Riyadh | BETH

The fifth International Ministerial Meeting on Mining concluded in Riyadh as part of the International Mining Conference 2026, hosted by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources from January 13 to 15, under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and held under the theme “Minerals: Meeting the Challenges of a New Development Era.”

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef said the ministerial meeting has become the world’s largest platform of its kind, expanding from 32 countries in 2022 to more than 100 countries and 59 organizations, including all G20 members, producing nations, and consumer countries, underscoring the growing global importance of securing mineral supply chains.

Al-Khorayef stressed that minerals are now at the heart of global development, noting key challenges such as slow project development, fragmented policies, financing and infrastructure gaps, and trust in the sector, all of which require coordinated international action.

He announced the creation of a Permanent Ministerial Group to provide strategic guidance to the International Mining Conference and oversee the implementation of initiatives, with an initial rotating membership of 17 countries representing producers, exporters, and consumers in balanced geographic form.

The meeting focused on advancing the Future Minerals Framework, designed as a multilateral platform to strengthen cooperation, attract investment, build resilient mineral value chains, and support sustainability, with members agreeing to finalize its governance arrangements by March 2026 and present it to global multilateral forums.

Deputy Minister for Mining Khalid Al-Mudifer said the world is entering a critical phase in which accelerating mineral supply requires close cooperation between governments and the private sector, highlighting progress on three key initiatives:

a framework for critical minerals,

a sustainability and traceability framework,

and a network of Centers of Excellence to build capacity across key mining regions.

Participants also agreed to launch a Copper Traceability Standard as a first global pilot to ensure transparency from ore to final product, in cooperation with ISO and SASO, coordinated with the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University Sustainability Center in Morocco.

They welcomed the World Bank Group’s new minerals strategy, which focuses on governance, infrastructure, and private-sector mobilization, and praised the establishment of MIAP – the Mining Innovation and Acceleration Platform in Riyadh as a regional hub for mining technology and innovation.

In closing, Al-Khorayef announced Saudi Arabia’s plan to institutionalize the International Mining Conference from 2026, turning it into a year-round global platform for policy, research, and international engagement in the minerals sector.

Participants expressed their appreciation to King Salman for his patronage and to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his leadership in uniting countries around the shared goal of developing mineral supply chains in a responsible and sustainable manner for future generations.