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The international mining industry is facing arguably "its most important decade" as the world starts the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), Rohitesh Dhawan, said in an interview as part of the Future Minerals Summit conversation series last week.
 
Dhawan emphasized that mining will be at the very centre of this transition because of the burgeoning demand for metals used in solar and wind power, and in the batteries needed to drive electric vehicles.
 
On the back of his confirmed participation at the Future Minerals Summit in Riyadh, Dhawan stressed ICMM's simple message of "mining with principles" to maximize the benefit of mining while minimizing the harm to people and the environment. Dhawan said that ICMM seeks to ensure that the lives of everyone touched by mining are made better, and that the operations are safe, fair, equitable, just and sustainable.
 
ICMM's 28 corporate members represent one-third of the global mining industry, and through its association members the council has an indirect influence on most of the sector.
 
These issues are amongst those to be addressed at The Future Minerals Summit (FMS) in Riyadh on January 11-13, 2022. Convened by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the summit will include senior political and business leaders, and will discuss crucial issues facing the global mining industry. With over 150+ mining, exploration and development companies expected to attend, and over 2,000 in-person attendees, the summit programme will shape the future of mining with a focus on three main themes: mining’s contribution to society, reimagining mining, and investing in new and emerging mining regions.
 
The Middle East, Central Asia and Africa have the mineral endowment and the right geography to become a hub for the minerals value chain and play a vital role in meeting the exponential growth in global demand for the critical minerals needed in a low-carbon society, the organiser said in a statement it sent to Financial Nigeria.
 
The Future Minerals Summit has confirmed participations from several international mining-company leaders and CEOs of organizations such as Barrick Gold and Alcoa, Mark Bristow and Roy Harvey; and the chairmen of Ivanhoe Mines and of Fortescue Metals, Robert Friedland and Andrew Forrest. Numerous other industry leaders will include the CEOs of Trafigura and Komatsu Mining, Jeremy Weir and Jeffrey Dawes.
 
The summit in Riyadh at the beginning of next year aims to drive home the message that mining is part of the solution to the world's carbon emissions problem, and new mineralized regions can, and should, be opened up to deliver the necessary raw materials.