United Nations University Proposes Five Critical Mineral Governance Reforms: REEx Warns Great Powers Era 2.0 Is Closing the Window for Cooperation

Highlights

• UNU-CPR researchers propose five reforms including an International Minerals Agency, stronger producer bargaining power, and community accountability in mineral governance.
• REEx warns that the Transition Vulnerability Window means supply-chain vulnerabilities could trigger crises before new multilateral institutions are established.
• Geological sovereignty does not equal industrial sovereignty—nations owning rare-earth deposits may still depend on Chinese separation and manufacturing technology.
• China, the US, and rival producers are unlikely to surrender strategic discretion to an international minerals authority, limiting cooperative reform prospects.
• REEx concludes resilience-building through diversified processing and manufacturing must accelerate alongside, not after, longer-term governance reforms.