Critical Minerals in the OSCE Area: A Preliminary Analysis of the Case of Central Asia from the Perspective of Supply Potential, Workforce, Infrastructure Readiness and[...]

The report provides an initial, non-exhaustive overview of Central Asia's role in the critical minerals sector. It also explores a number of potential opportunities for the region to further expand its role in an environmentally responsible and socially inclusive manner, prioritizing local value addition and regional stability with the aim of mitigating and overcoming existing risks. In this context, the report identifies key barriers and opportunities, including infrastructure, investments, governance, and environmental and social standards, and considers workforce capacity a critical enabling factor. The report concludes by outlining three priority areas where the OSCE mandate and experience in dialogue facilitation, capacity-building and the exchange of best practices may potentially be considered as particularly relevant to support the development of the critical minerals sector in the region.