Fifth FMF Ministerial Roundtable—Comprising 100 Governments and 59 Multilateral Institutions—Sets Framework for a New Era in Mineral Development
The Fifth Ministerial Roundtable, held in Riyadh as part of the Future Minerals Forum (FMF), marked a pivotal milestone in global mineral cooperation, reinforcing the collective shift toward more responsible, resilient, and sustainable mineral supply chains.
In his opening remarks, His Excellency Bandar Alkhorayef, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, emphasized that this edition represented a defining moment in becoming the largest ministerial gathering of its kind globally. He noted the significant expansion in participation since the inaugural Roundtable and launch of the FMF in 2022—growing from 32 national governments to ministers and senior representatives from over 100 countries, alongside 59 international organizations, including all G20 members. This surge underscores a growing global consensus: securing mineral supplies is a shared responsibility requiring coordinated, inclusive solutions.
The Minister announced the establishment of a permanent Ministerial Steering Group to provide strategic direction for the Ministerial Roundtable and the FMF, monitor the implementation of existing initiatives, and identify new areas for collaboration. The group will ensure balanced geographic representation and initially comprise 19 rotating member countries to guarantee continuity and accountability.
His Excellency Khalid Al-Mudaifer, Deputy Minister for Mining Affairs at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, outlined progress made in 2025 across three core initiatives:
- The Future Minerals Framework: Designed to scale up infrastructure financing and better align enabling government policies. The World Bank Group has been tasked with exploring opportunities to unlock funding in seven priority infrastructure corridors identified in Africa and Latin America.
- Responsible Mining Standards: Focused on enhancing transparency through traceability mechanisms across mineral value chains.
- Network of Centers of Excellence: Being established across Africa, West and Central Asia, and Latin America to build technical, institutional, and human capacity in the mining sector.
Notably, Ms. Valerie Levkoff, Vice President for Infrastructure at the World Bank Group, unveiled a new minerals strategy aimed at supporting mineral-producing countries by fostering regional processing and manufacturing—thereby generating local value addition and employment opportunities.
Source: Future Minerals Forum
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