Before the UN Security Council, Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner emphasized: it’s not about creating new international obligations, but better articulating existing mechanisms for tracking, sanctions, or resource governance.
She also stressed that this reflection did not aim to create a global mining code or challenge state sovereignty over their natural resources.
Deep divisions
The United States focused on securing supply chains for critical minerals and investments in the sector.
The China emphasized respecting state sovereignty and opposing any politicization of the debate.
Russia went further, rejecting the idea of a normative gap and arguing that conflicts originate from political instability and external interference rather than the absence of rules.
Countries have highlighted deep divisions over global governance of natural resources.