The International Resource Panel (IRP), together with UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), the Government of the Netherlands and the International Trade Centre (ITC), has co-organised a side event titled "Responsible and Fair Finance and Trade of Critical Energy Transition Minerals for Sustainable Development: From Vision to Action", at the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla, Spain, on Wednesday 2 July 2025, from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm (Side event 9).
The session will explore how finance and trade of critical energy transition minerals can be conducted in a responsible and fair manner to support a sustainable, inclusive, and just energy transition. The session will unpack Principle 5 of the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals Guiding Principles: “Investments, finance and trade must be responsible and fair”, aiming to move the discussion from vision to action, highlighting how governments, investors, and the private sector can translate high-level commitments into practical priorities.
The event will count with Mr. Steven Stone, Deputy Director, Industry and Economy Division, United Nations Environment Programme, who will provide Opening remarks. Mr. Paul Ekins, IRP Panel Member and Professor of Resources and Environmental Policy at University College London, will set the scene by sharing the findings of the forthcoming IRP report “Financing the responsible supply of energy transition minerals for Sustainable Development”. Then, a panel discussion will follow and it will be moderated by Ms. Liesel Van Ast, Deputy Head of the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative and it will have the following panelists:
- Mr. Ruud van der Helm, Strategic International Advisor for Effective Multilateralism, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Netherlands
- Mr. Olivier Marty, Senior Advisor, Trade Strategy and Competitiveness Strategies and Policies for Trade and Investment, Division of Market Development, International Trade Centre
- Mr. Emil Sirén Gualinga, member of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku, Ecuador and specialist on Indigenous rights, climate and biodiversity finance, and Indigenous economies
- Mr. Jorge Rubio Nava, Global Head of Citi Social Finance, Citi.
- Mr. Moubarak Moukaila, Head of Financing Sustainable Development, West African Development Bank (BOAD)
Closing remarks and a call to action ‘Mobilizing action for responsible and fair finance and trade for critical energy transition minerals‘ will end the event.
If you are attending the Financing for Development Conference in Sevilla, we warmly invite you to join our event (side event 9) and take part in this timely and critical conversation. You can explore details of the event, as well as other side events, here: Side Events Agenda.
