SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | SDG 13: Climate Action | SDG 15: Life on Land
Ministry of Mines | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)
UNEP and IRMA have announced a strategic partnership to improve transparency and environmental performance in the extractive sector. The collaboration focuses on managing the unprecedented demand for minerals driven by global decarbonization and digital transformation. Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), UNEP and IRMA will exchange expertise on voluntary sustainability standards, multi-stakeholder governance, and the verification of environmental claims.
The partnership specifically aims to implement the recommendations of the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals and support the UN Task Force launched in December 2025 to coordinate global mineral activities. By integrating IRMA’s site-level auditing with UNEP’s global mandate, the initiative seeks to ensure that mineral sourcing protects both ecological health and community well-being.
Key Pillars of the UNEP-IRMA Collaboration
Verification of Standards Claims: Utilizing IRMA’s multi-stakeholder system to independently and transparently assess industrial-scale mine sites against best practice standards.
Dissemination of Technical Data: Sharing research through platforms like UNEP’s Digital Knowledge Hub on the Environmental Aspects of Minerals and Metals.
Stakeholder Dialogue and Best Practices: Fostering exchange among governments, industry, and civil society to identify sector-wide gaps and promote sustainable mineral use.
Governance Framework Strengthening: Supporting the implementation of the UN Task Force’s principles to harmonize environmental and social performance across the global supply chain.
Traceability and Performance Improvement: Enhancing the ability of sectors to track the environmental footprint of minerals from extraction to end-use.
What is the “UN Task Force on Critical Energy Transition Minerals”? The UN Task Force on Critical Energy Transition Minerals is a coordinating body launched on 10 December 2025 during the seventh session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-7). Chaired by UNEP, UNDP, and UNCTAD, the Task Force is designed to unify UN activities around the actionable recommendations of the Secretary-General’s Panel. Its primary goal is to ensure that the minerals required for the global energy transition—such as lithium, cobalt, and copper—are extracted and processed under governance frameworks that prevent environmental degradation and protect human rights.
Policy Relevance
As India scales up its National Critical Mineral Mission, the UNEP-IRMA collaboration provides an international benchmark for the Ministry of Mines to ensure domestic and overseas mineral assets meet global “Responsible Sourcing” criteria.
Strategic Impact:
Enhancing Export Competitiveness: Aligning Indian mining operations with the IRMA Standard can improve the “ESG Rating” of Indian minerals, making them more attractive to global EV and electronics manufacturers.
Strengthening Mineral Diplomacy: Utilizing UNEP’s Digital Knowledge Hub allows Indian entities like KABIL to better assess the environmental risks of potential overseas asset acquisitions.
Mitigating Local Environmental Impact: Implementing the Task Force’s principles for land degradation and pollution control can help reduce the ecological footprint of mining in India’s biodiversity-rich regions.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What ‘Verification Mechanisms’ can the Ministry of Mines adopt from the IRMA Standard to ensure that domestic critical mineral exploration does not lead to avoidable land degradation?
Follow the full news here: UNEP: Collaboration for Responsible Mining