International Minerals Agency part of mining 2035 vision
- 3 November 2025
A US$18 trillion international investor coalition behind the Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030 proposes to create a new International Minerals Agency to drive implementation of the commission’s 2035 “10 Year Vision” for the industry, launched this week in Brazil.
Release of the commission’s 10-year blueprint setting out steps “for all mines to be operating to global best practice performance standards” by 2035 follows a two-year consultation process led by major resources investors and involving the mining industry, governments and other stakeholders.
The multi-stakeholder Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030 is supported by the Church of England Pension Fund, PIMCO, Legal & General, Ninety One, ING, Orion Resources Partners, Swedish National Pension Funds Council on Ethics, Royal London Asset Management and other investors.
It is also said to have the backing of a $128 trillion global network of investors and “technical support” from the United Nations Environment Programme.
Commission chair Adam Matthews says publication of the blueprint and its seven core goals ahead of the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment annual meeting puts the “market” at an inflection point.
“We can choose to support a vision of responsible mining that addresses the industry’s systemic challenges which in turn would enable long-term value generation,” he said in Sao Paulo after meeting with Brazil president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva Lula, the CEOs of major banks and Brazil's largest pension fund and mining major Vale.
“Or we can allow the digital and clean energy system of tomorrow to be born of social discord and environmental breaches.
“The commission sets out a compelling and practical vision, involving a partnership of governments, companies, investors, workers and other community stakeholders to level the playing field for a responsible rules-based mining system. This vision, driven by the long-term interests of companies and investors, will deliver real, meaningful benefits for local communities as well as for national economies.”
Proposals to help deliver the commission plan include creation of an independent International Minerals Agency (IMA) – modelled on the International Energy Agency (IEA) – to provide reliable supply, demand and sustainability data to debt and equity markets.
The agency would put a spotlight on illicit mineral flows, support a Global Legacy Fund to tackle post-closure issues and back a dedicated Global Centre for Peacebuilding and Business to be based in South Africa.
“From cobalt to copper, we’re going to need at least 30 million tonnes of new transition metals and minerals,” Matthews said. Mainstream investors would only supply the capital required if all mines operated to credible sustainability standards within a decade.
“To meet future demand and ensure a model of mining where sustainability risks such as health and safety, community engagement and environmental performance are managed to the highest global standards, investment alone is not enough.
“A compelling vision and partnership are needed and a humble recognition that only by owning the challenges together will we enable the best model of mining to become the norm.”
Matthews and a Global Investor Commission delegation also travelled to Minas Gerais to meet with families impacted by the 2019 Brumadinho tailings dam disaster while in Brazil. They visited a memorial to the 272 lives lost.
Matthews said the commission’s 10-year vision and recommendations sought to level the playing-field for responsible mining operators to meet global mineral demand. At the same time investors were being challenged to create long-term value by driving up sustainability standards across the mining industry and tackling endemic short-termism that incentivised unsustainable mine practices.
That included raising investor expectations of the responsible purchasing practices of auto, big tech and other value chain companies buying minerals and metals.
Third Swedish National Pension Fund (AP3) head of sustainability and governance, Fredric Nystrom, said the mining industry was fundamental to the global economy and central to the energy transition.
“Investors want exposure to the sector’s growth but only where social and environmental risks are managed responsibly,” he said.
“Mines that build trust will deliver lasting value.
“A measure of success is how fairly benefits are shared and how openly companies engage with communities.
“With this vision we are putting in place a path to make that happen, working with partners from across the mining value chain and finding ways for investors to contribute to realising a socially and environmentally responsible mining”.
Vicente Mello, senior vice president of AECOM Brazil, said systemic solutions were needed to transform the global mining industry to support a low-carbon and digital transition.
He said challenges spanned “commodities, geographies and ownership models”.
“Investors must articulate clear expectations and we may need new institutions, such as an independent International Minerals Agency, to create the enabling environment necessary to realise this vision,” he said.
