The Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) is a transnational association whose members seek to secure a stable supply of raw materials for their economies. As of 16 September 2023 the MSP was composed of: Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Members profess a commitment to high Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) standards.
History
According to the inaugural announcement made at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in June 2022, the goal of the MSP "is to ensure that critical minerals are produced, processed, and recycled in a manner that supports the ability of countries to realize the full economic development benefit of their geological endowments."
As of 1 November 2022, copper, gold and silver were not on the list of minerals in which the MSP was interested.
In January 2023 it was revealed that the diplomat at the US Department of State that led the group went by the name Jose Fernandez, undersecretary for economic growth, energy and the environment.
The governments of Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia met with the MSP members at Investing in African Mining Indaba on 7 February 2023.
India has been inducted into the Mineral Security Partnership in June 2023.
Estonia joined the Minerals Security partnership in march early 2024
Criticisms
The head of the Alaska Miners Association on 1 November 2022 said that "I worry that the MSP will prompt decision makers within the federal administration to prioritize mining in other countries in an attempt to walk a line between getting the minerals we must have but not developing ones in America under the name of conservation."