India, April 27 -- The UN Secretary-General on Friday launched an initiative focusing on ensuring fairness, sustainability and respect for human rights throughout the entire process of sourcing and using critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition.

The newly established Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals brings together a diverse group of governments, organisations and UN bodies to develop a set of common and voluntary principles to protect environmental and social standards aimed at embedding justice in the energy transition.

A world powered by renewables is a world hungry for critical minerals, Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said at the launch of the panel.

For developing countries, this new demand presents ...