Panama approved a maintenance plan for the inactive Cobre Panama mine that permits the export of copper concentrate to fund environmental protection measures. The mine, shut since mass protests in 2023 and a constitutional court ruling, remains closed despite the approval, ensuring that preservation and safety supervision efforts continue during this phase.

Following mounting public protests and judicial actions that led to the closure of the mine in 2023, the operator of Cobre Panama, First Quantum Minerals, dropped its $20 billion arbitration against Panama. This move comes ahead of political announcements rejecting a new mining contract law, reflecting a strategic retreat in the face of sustained national pressure.

Following mass protests by roughly 250,000 Panamanians over allegations of environmental destruction, corruption, and breach of public trust, Panama's supreme court declared First Quantum Minerals’ contract unconstitutional, leading to the shutdown of Cobre Panamá operations.

On November 29, 2023, Panama's Supreme Court declared the 20‐year concession for the Cobre Panamá mine unconstitutional, leading to its closure. The decision followed mass protests by environmentalists, indigenous groups, and labor activists who opposed the renewal of the contract with First Quantum Minerals, arguing that it favored corporate interests over environmental and public welfare.

A report commissioned by FUNDICCEP and the Panamanian National Network in Defense of Water details documented human rights violations and the criminalization of activists during large-scale protests over the mining contract at Cobre Panamá in the fall of 2023.

In March 2023, the Panamanian government signed a 20-year extendable contract with Minera Panamá, a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals, which operates the Cobre Panama mine. The contract renewal has sparked widespread protests from civil society groups including indigenous communities, peasant organizations, union activists, and others who raise environmental and social concerns.