Critical minerals do not have a chapter of their own in the B20’s 2026 Leaders’ Statement. They appear across three of its four task forces instead, in recommendations on innovation, trade and energy. Read together, the asks to G20 governments cover permitting, public finance, trade deals, stockpiles and supply-chain mapping. For manufacturers, miners, battery makers and grid suppliers, they set out what business wants from governments on supply security.
What the B20 is asking for
The innovation chapter asks governments to streamline permitting for mineral projects. It calls for public finance and risk tools, including co-investment and price guarantees, and for trade facilitation. It also asks for attention to environmental and community concerns, extraction from electronic waste, research into substitute materials and more diverse sources of supply.
The trade chapter asks for targeted deals on “strategically critical goods like critical minerals.” It seeks transparency on subsidies, including in critical raw materials. It also calls for strategic buffer stocks as part of supply-chain stress testing.
A separate trade recommendation asks for multi-tier supply-chain mapping, coordination on critical minerals, and more recycling and circularity. It calls for a pro-competition approach to counter “concentrated dominance” in supply. The energy chapter returns to supply deals and buffer stocks as part of a broader energy security agenda.
How it fits the trade agenda
The trade task force is chaired by Dow Executive Chairman Jim Fitterling. Its headline goal is to cut the share of world imports covered by restrictive measures from 16.9% in 2025 to 10% by 2030. The minerals asks sit beside calls for WTO reform and for reducing non-tariff barriers.
The statement also asks that investment screening be tied to “well-defined national security objectives.” It wants screening to be risk-based and predictable, with a one-stop shop for investors. That matters for mining and processing projects that rely on foreign capital.
Unlike most chapters, the minerals asks carry no numeric target or deadline. The statement leaves it to governments to decide which minerals count and how large any stockpiles should be.
Who is in the room
Several speakers at the B20 USA Summit, which runs November 9 to 11 at The Wharf in Washington, work on the supply side. The summit’s listed participants include Dele Alake, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, and Laziz Kudratov, Uzbekistan’s Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade. Emilie Bodoin, founder and CEO of Pure Lithium, sits on the November 10 panel “Energy, Security, and Growth.”
The B20 recommendations go to G20 leaders, who meet in Miami on December 14 and 15. They are business advice and do not bind governments.
