Interregional cooperation project on critical mineral value chains for energy transition

About the project:

The growing demand for critical minerals for the energy transition has made their value chains a strategic priority for national development and socioeconomic resilience. Latin America and the Caribbean and East Asia play a central role in global critical mineral value chains as producers, processors and manufacturers of clean technologies, with complementary capabilities in minerals, processing and industry.

The project on Critical Mineral Value Chains for the Energy Transition seeks to strengthen interregional cooperation and institutional capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean and East Asia by promoting sustainable governance, value addition and the industrialization of critical minerals, in support of a just and inclusive energy transition. The three-year project is jointly implemented by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), within the framework of the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).

Latin America: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala and Peru.

East Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

The project's objectives and activities are aligned with the Paris Agreement and the Guiding Principles of the United Nations Secretary-General's Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, placing particular emphasis on promoting an equitable distribution of benefits, local value addition and resilient mineral value chains:

Strengthen interregional cooperation and institutional capabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean and East Asia for sustainable governance, industrialization and value addition of critical minerals, in support of an inclusive and just energy transition.
Promote knowledge exchange, joint learning and policy dialogue in key areas such as environmental governance, value chain integration, legislation and regulation, revenue management and international cooperation.
Foster greater political recognition of the benefits and opportunities of interregional integration of these value chains, ensuring continuity of cooperation through partnerships and policy actions.

The project's outputs combine research, practical tools, technical exchange and policy dialogue, designed to identify cooperation opportunities between both regions:

Development of six comparative case studies on leading national strategies in LAC and East Asia.
Technical publications and comparative analyses.
Development of policy tools and guidelines for value addition, sustainability, resilience and supply chain coordination.
National workshops, seminars and an international study tour.
Strategic assessment and roadmap for future cooperation on critical minerals.
Closing ministerial dialogue with representatives from both regions.

Phase 1 — Project launch and confirmation of priority country and mineral case studies to inform the project's activities and outputs.

Phase 2 — Evidence generation and knowledge exchange, development of case studies, publications, seminar and international study tour.

Phase 3 — Development of the roadmap, dissemination of results and ministerial dialogues.

Highlights

CEPAL y CESPAP lanzan proyecto para fortalecer las cadenas de valor de minerales críticos entre América Latina y el Caribe y Asia del Este

CEPAL y Canadá impulsan el fortalecimiento de capacidades públicas para el desarrollo de los minerales críticos en América Latina y el Caribe

Tercera edición del Curso: Litio, un recurso estratégico. Gobernanza, redes globales de producción y sostenibilidad

Topic(s)

Mining resources

Natural resources

News

13 Jul 2026 | Briefing note

ECLAC and ESCAP launch project to strengthen critical mineral value chains between Latin America and the Caribbean and East Asia.

Representantes de cinco países de la región participaron en el lanzamiento de un proyecto de cooperación interregional ejecutado por la CEPAL y la CES...