Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis Fannon, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos, Botswana’s Minister of Mineral Resources and Green Technology Lefoko Moagi, Canada’s Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Shawn Tupper, and Peru’s Vice Minister of Mines and Energy Jaime Galvez Delgado, and Vice Minister of Foreign Relations Manuel Talavera Espinar signed the Energy Resource Governance Initiative (ERGI) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today, officially welcoming Botswana and Peru as founding partners. Australia, Botswana, Canada, Peru, and the United States recognize the increasing global demand for critical energy minerals in the coming years, and the MoU puts forth the essential framework for cooperation to effectively meet the demand.

The Energy Resource Governance Initiative (ERGI) promotes sound mining sector governance and resilient energy mineral supply chains. This initiative brings countries together to advance governance principles, share best practices, and encourage a level playing field for investment.

In the virtual signing ceremony, the representatives highlighted key accomplishments of the initiative, including the establishment of a robust online toolkit (www.ERGI.tools ), an open-source resource for countries that want to move toward better mining practices, and the inclusion of ERGI principles as criteria in Development Finance Corporation funding decisions.

For further information, contact Donald Kilburg, Spokesperson for the Bureau of Energy Resources, at KilburgDF@american.gov or visit www.State.gov/e/enr. Additional information is available on twitter at @EnergyatState.