Critical Minerals Are No Longer a Sector – They Are a System, OECD Forum Panel Argues as Central Asia’s Strategic Role Comes Into Focus

A panel at the OECD Critical Minerals Forum 2026 argued that value in the minerals economy is no longer created at the mine but across integrated corridor ecosystems — and that Central Asia has the potential to become a strategic backbone of global supply chains if it builds those systems rather than simply supplying raw materials.