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The Future Minerals Conference, the Future Minerals Forum's (FMF's) Ministerial Roundtable and the "largest such gathering of its kind globally", has grown considerably over the past few years, with tangible outcomes and new areas of focus emerging.

This was highlighted by Saudi Arabia Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef, delivering the opening remarks at the fifth roundtable iteration in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 13.

The roundtable kicks off the yearly FMF, being held this week under the auspices of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.

In his remarks, Alkhorayef lauded this as "milestone year", with the roundtable having grown from hosting delegates from 32 countries in its inaugural year, to this year boasting Ministers and senior representatives from over 100 countries and 70 organisations.

Moreover, its scope has broadened at the request of supplier countries; while keen interest has been shown by more customer countries to join, showcasing the global relevance of the platform, Alkhorayef averred.

TANGIBLE OUTCOMES Alkhorayef acclaimed that "excellent progress" has been made over the past five years, including tackling the financing gap in mineral exploration in collaboration with the World Bank; focus on transparency and traceability in mineral supply and creating a network of centres of excellence.

The roundtable was a closed session; however, FMF content and strategy director Aldo Pennini outlined some of the key outcomes and also provided more insight into the progress alluded to by Alkhorayef.

Speaking to Mining Weekly, he said planning for establishing centres of excellence started three years ago, with engagements undertaken with governments, academic organisations and research centres from the "Super Region", which spans Africa, west Asia and central Asia.

Pennini informed that work to establish the network of centres of excellence is being kickstarted.

One would be in South Africa, in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and other institutions, to establish a talent hub that can link up to the rest of the region.

This is in the vein of forming a "web of excellence" that can help countries develop these capabilities, even if they lack the capacity and resources for this, Pennini explained.

A sustainability hub is being set up in Morocco, while an innovation hub is being set up in Saudi Arabia hub. There is also work to design a virtual policy hub.

Participants at the roundtable welcomed the introduction of a dialogue with industry to the roundtable agenda.

The FMF, with support from the group, was requested to develop an initiative for structure dialogue between governments and industry throughout the year, focused on driving investment and responsible supply.

It was also recommended that next year's FMF incorporate government-industry workshops to explore common challenges.

Work is also progressing on the development of an international copper traceability standard, which is being undertaken by the International Organisation for Standardisation.

This pioneer work was catalysed by the roundtable, which submitted a project to the organisation to develop a standard that would cover traceability from the mined ore to the purified metal.

A report regarding the standard was presented during the roundtable, with its development expected to take two years. Provided it is approved, the standard at conclusion is expected to enhance supply chain transparency and investor confidence.

The sustainability hub in Morocco, alluded to earlier, will coordinate this work.

Pennini explained that the standards space is saturated and complex, posing significant challenges for regulators and industry, and this...