Investors urge creation of International Minerals Agency to oversee global resource supply

Global investors managing $18 trillion urge creation of an International Minerals Agency to track supply, demand, and sustainability performance in the mining sector, ahead of UN climate talks in Brazil.

A coalition of major institutional investors managing or advising on $18 trillion in assets has called for the establishment of an International Minerals Agency, modeled after the International Energy Agency (IEA), to improve transparency, sustainability, and accountability in global mineral supply chains.

The proposal, announced by the Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030, argues that such an agency could monitor global supply and demand for critical minerals, track illegal trade flows, and publish data on companies’ progress toward sustainability performance standards.

The Commission — whose members include PIMCO, ING, Legal & General (L&G), Allianz Investment Management, the Church of England Pension Fund, and Royal London Asset Management — unveiled the recommendation in a new report released in São Paulo, ahead of the United Nations climate negotiations.

The 10-year blueprint outlines strategies to build a responsible and low-carbon mining sector, emphasizing the need for multi-stakeholder cooperation among investors, governments, and industry leaders.

“The Commission’s vision offers a roadmap for investors to unlock value by promoting sustainability and improving public perception,” said Peter Kindt, Global Head Transition Accelerator at ING.
“Achieving this will require collaboration and new initiatives like an International Minerals Agency.”

The group met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva before launching the report, underscoring Latin America’s key role in supplying the minerals essential to the global energy transition — including lithium, copper, and nickel.

If implemented, the proposed International Minerals Agency would mark the first coordinated global effort to standardize mineral governance, similar to how the IEA provides data and policy guidance for the energy sector.