The European Union has called for stronger international action on natural resource governance, arguing that illicit exploitation of minerals fuels armed conflicts and undermines sustainable development, in a statement delivered on 22 July 2026 at a UN Security Council open debate. EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, Head of the EU Delegation to the UN, stressed that sustainable peace in conflict-torn regions requires responsible resource governance and the inclusion of women, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and youth.
The EU highlighted its legally binding Conflict Minerals Regulation, in force since 2021, which requires companies to conduct due diligence on tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold supply chains to prevent conflict financing and human rights abuses. The regulation aligns with OECD Due Diligence Guidance and imposes mandatory obligations, unlike voluntary frameworks. The EU also pointed to its Raw Materials partnerships with producing countries to ensure they benefit more from their resources.
Under the Global Gateway initiative, the EU supports the Kivu–Kinshasa Green Corridor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a project combining conservation, hydropower, and sustainable value chains to reduce illicit exploitation that funds armed groups. The EU is a leading donor to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and supports the World Bank's Extractives Global Programmatic Support to help resource-rich countries use mineral wealth for sustainable development.
Lambrinidis emphasised the importance of UN Security Council tools such as Panels of Experts, sanctions regimes, and the Kimberley Process, calling for greater coherence. He noted the recent EU restrictive measures on imports of Sudanese gold, which aim to cut financing for the conflict in Sudan, with exceptions for humanitarian purposes. The EU reaffirmed its commitment to supporting producing countries and applying the existing international framework to ensure critical raw materials become drivers of prosperity, not conflict.