
“As mineral demand surges due to the energy transition and digitalization, the resolution represents a step toward better protections for ecosystems and communities,” Charlotte Boyer, a consultant at the Natural Resource Governance Institute, told Mongabay over email. “However, many countries and observers called for stronger language to move beyond dialogue toward policymaking.”
“In particular, the resolution stops short of committing to explore international binding standards leaving a gap between the scale of impacts on the ground and the ambition of the global response,” she added.
Tommi Kauppila is a research professor for the Geological Survey of Finland, which provided Finland’s Ministry of Environment with expert support on the minerals resolution at UNEA-7. He told Mongabay that Colombia and Oman originally submitted separate proposals in which Colombia pushed for a legally binding international instrument to address the social and environmental impacts of mining for minerals and metals, while Oman focused on the circular economy of minerals. The two approaches were eventually combined in a single proposal.
Imran Shaikh is the managing director of Green Tech Mining & Services, which advised Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals and its Environment Authority. Shaikh told Mongabay over email that “Oman sees the resolution not as an endpoint, but as a platform. There is confidence that through continued engagement with UNEP [the U.N. Environment Programme] and member states, the dialogue can evolve into clearer guidance, shared principles, and eventually stronger international norms, grounded in real-world implementation rather than abstract commitments.”
He said Oman plans to submit a “version 2.0” resolution at UNEA-8 in 2027.
Banner image: Refined tellurium, a rare mineral used in solar panels that was once discarded along with the other mine tailings, is shown at the Rio Tinto Kennecott refinery in Magna, Utah. Image by AP Photo/Rick Bowmer.
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