In April 2024, Daniel Litvin, founder of Resource Resolutions, moderated a discussion on the topic of ‘Commodities and Peace‘ at the International Cooperation Forum. The session featured the following panellists:
Ivo Germann, Head of Foreign Economic Affairs Directorate at State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
James Nicholson, Head of Social Responsibility at Trafigura
Mark Robinson, Executive Director of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)
Marc Ummel, responsible for Natural Resources at SWISSAID
Cielo Magno, Philippine’s former Undersecretary of the Finance Department
Below is a summary of Daniel Litvin’s comments:
There is a clear risk that changing patterns of natural resource use will aggravate conflict in the years ahead. Growing demand for ‘critical minerals’ due to the energy transition look set to heighten geopolitical tensions between the West and China. There are already endless local conflicts and divisions around specific natural resource assets. Meanwhile, the impending decline of the global fossil fuel economy could further destabilise the Middle East and other major hydrocarbon exporting regions.
How to head off these risks? Can natural resources provide a basis for peace-building not just division and war? How to use them to unlock long-term sustainable development rather than corruption and elite enrichment? How can major producers, traders and consumers of natural resources tackle human rights and other abuses along their value chains?
See below for a recording of the full discussion:
Resource Resolutions 