The Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) is a US-led global initiative and transnational association, also known as the critical minerals alliance, established to bolster and diversify critical mineral supply chains. It was officially announced in June 2022 in Toronto, Canada, with the United States and ten other partners as founding members. The MSP was created to address the increasing demand for critical minerals—such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, and the 17 rare earth elements—which are essential for clean energy technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines, as well as for advanced electronics and defense systems. A key problem it seeks to solve is the high concentration of mining and processing of these minerals, particularly the dominance of China in the global supply chain.
The MSP functions as a mechanism to accelerate the development of diverse and sustainable supply chains by catalyzing public and private investment in strategic projects globally. It operates through project-focused working groups that evaluate and support projects across the full value chain, from mining and processing to refining and recycling. A core provision is the commitment to high Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards, ensuring that only projects meeting these rigorous, internationally recognized standards receive MSP support. The MSP partners have developed Principles for Responsible Critical Mineral Supply Chains to guide their activities.
The MSP connects to the broader geopolitical concept of reducing supply chain vulnerabilities and is related to other initiatives like the Australia-India Critical Minerals Investment Partnership. India was inducted into the MSP in June 2023, joining the collaboration of 14 countries and the European Union. The partnership has recently changed: on February 4, 2026, the Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement (FORGE) was announced as the successor to the MSP, building on its foundation to advance initiatives that strengthen diversified and resilient critical minerals supply chains. The MSP also recently launched the MSP Finance Network in September 2024, involving development finance institutions and export credit agencies to strengthen co-financing for MSP projects.