UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a halt to the 'exploitation' and 'plundering' of natural resources that do not bring additional value to producing countries and affected communities.
Resources and Global Conflicts
During a high-level discussion in the UN Security Council on the link between natural resources and conflicts, Guterres noted that the control and extraction of these resources globally are fundamentally changing the causes, dynamics, and outcomes of wars. He emphasized the growing strategic importance of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements.
The growing demand from global markets opens vital opportunities to stimulate development in producing countries. However, according to Guterres, it also provokes intense geopolitical competition, increasing pressure on concentrated supply chains and fueling conflicts, which leads to serious humanitarian consequences.
Financing Violence
The UN chief explained that 'too often, revenues from illegal natural resource extraction make the world unattainable.' He stressed that such exploitation strengthens armed groups and criminals, links local violence to regional and international networks, and weakens incentives for political compromise.
