/PRNewswire/ -- The Mongolian parliament has passed into law a number of changes to the country's Constitution that will strengthen its legislature, increase transparency and bring legislators closer to the people they serve.

Representatives in the State Great Khural debated and approved reforms that will increase the size of the body by 50, from 76 to 126 members and see nearly 40% of its members elected through proportional representation. The Government is also shortly due to introduce separate proposals that will increase the representation of women in the parliament. All these changes are set to be in place in time for the next elections to the legislature, due in 2024.

The increase in the size of the State Great Khural will address the rise in the number of voters represented by each parliamentarian, which has increased from 27,000 in 1992 to 44,000 today. Alongside the move towards a more proportional electoral system, these reforms will help bring parliamentarians closer to the people they are elected to serve, as well as enhancing the scrutiny given to new laws.

A separate amendment to the country's Constitution creates a role for Mongolia's Constitutional Court in reaching a final decision on citizens' petitions which allege a breach of Constitutional civil rights and freedoms, which include equal rights between men and women and freedom of thought, speech and peaceful assembly.

Mongolia's political system is centred on the sharing of executive power between the Prime Minister as head of government and an elected President. The country's Constitution was adopted in 1992, with amendments made in 1999, 2000, 2019, and 2022. Recent changes have focused on securing political stability in the country, through for example limiting the maximum term of the presidency from two four-year terms to one six-year term and amending the number of parliamentarians who can hold ministerial positions.

Commenting on the proposed changes to the Constitution, Mongolia's Prime Minister, L. Oyun-Erdene, said:

"Today, I express my gratitude towards the members for their decision to decentralize power. The role of a parliament member will no longer be dominated by business minds. This pivotal change will ensure that the fundamental principle of truly representing the people and serving as a public representative is fulfilled. It will open doors for more citizen representatives to enter the political arena."

In the first five months of this year, our country exported goods and raw materials worth USD 6305.8 million, making an increase of 54.4 percent compared to the same period of the last year.

In the total export, mineral products accounted for USD 5492.4 million or 87.1 percent, precious and semi-precious stones, precious metals, jewelry, and coins amounted USD 297.2 million or 4.7 percent, plant products – USD 127.6 million or two percent, altogether making up 93.8 percent of total exports.

During the first five months of the year, 100 percent of lead ore and concentrate, iron ore, zinc concentrate, and crude oil, 99.9 percent of copper concentrate, and 98.5 percent of coal were exported to China, 47.3 percent of processed bovine and equine hides, and 76.1 percent of combed cashmere were exported to Italy, and 99.9 percent of washed cashmere was exported to China. The Customs General Administration reported that the above-mentioned goods accounted for 81.1 percent of the total export.

Mongolia's nomads are raising an increasing number of cashmere goats. The goats' soft undercoats provide the raw wool for luxury cashmere fabric, and is an important cash income. But this rise has also triggered serious environmental problems. Because goats pull grass out by the roots when grazing, nearly 80% of Mongolia's land is threatened by desertification. We follow the NPOs, companies and nomads working to restore the plains, and realize a higher standard of living.

Shaping Sustainable Cashmere: Mongolia

June 9, 2023

8:30 - 9:00 / 13:30 - 14:00 / 18:30 - 19:00 / 23:30 - 0:00

June 10, 2023

5:30 - 6:00 (Tokyo time)

U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the Republic of Korea -- In order to promote and strengthen shared values and common interests, the Governments of Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and the United States held their first trilateral meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on May 30, 2023.

The inaugural trilateral meeting between Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and the United States was led by Byambasuren Guntevsuren, Director-General of the Department of Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia; Yong-Jun Choi, Director-General for Northeast Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea; and Mark Lambert, Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

During the meeting, the delegates exchanged views on a broad range of issues of mutual interest, including regional and multilateral cooperation, political and security partnership, and strengthening mutually beneficial economic ties.

Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and the United States emphasized the importance of international law, including the United Nations Charter and the principles of sovereign equality, respect for the independence and territorial integrity of states, promotion of and respect for human rights, and prohibition of the threat or use of force. To this end, the three sides expressed concern over the suffering of the Ukrainian people. The three sides also conveyed deep concern about the risk of nuclear weapons use and called on all states to affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.

Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and the United States expressed their respective views regarding the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) continued development of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, including the unprecedented number of ballistic missiles launches since the beginning of 2022. All sides underlined the necessity of resuming dialogue with the DPRK and called on the DPRK to fully comply with its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions. All sides also emphasized the importance of the international community fully implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Mongolia and the United States expressed support for the goal of the Republic of Korea’s “Audacious Initiative” for a denuclearized, peaceful and prosperous Korean Peninsula.

All three governments supported the goals of the 8th International Conference of the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security, to be held June 15-16, 2023, in Ulaanbaatar.

The three sides shared their respective visions for regional development, including for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and exchanged views on collective efforts towards ensuring a prosperous and peaceful future.

The three sides exchanged views on opportunities to develop the trilateral partnership in the areas of economic development, support to UN peacekeeping operations, law enforcement and anti-corruption cooperation. All sides emphasized their desire to deepen economic partnership through enhanced cooperation on energy security and mineral resources, combating climate change, transportation and supply chains, food security, intellectual property rights, as well as through increased trade and investment opportunities. The three sides decided to continue discussions to this end at various levels, including a high-level dialogue focused on Mongolia’s role in global mineral resources supply chains.

Mongolia shared its long-term developmental and post-pandemic recovery policy priorities and objectives, such as Vision-2050 and New Recovery Policy, and projects related to these policies. The Mongolian side invited the Governments of the United States and the Republic of Korea, as well as the U.S. and ROK private sectors, to invest in Mongolia’s development projects to advance mutually beneficial economic partnership. The three sides discussed opportunities to use existing and new tools for trilateral economic and investment cooperation.

The Government of Mongolia expressed its willingness to contribute to the strengthening of global supply chains for the clean energy transition and invited the Governments of the United States and the Republic of Korea to hold a separate trilateral meeting on mineral resources and related issues in Ulaanbaatar later in 2023.

The three sides expressed willingness to hold the Mongolia – Republic of Korea –United States trilateral meeting regularly on a rotating basis in each of the countries.

The Parliament of Mongolia is convening the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue on June 13-14, 2023, along with Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future, and Ewha Womans University as co-hosts. The joint gathering will spur new research and policy partnerships between experts from the United States and Asia on gender equality in higher education and government and empower youth to become leaders who advance the sustainable development agenda.

The State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia, along with co-hosts Stanford University’s Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC), the Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future, and Ewha Womans University, announced today the convening of the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue (TASD) to stimulate cooperative action toward achieving the United Nations-adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Focused on expediting the implementation of gender equality and women’s empowerment, the fifth of the Agenda’s underlying 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the two-day Dialogue will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on June 13 and 14, 2023.

The Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue is a subregional convening of the Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue (TPSD), a joint initiative of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation and Shorenstein APARC held annually in Asia and aimed at scaling action on the SDGs by activating new research and policy partnerships between experts from the United States and Asia and between governments and non-state actors. Gender equality is crucial to driving development progress and is an overarching goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet persistent social and economic inequalities, gender-based violence, discrimination, and underrepresentation have impeded the full realization of women’s potential. This is why the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue is designed to translate cutting-edge humanities and social science research and data into meaningful gender equality solutions for local, state, and global government agencies and communities.

The first day of the gathering, held at the State Palace of the Parliament of Mongolia, will consist of multiple public sessions featuring government officials, academics, and practitioners from the United States and across Asia. Keynote speakers and panelists will discuss barriers to gender equality in education, the labor market, and government; examine issues such as gender-based violence and human rights and the connections between gender equality and sustainable development; and consider policy solutions to facilitate a more rapid shift to the empowerment of all women and girls. Keynote speakers include Ban Ki-moon, the eighth secretary-general of the UN and the chairman of the Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future, Kim Youngjoo, deputy speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren, Mongolia’s minister of education and science, and Zandanshatar Gombojav, chairman of Mongolia’s Parliament. Panelists hail from multiple regions across Asia, including Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey.

We are pleased that the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue has resulted from our 2022 inaugural Trans-Pacific Sustainability Dialogue in Seoul and are eager to seize the momentum to spark and amplify interventions to advance a gender-equal and sustainable future.

Gi-Wook Shin

Director, APARC

"Gender equality has been my top priority as I served the UN as Secretary-General and afterward,” notes Mr. Ban Ki-moon. “In this regard, I am pleased to note that the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue has taken the agenda of gender equality as the main theme. Gender equality represents the core value of human rights. It also plays an essential role in implementing the SDGs. I am confident that this event will provide momentum to enhance public awareness of the importance of gender equality across the Altai region."

“As we approach the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Agenda, there remains much work ahead to expedite progress on women’s empowerment,” says Gi-Wook Shin, the William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea at Stanford and director of APARC. “We are pleased that the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue has resulted from our 2022 inaugural TPSD in Seoul and are eager to seize the momentum to spark and amplify interventions to advance a gender-equal and sustainable future through our continued collaborative effort with Mr. Ban Ki-moon and his team, Ewha Womans University, and our partners in Mongolia.”

A major goal of the Sustainability Dialogue initiative is to mobilize and engage young leaders toward advocating for the SDGs in accessible and innovative ways. Highlighting the role of youth in achieving the SDGs, the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue includes paper discussions and poster presentations by students from Stanford University and Ewha Womans University. The Dialogue also aims to bridge between local grassroots activities and institutional SDG stakeholders. In this spirit of stimulating bottom-up cooperation across diverse outlooks, on the second day of the Dialogue, participants will engage in a field trip and cultural activities that provide a creative and open environment where they can freely share ideas and explore collaborations and next steps.

“Gender equality has been a significant value and practical social task pursued by Ewha Womans University, so I am very pleased that the TASD in Mongolia takes the theme of gender equality dealing with women’s empowerment, leadership, education, and work,” says Eun Mee Kim, Ewha’s president. “Through this conference, I hope to expand gender-equitable education opportunities in the Altai region and engage more women leaders in decision-making, bringing us one step closer to realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. I hope that the Ban Ki-moon Foundation, Stanford University, the Mongolian team, and Ewha Womans University will continue to cooperate and produce meaningful results for realizing gender equality as an agenda of the SDGs.”

The Dialogue demonstrates the shared commitment of its convening and co-organizing partners to the vital role of women and the need for their full and equal participation and leadership in all areas of sustainable development. Mongolia’s State Great Hural has been working alongside the Inter-Parliamentary Union towards becoming a gender-sensitive and human rights-focused parliament. This year, the State Great Hural is on track to implement several important activities as part of this work, including gender-sensitive law-making processes. The Ban Ki-moon Foundation continues to collaborate with international organizations and educational institutions toward implementing the SDG framework, which was spearheaded by Mr. Ban during his term as the UN secretary-general. APARC, drawing on its four-decade-long track record of bringing Asia scholarship to bear on policy questions, is capitalizing on Stanford University’s renewed commitment to improving the quality of human life and our planet through the new Doerr School of Sustainability. And Ewha Womans University, one of the world’s largest female educational institutes, is modernizing women’s education and pursuing new opportunities focused on advancing a sustainable society through its Ewha Vision 2030+.

About the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center

The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) addresses critical issues affecting the countries of Asia, their regional and global affairs, and U.S.-Asia relations. As Stanford University’s hub for the interdisciplinary study of contemporary Asia, APARC produces policy-relevant research, provides education and training to students, scholars, and practitioners, and strengthens dialogue and cooperation between counterparts in the Asia-Pacific and the United States. Founded in 1983, APARC today is home to a community of distinguished academics and practitioners in government, business, and civil society who specialize in trends that cut across the entire Asia-Pacific region. For more, visit www.aparc.stanford.edu.

About the Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future

The Ban Ki-moon Foundation For a Better Future follows and further develops the achievement and philosophy of Ban Ki-moon, the 8th Secretary General of the United Nations through upholding the values of unification, communication and co-existence, and dedication. It promotes three pillars of the UN including peace and security, development, and human rights, and contributes to making a better future devoid of conflict and deficiency. In particular, the Ban Ki-moon Foundation actively collaborates with the UN, international organizations, and stakeholders toward achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and realizing the 2050 carbon net-zero of all state parties of the Paris Climate Accord of 2015. For more, visit www.eng.bf4bf.or.kr.

About Ewha Womans University

Ewha was established in 1886 as the first women’s educational institution in the Republic of Korea by an American missionary Mary F. Scranton. Ewha began educating women and girls who had not had opportunities for any education during the late Chosun dynasty in 19th century Korea. In 1887, “Po Goo Nyo Goan” was established in the compounds of Ewha as the first women’s hospital to help cure women patients by women doctors and nurses. Since then, Ewha’s mission has stood firmly on two pillars: women’s education and women’s health and medical education. Today, Ewha’s mission is to educate and nurture women leaders of the world in all fields of academic disciplines based on the Christian spirit of love, devotion, and sharing. With 25,000 students, 250,000 alumni around the world, and 2,000 international students, Ewha has grown into one of the leading research universities in the world with a full range of academic disciplines from humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, arts and music, engineering, law, medicine, and two teaching hospitals. Ewha has 15 undergraduate colleges, 15 graduate schools, and 2 teaching hospitals, each with 1,000 beds in the capital city of Seoul, Republic of Korea. For more, visit www.ewha.ac.kr.

Media Contact

Journalists interested in covering the Trans-Altai Sustainability Dialogue should contact Enkh-Undram Bayartogtokh, Head of Communications for the Secretariat of The State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia, at enkhundram@parliament.mn. For further information on the convening, please contact Cheryll Alipio, Shorenstein APARC’s Associate Director for Program and Policy at calipio@stanford.edu.

The National Academy of Governance (NAOG) of the Government of Mongolia, and MONTSAME - Mongolian National News Agency in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), through its Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) of the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government (DPIDG), and with the support of the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Mongolia and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mongolia, is organizing a five-days National Workshop on “Effective Governance for Sustainable Development in Mongolia”, which will be held from 07 to 13 June 2023 in the National Academy of Governance, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

MONTSAME Agency clarified the workshop from Mr. Tapan Mishra, the UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia.

1. We are going to have the first National Workshop on Effective Governance for Sustainable Development in Mongolia. So, what do you see the UN participation here? What outcomes are you expecting from this workshop?

This first National Workshop on Effective Governance for Sustainable Development in Mongolia is being designed with the National Academy of Governance and UN agencies led by UN DESA with strong engagement from the RC’s office from UNDP and other UN partners, including ESCAP. This workshop aims to bring out the best examples of governance of other countries to help our Mongolian colleagues in the National Academy of Governance to enhance their capacities.

This National Workshop is organized under the leadership of the United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG), located in Incheon. It consists of three main parts. The first part focuses on training individuals who will serve as trainers at the National Academy of Governance. These trainers will play a crucial role in facilitating the subsequent core workshop on governance, which spans three days.

The participants will be members of technical working groups of ministries on governance and projects aimed at enhancing the governance of ministries and the Government.

The workshop will provide valuable insights into different aspects of governance, such as the implementation of Sustainable Goals (SG), data enhancement, and digitalization. It will encompass a comprehensive discussion on these topics, aiming to identify the key challenges and opportunities. Subsequently, the results of the workshop will be translated into an action plan, allowing the participants to reflect on what they learned and make it into an action plan. So, we can plan for results at the end of the workshop.

We want to also present these action plans to a High-Level Panel of the Government to have a common understanding and a sense of ownership and commitment, so these action plans can be well implemented.

On the final day of the workshop requested by MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency, we will focus on enhancing the capacities of journalists in disaster risk communication. The objective is to enable journalists to effectively communicate timely aspects of disaster-related information amid the challenges and risks.

So, I am very excited that this national workshop on governance has concurred with this critical moment when we are implementing our next five years strategy of UN. Governance, the third priority of SDG, is a key aspect of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). We are delighted to be able to offer this workshop to the Government of Mongolia at such a timely moment.

2. Could you please provide some examples of countries that have successfully improved governance for sustainable development?

Certainly! During the workshop, we will mainly discuss the good practices of Asian countries, such as South Korea and the Philippines. These practices are more relevant to Mongolia, and we will examine them in detail. The aim is to learn from these examples and adapt them to the Mongolian context. With those practices, we can enhance governance efficiency in Mongolia.

3. In terms of governance, where is Mongolia now?

There are three things. Firstly, Mongolia has thrived as a democratic country since the 1990s, transitioning from a socialist to a democratic system. Mongolians adopted a new market mechanism - a free market economy. The country has three key institutions in terms of the Parliament, the legislation; the executive; and the judiciary. While governance is progressively becoming more transparent, a power imbalance persists among the legislature, judiciary, and executive.

I don't have an exact index to tell you where Mongolian governance stands among the 193 countries. However, it is worth noting that the Government of Mongolia has demonstrated a strong commitment to learning from other opportunities and improving its efficiency. The Prime Minister of Mongolia has been taking action to increase the transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness of the Government and reduce corruption.

I'm very pleased to see that our side is taking the first step to support the Government in this endeavor, and it's evident that the Government is genuinely enthusiastic and open to moving in this direction.

4. What are the challenges in implementing effective governance for sustainable development, given the significant disparities between rural and urban areas?

Thank you for asking the question about the importance of balanced development between urban and rural areas in Mongolia. It is indeed crucial to address the challenges faced by rural communities and create opportunities for them to improve their livelihoods.

One significant aspect of rural development is finding ways to enhance the economic conditions of herders and diversify their income sources beyond traditional productions based on meat, wool, and cashmere. This can be achieved by supporting and promoting the growth of small and medium enterprises, particularly in dairy processing. By creating an enabling environment for such enterprises, the Government can stimulate economic vibrancy in rural areas, encourage people to return to rural areas, and promote sustainable development.

It's encouraging to hear that the Mongolian Government is focusing on regional development and voluntary national reviews (VNRs). By continuing to push in the right direction, Mongolia can create more economically viable conditions in rural regions and provide incentives for people to move back, thereby fostering balanced development across the country.

Furthermore, more than 90 percent of educational institutions in Mongolia are located in Ulaanbaatar. Every year, over 90 percent of children migrate to Ulaanbaatar and settle there, leading to an increased population in the capital city. The majority of employment opportunities are concentrated in Ulaanbaatar as well. Therefore, it is crucial to establish educational institutions in aimags to distribute opportunities more evenly.

If we observe countries like the USA and India, we can see that top-tier educational institutions are spread across the country. By establishing educational institutions in rural areas, the overall economy can experience growth. The Government should explore various opportunities in education, employment, livelihood, and services throughout the country. This approach would not only make the lives of individuals in rural areas more prosperous but also make these regions more attractive for young people to return to, as they would perceive them as financially and economically rewarding.

5. What significance is the UN giving to the workshop to be jointly organized with MONTSAME Agency?

As I mentioned before, governance is one of the most important facets of transforming Government in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and ensuring inclusive and sustainable development for all Mongolians, leaving no one behind.

So, We, the UN, are giving utmost importance to this workshop, which will be jointly organized with the Government, MONTSAME, and the National Academy of Governance.

Thank you!

On June 6, the Standing Committee on Economy supported discussing a draft revision of the Law on Civil Aviation Law, which was submitted by the government on May 25.

Minister of Road and Transport Development S.Byambatsogt informed that the bill has 10 chapters and 51 articles. In the bill, the control, regulation, functions and operation of civil aviation are included in accordance with the Model Civil Aviation Safety Act recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The draft revision provides for new economic regulations aimed at developing competitive air transport and protecting the interests of passengers. Considering that the current law only regulates the aircraft owned by the carrier, it is considered appropriate to regulate the operation of many types of aircraft, and the relevant regulations are included in the bill, Minister S.Byambatsogt said.

In the bill, the regulation of airports under various conditions of use and various types of ownership, service operations that ensure flight safety and the unity of air traffic, and state regulation are newly reflected.

Air navigation services in Mongolia’s airspace are provided by state-owned legal entities certified by civil aviation rules, according to the bill.

The bill sponsors believe that by approving the bill, the safety, efficiency and accessibility of civil aviation operations in Mongolia will increase, aviation safety will be improved, investment and competition will grow, and a legal framework will be created to optimize and upgrade the structure and organization of the industry.