Minerals Security Partnership

The Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) is a transnational association whose members seek to secure a stable supply of raw materials for their economies.^[1] The MSP is composed of 14 countries and the EU: Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.^[2][3] Members profess a commitment to high Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) standards.^[4]

Minerals Security Partnership Map

History

According to the inaugural announcement made at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in June 2022,^[5][6] the goal of the MSP "is to ensure that critical minerals are produced, processed, and recycled in a manner that supports the ability of countries to realize the full economic development benefit of their geological endowments."^[7]

As of 1 November 2022, copper, gold and silver were not on the list of minerals in which the MSP was interested.^[7]

In January 2023 it was revealed that the diplomat at the US Department of State that led the group went by the name Jose Fernandez, undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment.^[8]

The governments of Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia met with the MSP members at Investing in African Mining Indaba on 7 February 2023.^[4]

India was inducted into the MSP in June 2023.^[9] Estonia joined the MSP in early March 2024.^[10] Argentina joined the MSP in August 2024.^[11]

Criticisms

The head of the Alaska Miners Association on 1 November 2022 said that "I worry that the MSP will prompt decision makers within the federal administration to prioritize mining in other countries in an attempt to walk a line between getting the minerals we must have but not developing ones in America under the name of conservation."^[7]

References

1. "Minerals Security Partnership MEDIA NOTE". US Department of State. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
2. "Minerals Security Partnership".
3. "Minerals Security Partnership". IEA. 27 October 2022. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
4. PARKER, DARREN; DE BRUYN, CHANEL (8 February 2023). "Minerals Security Partnership advocates for ESG in critical minerals mining". CREAMER MEDIA (PTY) LTD. Mining Weekly. Archived from the original on 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
5. MCDONALD, LISA (10 August 2022). "Video: Minerals Security Partnership advances multinational commitment to bolstering critical mineral supply chains". The American Ceramic Society. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
6. Home, Andy (30 June 2022). "U.S. forms 'friendly' coalition to secure critical minerals: Andy Home". Reuters. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
7. ORR, VANESSA (1 Nov 2022). "The Minerals Security Partnership: More Questions than Answers". Alaska Business. Archived from the original on 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
8. NORTHEY, HANNAH (2023-01-25). "The diplomat securing responsibly sourced critical minerals". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
9. Gupta, Moushumi Das (2023-07-01). "How joining Minerals Security Partnership can help India harness critical minerals potential". ThePrint. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
10. "Estonia joins US' Minerals Security Partnership initiative". ERR. 2024-03-06. Archived from the original on 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
11. "Argentina to Join US Group for Spurring Metals Investments". Bloomberg News. 2024-08-21. Archived from the original on 2024-08-22. Retrieved 2024-08-22.