I will make three points.
First, natural resources can be a force for peace, prosperity, and stability.
But that only happens when they are underpinned by strong national institutions, transparency, and good governance.
Through our partnership with the Natural Resource Governance Institute, the United Kingdom is supporting African partners to strengthen critical minerals governance, promote transparency and accountability, and expand opportunities for local communities.
We also saw this recently with the UK’s supported launch of Ukraine’s Critical Minerals Strategy.
This was about more than minerals; it was about the connection to their recovery, resilience, and long-term security.
We urge all Member States to take appropriate steps, and provide support where needed, to ensure that governance, transparency, and accountability measures are in place at national and at local level, so that communities benefit from natural resource extraction.
Second, without the right safeguards, natural resources can help sustain armed groups, entrench war economies, and prolong conflict.
The Kimberley Process demonstrates well that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
That different commodities, supply chains, and operating environments demand different responses.
And that is why the United Kingdom, through the British Geological Survey, is partnering with countries around the world to support digitalisation and analysis of geological data.
This improves transparency, attracts responsible investment, and supports informed decisions about resource development based on context-specific evidence.
The United Kingdom also uses targeted tools to address security challenges related to natural resource supply chains.
Last week, for example, the UK delivered new sanctions targeting illicit gold and finance networks playing a key role in sustaining the Sudan conflict.
We encourage Member States, businesses, and civil society to take pragmatic, evidence-based and conflict-sensitive approaches, so that natural resource extraction best advances development and security.
Finally, no country can tackle these challenges alone.
International cooperation is essential if natural resource wealth is to deliver lasting benefits for local communities.
And that is why the United Kingdom is committed to continue working with partners to strengthen governance across critical minerals value chains, including through the G7, G20, and the OECD.
We have also worked through the UN Security Council to use sanctions to address the role of minerals in conflict, as well as through the Kimberley Process.
The United Kingdom remains a strong supporter of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which can help resource-rich countries attract responsible investment, build public trust, and realise more sustainable and inclusive development outcomes.
And we urge Member States to engage meaningfully with international institutions and existing international frameworks, including the Kimberley Process, to ensure that the benefits of natural resources reach local communities.
Madam President, the choice is not whether countries develop their natural resources. The choice is whether those resources fuel conflict or create opportunity.
The United Kingdom remains committed to working with partners to ensure that natural resources become foundations for peace, for prosperity and stability, rather than drivers for conflict.
