UN Secretary-General António Guterres has declared that the control and exploitation of natural resources are fundamentally reshaping the causes, dynamics and outcomes of armed conflict worldwide.

Speaking at a Security Council meeting on natural resources governance on 22 July, Guterres stressed the urgent need to break what he called an ‘age-old pattern’ where resources are extracted, value is captured elsewhere, and impoverished communities are left to cope with environmental and socioeconomic damage.

‘No more exploitation. No more plundering,’ Guterres said, according to africanews.com.

The UN chief called for closing the gap between a state’s recognized sovereignty over its natural resources and its sovereign rights in practice. He emphasised that countries and communities must benefit first and most from the resources in their own backyard.

Guterres noted that the UN is supporting national authorities to strengthen governance and institutions, improve regulatory frameworks, and ensure that minerals contribute to development and peacebuilding.

Also addressing the Council was Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose government holds the Council presidency for July.

‘Our ambition is clear: to transform our natural resources from a source of vulnerability into a driver of transformation, stability, and shared prosperity,’ Wagner said.

The meeting highlights growing international concern over the link between natural resource extraction and conflict, particularly in resource-rich regions of the Global South where foreign exploitation has long fueled instability.