Brazil enacts National Policy for Critical and Strategic Minerals

Brazil has sanctioned the National Policy for Critical and Strategic Minerals, a law designed to transform geological resources into industrial capacity, technology, and regional development. The policy covers stages from research and extraction to mineral processing and urban mining. It distinguishes between critical minerals, which pose supply risks to essential economic sectors, and strategic minerals, which are vital for technological development, trade balances, or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Key instruments of the new policy include a Mineral Activity Guarantee Fund, a federal program for mineral processing, and a low-carbon mineral certificate. The law also establishes a traceability system to track mineral origins and a National Project Registry. A National Council for the Industrialization of Critical and Strategic Minerals will coordinate the policy and select priority projects, while the National Mining Agency (ANM) retains its regulatory and supervisory functions.

In response to the legislation, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) issued a statement calling for the protection of Indigenous territories from mining expansion. The organization emphasized that sovereignty must include the demarcation and protection of lands, expressing concern that the international race for critical minerals could increase pressure on indigenous territories and influence future political cycles.