CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Mohammad Hazrati, in an article published in Oxford Open Climate Change, examines the governance of critical minerals in ASEAN through the lens of a just energy transition, drawing comparative insights from the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act.

Using the JUST framework, the article assesses ASEAN’s legal, policy, and institutional frameworks and identifies key gaps, including fragmented governance, limited integration of human rights protections, and insufficient coordination across energy and mineral policies. It highlights the growing importance of critical minerals to ASEAN’s energy transition and the need to address the environmental, social, and human rights challenges associated with their extraction and processing.

The article proposes a more coherent regional framework for critical minerals, supported by clearer definitions, stronger coordination across existing ASEAN instruments, and mechanisms for strategic mineral projects. It further calls for the integration of human rights, environmental safeguards, Indigenous rights, and broader justice considerations into critical mineral governance.