On 29 October, the event, hosted by the Colombian government, proposed the scope, stakeholders and timeline for developing an international agreement on the traceability of mineral supply chains.

During the event, the Colombian government emphasized the urgent need to shift from extractivist development models that overexploit natural resources towards sustainable alternatives. This initiative, developed within the COP-16 processes of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), aligns with the trajectory towards COP-30 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The proposed agreement seeks to address the global need for transparency and traceability in mineral supply chains, especially concerning biodiversity loss and pollution associated with extraction and commercialization. It emphasizes that minerals must come from legitimate, environmentally conscious sources, with mining activities restricted from sensitive ecosystems. It also calls for measures to prevent pollution, ensure legal commercialization, and prevent the involvement of criminal organizations.
This initiative builds on the UN Secretary-General panel on critical energy transition minerals established in April 2024. The panel brings together a diverse group of governments and other stakeholders across the entire minerals value chain to develop a set of global common and voluntary principles to safeguard environmental and social standards and embed justice, in the energy transition to renewables.
Highlighting the essential role of collaborative action, Minamata Convention Executive Secretary Monika Stankiewicz shared her views. "The Minamata Convention is unique as the only multilateral environmental agreement that regulates a section of gold mining. As much as 20% of the gold on the market is produced outside formalized channels, with significant reliance on mercury—a pollutant with severe implications for human health and biodiversity," Stankiewicz stated.
"Tackling this issue is essential as we advance across both pollution and biodiversity agendas," she added. Stankiewicz also underscored the importance of leveraging resources, including those from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and expressed gratitude to Colombia for initiating this global conversation.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), who stands ready to become an observer of the initiative, also presented their work on due diligence for responsible mineral supply chains. Their guidance, adopted in 2011, provides detailed recommendations on how to identify, address and mitigate risks of human rights abuses, conflict financing and other financial crimes in mineral supply chains.
Together, these proposals represent an emerging global commitment to sustainable, transparent, and equitable mineral supply chains.