UN Chief Calls for Fair Resource Governance to Reduce Conflict and Inequality
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for sweeping reforms in the governance of natural resources, warning that the exploitation of valuable minerals is increasingly fueling armed conflicts, deepening inequality, and destabilizing communities around the world.
Addressing the UN Security Council’s open debate on “Natural Resource Governance: The Foundation of Peace, Security and Prosperity,” Guterres said competition over critical resources such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements is reshaping global security as demand continues to rise with the clean energy transition.
While these resources present significant economic opportunities for producing nations, Guterres cautioned that weak governance, illicit extraction, and unequal distribution of wealth have allowed armed groups and criminal networks to profit from natural resources, prolonging conflicts and undermining peace efforts.
He stressed that the human cost of resource exploitation falls disproportionately on vulnerable populations, particularly women, children, and communities displaced from resource-rich areas. According to the UN chief, revenues generated through illegal mineral trade continue to finance violence while weakening incentives for political dialogue and reconciliation.
Guterres outlined four key priorities to address the challenge: promoting justice, preventing conflict, resolving disputes peacefully, and strengthening climate action. He urged governments to ensure that countries rich in natural resources retain a greater share of the economic benefits generated by extraction while improving transparency and accountability across global mineral supply chains.
He also emphasized the importance of international cooperation among producing, transit, and consumer countries to combat illicit trade, close regulatory gaps, and protect communities affected by resource exploitation.
Warning that climate change is intensifying competition for land, water, and mineral resources, Guterres called for a new approach that places sustainable development, strong institutions, and shared prosperity at the center of natural resource management.
Concluding his remarks, the UN chief urged the international community to end exploitative practices that enrich criminal networks while leaving local populations behind, arguing that natural resources should become a foundation for peace, development, and long-term economic opportunity rather than a driver of conflict.
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