80 countries participate in Ministerial Roundtable

The Future Minerals Forum (FMF) announced today that its Ministerial Roundtable due to be held on 9 January 2024, ahead of the third edition of the Forum, is set to break attendance records. Of the eighty countries so far confirmed to attend, more than forty-five will be sending ministers to take part in discussions with stakeholders in this one meeting, in addition to 20 official international organizations, 30 non-governmental organizations and 13 business associations.

As the highest level gathering on minerals in the world, the Roundtable represents a historic turning point for the global mining and metals sector, the contribution of the Super Region extending from Africa to West and Central Asia, and the Kingdom’s leadership role in this sector and region.

The Ministerial Roundtable is a government-led multi-stakeholder initiative created by Saudi Arabia to enhance international cooperation on producing critical minerals involved in transforming the energy sector. The meeting comes when the mineral sector faces unprecedented challenges driven by the increasing demand for energy transition minerals and metals, where all countries are racing to secure stable supply chains.

Furthermore, the Ministerial Roundtable promotes the importance of collaboration to address this anticipated global challenge.

It also highlights the potential of this major mineral region, through discussion and exchange of ideas and experiences between government representatives, including ministers, multilateral organization such as the UN and the World Bank, and trade and business associations for mineral producers. The Forum encompasses non-governmental organizations interested in sustainability and community development, to lay the foundations for the sustainable development of the metals industry. The Roundtable aims to promote the region’s enormous potential, in addition to building capabilities and establishing the metals industry as a major engine to drive global economic and social development.

H.E. Vice-Minister for Mining Affairs, Eng. Khalid Al-Mudaifer, highlighted that the number of ministers who had confirmed their attendance at the Roundtable reflects the political and economic weight of the Kingdom and the increasing importance of minerals in recent years, this level of attendance demonstrates that FMF has established itself as a leading global platform for shaping the future of minerals. High-level government representation, from countries producing and consuming minerals, means that governments from across the world are now aware of minerals’ importance, as they seek to secure reliable supply chains for them. This is especially relevant to the strategic minerals that are essential to energy transformation programs and projects, and related industries".

“The Super Region has the potential to provide the world with the minerals necessary for its prosperity and growth,” said Al-Mudaifer. “It is expected to play a major role in providing the estimated 3 billion tons of strategic minerals necessary to create the infrastructure that the world needs to achieve the goal of zero emissions,” H.E. continued.

The Roundtable will include discussion of the competition that the metals market is witnessing at international level and how to create room for countries, in the midst of this competition, to reach agreement between themselves. This is the only way to provide the metals that the world needs, at a time when producing countries can also, through cooperation, create high local value from mineral resources and further development and prosperity for communities.

During the Ministerial Roundtable, the steps that have been taken to transform discussions into action will be considered through the four main initiatives that were identified at the previous Roundtable. These include setting out principles for creating a super-regional critical minerals framework; developing centers of excellence to help build capacity; defining the region’s own expectations for responsible supply that reflect its stages of development and local realities; and establishing green metals hubs enabled by new clean energy technologies.

The Future Minerals Forum, which takes place from January 10-11, is a global gathering to discuss the future of minerals and mining and how to increase the contribution of the Super Region, which extends from Africa to West and Central Asia. This year, 220 speakers will participate in its sessions, including CEOs of the largest mining companies and companies related to the minerals and finance sector. Nearly 13,000 participants are expected to attend the conference.