That is why civil society is calling for a new tool, the Belem Action Mechanism, to be proposed under the UN’s Just Transition Work Programme. The ‘BAM’ would unite Just Transition efforts, coordinating them and turning them into real action. But it must not become another symbolic gesture. It should serve as a global accountability framework – linking governments, companies, and civil society to monitor how transition minerals are sourced, traded, and used. This mechanism should help countries design national plans for responsible mineral production and processing, incorporating emissions targets, human rights, and environmental safeguards into every stage of the supply chain.
But accountability must also be forward-looking. Brazil has suggested that this COP will move us away from ‘negotiation’ and into ‘implementation’. A proposed roadmap should look not just at how minerals are mined, but also how they are recycled, shared, and substituted. Investing in circular economy models, strengthening transparency, and the previously promised transfer of technology to lower-income countries are essential steps. Without this, the transition risks entrenching the same global inequalities that defined the fossil fuel age.
