ABSTRACT
Among the most significant changes in the international mining industry during the past twenty-five years has been a trend toward greater heterogeneity. Whereas private mining firms formerly dominated all phases of mineral development, including exploration, public capital from both mineral-exporting and mineral-importing countries has become increasingly important to the industry. Public capital has flowed into mineral exploration through multilateral channels as well, under the auspices of development assistance programs. This chapter examines multilateral exploration assistance programs, particularly those connected with the United Nations (UN), and their influence on the worldwide search for minerals.
