Mines, Miners and the Energy Transition: Who pays the price for critical minerals?

About the session The energy transition depends on copper, cobalt, lithium and other critical minerals. But conversations about securing those resources tend to focus on mines, supply chains and geopolitics, and much less on the miners, communities and territories where those supply chains begin. That creates a significant blind spot. Artisanal and small-scale mining remains largely absent from many responsible sourcing frameworks. In resource-rich regions, rapidly growing demand can intensify existing tensions around governance, ownership and state capture. And investment intended to advance the green transition can inadvertently contribute to instability if communities see few of the benefits. So what does responsible sourcing actually mean on the ground? This session will examine who owns, governs and benefits from the minerals powering the transition. It will explore how stronger local institutions, conflict-sensitive investment, responsible sourcing and shared-value ownership models could make commercially viable extraction contribute to resilience and development rather than reproducing another cycle of extractive dependency. Discussion Group Leaders Mario Picon is Founder and Senior Director at Governance Action Hub, advancing collaborative governance and institutional change across climate, democracy, and development. Sarah Backstrand is Research Assistant at University of Notre Dame, advancing research on artisanal and small-scale mining and more responsible approaches to mineral sourcing. What to expect A candid, interactive conversation about the trade-offs and power dynamics behind critical-mineral supply chains. Perspectives from investors, governance and peacebuilding practitioners, businesses and communities will help connect decisions made about capital and sourcing with their consequences in mining territories. Expect to move beyond the assumption of a frictionless “win-win” transition and examine what accountability looks like when the supply chain begins with informal labour and communities navigating real political and economic risks. Who this is for This session is for investors, mining and supply-chain leaders, policymakers, multilateral institutions, philanthropists, governance and peacebuilding practitioners, and community leaders working at the intersection of critical minerals, responsible investment and the energy transition. What you will get out of it A clearer view of the governance and human realities behind critical-mineral supply chains New perspectives on artisanal and small-scale mining within responsible sourcing Insights into how investment can strengthen stability rather than exacerbate conflict Approaches to territorial accountability, local governance and shared-value ownership Connections across investment, mining, governance, peacebuilding and communities