On 3 September, Zijin Mining, together with other leading global mining and value‑chaincompanies, launched the Initiative for Global Mining Sustainability Alliance (GMSA) in Singapore, at the 2nd Global Business Summit on High‑Quality Belt and Road Cooperation hosted by the United Nations Global Compact.
Guided by the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the initiative calls for action in three areas: green transition, community development, and good governance and compliance. It encourages green mine development and ecological restoration, stronger human rights protection, responsible supply chains, and improved corporate governance and disclosure. These efforts are intended to advance green, inclusive and sustainable development of the mining industry.
The companies behind the initiative operate across the critical minerals value chain, from exploration and development, mining and mineral processing, and smelting to advanced-materials manufacturing, mining services, environmental protection and renewable energy. Their combined participation gives the initiative broad industry representation and influence. Building on this shared commitment, the participants plan to establish a regular cooperation mechanism and work together to turn the initiative’s recommendations into reality.
Xie Xionghui, Executive Director and Executive Vice President of Zijin Mining, launched the initiative on behalf of all initiators. He said its launch marked a new starting point for building consensus across the global mining industry and advancing sustainability through collective action. The participating organizations will leverage the initiative to establish a regular platform for dialogue, share good practices, learn from each other and deepen collaboration across the value chain, contributing to stronger global governance for sustainable mining.
The rapid growth of renewable energy and artificial intelligence, together with stronger global action on climate change, has made green critical minerals increasingly important to technological progress and the low-carbon transition. Meanwhile, the mining industry faces challenges in ecological protection, human rights, supply-chain governance and relations with host communities. As countries and markets differ in their stages of development and approaches to governance, no single organization can address these challenges alone. Greater consensus and collective action are therefore needed to explore pathways towards a more sustainable mining industry.
UN endorsement
Held under the theme “Connect for a Better World,” the summit brought together senior representatives from governments, businesses and academia to discuss cooperation and sustainable development. Video addresses were delivered by Ms. Sanda Ojiambo, UN Assistant Secretary-General and CEO of UN Global Compact; Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); and Mr. Selwin Hart, UN Secretary-Genera’s Special Adviser on Climate Action and Just Transition. Cao Zhongming, Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, also attended the summit and gave a keynote speech.
In her address, Ms. Ojiambo called on businesses worldwide to work together through responsible investment and innovative partnerships to build a more resilient, prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come.
The UN Global Compact welcomed the initiative and encouraged more mining companies, supply-chain partners and relevant organizations worldwide to join. It called for collective efforts for green, inclusive, compliant and sustainable mining, supporting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and contributing to a community with a shared future for humanity.
The Initiative for Global Mining Sustainability Alliance (GMSA)
Mineral resources are the fundamental material foundation for economic and social development, and a core upstream enabler of the global energy transition, infrastructure development and industrial upgrading. As an indispensable segment of global supply chains, the mining industry shoulders unique responsibilities to deliver the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Global governance frameworks for sustainable mining are undergoing rapid reshaping. The sector must align around shared principles and collective action to advance the green and low-carbon transition of mining operations, and strike a balanced win-win between resource extraction, ecological protection and social advancement.
Therefore, we, mining enterprises and industrial chain institutions worldwide, guided by the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), hereby launch the Initiative for Global Mining Sustainability Alliance (GMSA). We urge all mining and value chain participants globally to embed sustainable development into core operations and commit to the following actions:
I. Advance Green Transition to Conserve Healthy Ecosystems
1. Advance green mine development and cleaner production, improve the comprehensive recovery rate of mineral resources, realize resource recovery and non-hazardous disposal of wastewater, waste rock and tailings, and cultivate a circular mining economy.
2. Accelerate low-carbon retrofits to production processes, scale up renewable energy deployment, build integrated low-carbon industrial value chains, strengthen climate resilience, and contribute to meeting global temperature mitigation targets.
3. Deliver ecological restoration across the full mine lifecycle, implement site-level biodiversity management protocols, mitigate ecological harm at source, and maintain the stability of mine-area ecosystems.
II. Put People at the Centre to Build Inclusive and Harmonious Local Communities
1. Respect and uphold human rights, protect workers’ legitimate entitlements, and foster a workplace that is safe, healthy, equitable, diverse and inclusive.
2. Establish supply chain due diligence systems, formalize supplier onboarding and ESG assessment procedures for upstream and downstream partners, and drive collective sustainable progress across the full value chain.
3. Respect local cultural heritage and community rights, roll out employment support, livelihood assistance and infrastructure programmes, and pursue mutually integrated, shared growth with host communities.
III. Embed Robust Governance & Compliance to Drive High-Quality Industry Development
1. Enhance corporate governance and operational frameworks, integrate sustainability into corporate strategy and end-to-end business activities, and continuously refine investor relations management.
2. Comply with host-country laws, regulations and internationally recognised standards, operate with integrity and full compliance, reject bribery and unfair competition, and safeguard a fair, orderly industry marketplace.
3. Establish standardized disclosure protocols, implement multi-stakeholder engagement and grievance mechanisms, and unite cross-sector stakeholders to deliver collaborative governance.
We will take this Initiative as our shared foundation to exchange expertise and deepen collaboration. We will progressively establish permanent cooperation frameworks to ensure all commitments under this Initiative are fully implemented and deliver tangible impact.
Singapore
3 September 2026