• Minerals and metals underpin national economies, provide crucial raw materials for industrial activities, and are inputs to almost every sector of the global economy. The extraction of minerals and metals encompasses a very diverse and globally widespread range of activities—ranging from informal and sometimes illegal artisanal mines to very large, highly mechanized industrial mining operations. • Extractive resources will continue to play a central role in driving the global economy despite efforts to decouple economies from resource use and towards greater recycling. Demand is likely to be driven by emerging economies with expanding populations, global middle-class growth, urbanization, and technology change including a global transition towards low-carbon energy production technologies. • The frequently severe and enduring environmental impacts of mining highlight the need to carefully balance such activities with stewardship of other valuable natural resources (including ecosystems and biodiversity) and the rights of local people and communities.