In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This agenda is the basis for shaping global economic progress in harmony with social justice and the earth's ecological limits. At the heart of the Agenda are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Germany has committed itself to an ambitious implementation of this agenda.

The OECD Guidelines contain recommendations to help companies respect human rights and avoid supporting conflict through their decisions and practices.

The Africa Mining Vision (AMV) is the most important pan-African strategy for shaping the African extractive sector. It thus serves as a guideline for German development cooperation's engagement in African partner countries.

The IGF MPF presents practices required for good environmental, social and economic governance of the mining sector and for the generation and equitable sharing of benefits to contribute to sustainable development.