1 GOLD AND COPPER PRICES SURGE WWW.UBPOST.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/02      2 REGISTRATION FOR THE ULAANBAATAR MARATHON 2025 IS NOW OPEN WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/02      3 WHY DONALD TRUMP SHOULD MEET KIM JONG- UN AGAIN – IN MONGOLIA WWW.LOWYINSTITUTE.ORG  PUBLISHED:2025/04/02      4 BANK OF MONGOLIA PURCHASES 281.8 KILOGRAMS OF PRECIOUS METALS IN MARCH WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/02      5 P. NARANBAYAR: 88,000 MORE CHILDREN WILL NEED SCHOOLS AND KINDERGARTENS BY 2030 WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/02      6 B. JAVKHLAN: MONGOLIA'S FOREIGN EXCHANGE RESERVES REACH USD 5 BILLION WWW.GOGO.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/02      7 185 CASES OF MEASLES REGISTERED IN MONGOLIA WWW.AKIPRESS.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/02      8 MONGOLIAN JUDGE ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE APPEALS CHAMBER OF THE ICC WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/01      9 HIGH-PERFORMANCE SUPERCOMPUTING CENTER TO BE ESTABLISHED IN PHASES WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/01      10 LEGAL INCONSISTENCIES DISRUPT COAL TRADING ON EXCHANGE WWW.UBPOST.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/01      УСТСАНД ТООЦОГДОЖ БАЙСАН УЛААНБУРХАН ӨВЧИН ЯАГААД ЭРГЭН ТАРХАХ БОЛОВ? WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     САНГИЙН ЯАМ: ДОТООД ҮНЭТ ЦААСНЫ АРИЛЖАА IV/16-НААС МХБ-ЭЭР НЭЭЛТТЭЙ ЯВАГДАНА WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     МОНГОЛБАНКНЫ ҮНЭТ МЕТАЛЛ ХУДАЛДАН АВАЛТ ӨМНӨХ САРААС 56 ХУВИАР, ӨМНӨХ ОНЫ МӨН ҮЕЭС 35.1 ХУВИАР БУУРАВ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     Б.ЖАВХЛАН: ГАДААД ВАЛЮТЫН НӨӨЦ ТАВАН ТЭРБУМ ДОЛЛАРТ ХҮРСЭН WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     1072 ХУВЬЦААНЫ НОГДОЛ АШИГ 93 500 ТӨГРӨГИЙГ ЭНЭ САРД ОЛГОНО WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     Н.УЧРАЛ: Х.БАТТУЛГА ТАНД АСУУДЛАА ШИЙДЭХ 7 ХОНОГИЙН ХУГАЦАА ӨГЧ БАЙНА WWW.NEWS.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     “XANADU MINES” КОМПАНИ "ХАРМАГТАЙ" ТӨСЛИЙН ҮЙЛ АЖИЛЛАГААНЫ УДИРДЛАГЫГ “ZIJIN MINING”-Д ШИЛЖҮҮЛЭЭД БАЙНА WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     ТӨМӨР ЗАМЫН БАРИЛГЫН АЖЛЫГ ЭНЭ САРЫН СҮҮЛЭЭР ЭХЛҮҮЛНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     “STEPPE GOLD”-ИЙН ХУВЬЦААНЫ ХАНШ 4 ХУВИАР ӨСЛӨӨ WWW.BLOOMBERGTV.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/02     ҮЙЛДВЭРЛЭЛИЙН ОСОЛ ӨНГӨРСӨН ОНД ХОЁР ДАХИН НЭМЭГДЖЭЭ WWW.GOGO.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/01    

Category

Events

Events

Name organizer Where
MBCC “Doing Business with Mongolia seminar and Christmas Receptiom” Dec 10. 2024 London UK MBCCI London UK Goodman LLC

NEWS

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Structural changes to be made to khoroos in capital city www.montsame.mn

On December 10, the Presidium of the Citizens’ Representative Khural of the Capital City discussed the changes to be made to the organizational structure of khoroos in the capital city.
More specifically, a draft resolution on establishing 30 new khoroos in the districts of Bayangol, Bayanzurkh, and Chingeltei was introduced by First Deputy Governor in charge of development policy J.Sandagsuren.
Based on the suggestions received from the districts, Bayangol district will establish 9 new khoroos by dividing 1 of its current 25 khoroos, while Bayanzurkh district will establish 15 new khoroos by dividing 17 of its current 28 khoroos. As for Chingeltei district, there will be 5 new khoroos in addition to its current 19 khoroos. With these changes, the capital city will have 200 khoroos in total, he said.
“Through the establishment of new khoroos, the smallest unit of administration, there will be improvements in bringing public services to citizens urgently and making them more accessible. For starters, a total of MNT 12 billion is estimated to be necessary for the establishment of the 30 new khoroos,” said Deputy Governor J.Sandagsuren.
The draft resolution was supported by a majority of the Presidium members.
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The global economy is increasingly out of sync www.cnn.com

London (CNN Business)The economic recovery from the coronavirus has always been uneven, with different parts of the world bouncing back at different speeds.
But this divergence could be about to get worse, creating headaches for the policymakers who have to manage what happens next.
What's happening: The biggest central banks in the world will all make highly-anticipated announcements on policy this week. But unlike at the beginning of the pandemic, when their action to avert a global depression was highly synchronized, the responses to inflation and the Omicron variant are expected to vary widely.
Economists now believe the Federal Reserve will announce a faster rollback of its pandemic bond-buying program to combat higher prices. Consumer prices in the United States increased in November at the fastest rate in nearly 40 years.
The Fed doesn't appear deterred by concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant, since the United States has so far avoided rolling out fresh restrictions. Consumer spending still looks strong, and unemployment claims recently fell to their lowest level in 52 years.
"The activity story is still very good. The early evidence is Omicron isn't really having a major impact on consumer behavior," James Knightley, chief international economist at ING, told me.
In Europe, meanwhile, governments have quickly reimposed some restrictions. Germany has announced a nationwide lockdown for the unvaccinated, barring them from accessing all but the most essential businesses, while England is once again directing people to work from home if they can.
Even before the arrival of Omicron, the economic recovery in Europe was losing momentum due to supply chain woes and a high number of coronavirus cases. The UK economy grew just 0.1% in October.
That puts the Bank of England and the European Central Bank in a difficult spot as they also attempt to fight inflation. If they move too fast to withdraw support and try to control prices, they risk reversing hard-won gains in activity and jobs.
Knightley expects the Bank of England to refrain from raising interest rates this month, as had been previously expected. The ECB, he added, could announce a transition bond-buying program to avert a cliff-edge in March, when pandemic-era purchases are due to end.
Eye on China: China, meanwhile, isn't thinking about when to tighten policy at all, and is back in easing mode as its economy slows and real estate developers default on their debts. Last week, it announced it would cut the amount of money that banks have to keep in reserve for the second time this year, unleashing an extra $188 billion for business and household loans.
"The need is higher," said Jeffrey Sacks, head of investment strategy for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Citi Private Bank. "The economic data over the early summer through to now has been weakening."
China's recovery started sooner than in Europe and the United States, so it wrapped up faster. The government's crackdown on excessive borrowing in the country's real estate sector has also contributed to the slowdown. But Beijing has to worry about high producer prices, too, Knightley noted.
Why it matters: In March 2020, it was clear what central banks had to do to avoid catastrophe. But reversing course now won't be easy. The task is made even harder by regional differences that can obscure the direction of travel.
"It's a very, very difficult path for central banks to tread right now," Knightley said. "You've got risks operating on both sides."
Glimmers of hope emerge in the supply chain nightmare
Epic port congestion is easing. Shipping prices are falling from sky-high levels. Deliveries are speeding up slightly.
More and more, there are signs that the supply chain mess is finally starting to get cleaned up, my CNN Business colleague Matt Egan reports.
That's not to say the supply chain nightmare is over. It's not. And the situation may not get anywhere near back to normal anytime soon.
Businesses are still grappling with a troubling shortage of truck drivers. Critical components, including computer chips, remain scarce. And the Omicron variant threatens to put renewed pressure on supply chains.
Still, there's evidence that bottlenecks are beginning to unclog. That's encouraging given that the unprecedented stress on supply chains has contributed significantly to historic levels of inflation in the United States.
"I'm increasingly confident that the worst appears to be over," said Matt Colyar, economist at Moody's Analytics. "There is data suggesting that things are improving. But there's still a ton of uncertainty."
Remember: Logistics networks came under enormous strain when the world economy shut down at the onset of Covid — and then rapidly reopened. Demand for goods skyrocketed and just-in-time supply chains buckled under the pressure. Coronavirus outbreaks and inconsistent health protocols around the world added to the mess.
But reason for optimism can be found in recent economic reports.
For instance, the backlog of orders index in the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing survey fell to 61.9 in November, down from a record high of 70.6 in May. Backlogs are still growing, but at a slower pace. And supplier delivery rates appear to be improving, albeit from very poor levels.
The Dallas Federal Reserve Bank's manufacturing index showed the level of unfilled orders ticked lower in November and the amount of time to deliver goods fell.
"It is still going to take a long time for the supply chains across the country to be fully restored, but at least the first steps appear to be in place towards normalcy," Thomas Simons, economist at Jefferies, wrote in a recent note to clients.
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New method of cooperation needed for business owners in Mongolia www.montsame.mn

Domestic companies and entities will soon be faced with major challenges, such as necessary technological updates and inflation caused by the pandemic. In order to save their businesses, business owners have to follow new way of operation and work together to overcome the new challenges, highlighted the participants of the ‘Executive Summit 2021’ event that took place on December 7.
In order to support the implementation of the Government’s New Revival Policy for the country’s economy, it is necessary to reduce the burden that is put on businesses, the participants agreed. Noting that obtaining nearly 1,400 permissions from the government counts as a loss for businesses as it requires a lot of time, they highlighted that a reform is needed for the legal environment of businesses. During the discussion, it was also mentioned that some countries have temporarily lifted certain specific regulations that are normally implemented in order to save jobs, allow private entities to freely run their operations, and attract foreign investment.
As dynamic skills and performance-based models have begun to be of higher importance during the current pandemic situation, it has also become necessary for human resource managers to have a certain set of skills including utilizing employees’ personalities and agility in continuing to keep the quality of work.
The second ‘Executive Summit’ organized by the Business Academy under the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was attended by CEOs, CFOs, and HR Directors of about 200 companies.
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Food is more expensive than it has been in decades www.cnn.com

New York (CNN Business)Bad news for American consumers: It's getting more expensive to dine out, and it's getting more expensive to eat at home.
Restaurant prices spiked 5.8% over the 12 months ending in November without seasonal adjustments, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday. That's the largest 12-month increase since the year ended January 1982.
And unfortunately for those hoping to curb spending by turning to home cooking, grocery prices are also at record highs: They jumped 6.4%, the largest 12-month increase since December 2008. Beef had the most dramatic increase with a 20.9% spike in prices.
The sharp increases underscore the fact that restaurants and food makers are not immune to supply chain and labor pressures contributing to pricing increases across the board.
Yet they've found customers are willing to spend more. In fact, restaurants have been raising prices as their own food and labor costs rise, and so far, they say, consumers have accepted the hikes.
McDonald's (MCD) said in October that it expects menu prices to be about 6% higher this year compared to last. The increase "has been pretty well received by customers," CEO Chris Kempczinski said during an October analyst call. Chipotle also raised prices this year, yet it has seen its same-store restaurant sales grow.
Beyond restaurants, food manufacturers and grocers have faced higher costs for commodities, labor and transportation. Those costs have escalated further in recent months, leading manufacturers to pass some of them on to their retail customers — who in turn charge consumers a portion of those increases.
Higher prices at the grocery store will likely stick around into next year. Major manufacturers like Kraft Heinz (KHC) and Mondelez (MDLZ) have said that they plan to hike prices for their retail customers in early 2022.
That's all allowed companies to pull back on or eliminate discounts, because demand is strong and they don't want to run out of their limited supplies.
What got more expensive in November
While some food prices stayed flat or even fell from October to November, other items got more expensive in the period, according to the consumer price index.
Lettuce prices climbed 6.9% and fresh fruit went up 2.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis. Oranges, including tangerines, rose 2.4%. At the opposite end of the spectrum, treats like fresh coffeecakes and donuts jumped 3.5% in price.
Meat prices also continued to tick up: Pork prices grew 2.2%, with breakfast sausages up 2.7% and hot dogs 2.8%. Pork roasts, steaks and ribs rose 3.7%.
Some of these items could get even pricier. Hot dog, sausage and burger makers have warned retailers that they plan to increase prices for some frozen and refrigerated meats in January.
The hikes in food are part of a trend of increasing prices overall. Consumer price inflation, which includes gas prices and other categories, rose by 6.8% in the 12-month period ending in November, hitting its highest level in 39 years.
— CNN Business' Nathaniel Meyersohn and Anneken Tappe contributed to this report.
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Biden orders U.S. to stop financing new carbon-intense projects abroad www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has ordered U.S. government agencies to immediately stop financing new carbon-intensive fossil fuel projects overseas and prioritize global collaborations to deploy clean energy technology, according to U.S. diplomatic cables.
The cables, seen by Reuters, say U.S. government engagements should reflect the goals set in an executive order issued at the start of the year aimed at ending American financial support of coal and carbon-intensive energy projects overseas.
"The goal of the policy ... is to ensure that the vast majority of U.S. international energy engagements promote clean energy, advance innovative technologies, boost U.S. cleantech competitiveness, and support net-zero transitions, except in rare cases where there are compelling national security, geostrategic, or development/energy access benefits and no viable lower carbon alternatives accomplish the same goals," a cable said.
The announcement was first reported by Bloomberg.
The policy defines "carbon-intensive” international energy engagements as projects whose greenhouse gas intensity is above a threshold lifecycle value of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour and includes coal, gas or oil.
The policy bans any U.S. government financing of overseas coal projects that do not capture or only partially capture carbon emissions, allowing federal agencies to engage on coal generation only if the project demonstrates full emissions capture or is part of an accelerated phaseout.
It exempts carbon-intensive projects for two reasons: they are deemed to be needed for national security or geostrategic reasons or they are crucial to deliver energy access to vulnerable areas.
The policy formalizes the goals set by the administration in earlier executive orders and policy guidances and reiterated in multilateral forums such as the G7 meeting in France in August and U.N. climate summit in the fall.
At the U.N. climate talks in Scotland, the Biden administration pledged with 40 countries and five financial institutions to end new international finance for unabated fossil fuel energy by the end of 2022, except in limited cases.
"The administration has elevated climate change as a core tenet of its foreign policy," a State Department spokesperson said on Friday in response to a request for comment on the cables. The commitment made in Scotland "will reorient tens of billions of dollars of public finance and trillions of private finance towards low-carbon priorities, " the spokesperson said.
“This policy is full of exemptions and loopholes that lack clarity, and could render these restrictions on fossil fuel financing completely meaningless," said Kate DeAngelis, a climate finance expert at Friends of the Earth.
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Rio Tinto and Star Diamond make peace www.mining.com

Rio Tinto (ASX, LON, NYSE: RIO) and Canadian junior Star Diamond (TSX: DIAM) have reached an agreement to end a drawn out dispute over the development of a joint diamond project in the province of Saskatchewan.
The legal row stemmed from a 2017 earn-in deal under which Rio Tinto’s subsidiary, Rio Tinto Exploration Canada (RTEC), committed to spend $75 million in phases to acquire 60% of the Star-Orion South diamond project.
When RTEC exercised all its options simultaneously, Star Diamonds objected, alleging the the world’s second-largest miner did so to boost its stake at below market value.
The main change to the terms of their original joint venture agreement is that RTEC will eventually own 75% of the project, with Star Diamond holding the remaining 25% interest.
Shares in the Canadian diamond junior jumped 58% on the news on Friday to C$0.36, the highest they have traded this year. That puts the company’s market capitalization at C$138.25 million (about $109m).
As part of the intended changes, the parties agreed that all expenses on the project prior to December 31, 2021 will be the sole responsibility of RTEC.
Investments next year before the announcement of a decision on whether or not to build a diamond operation, to be made after completing a feasibility study, will initially be advanced by RTEC.
66 million carats on the line
Star Diamond will not be required to begin reimbursing RTEC for its share of the costs unless and until commercial production has been achieved, the parties said.
Should the junior enter into an agreement to sell more than 50% of its shares to a third party, RTEC will have five business days to match such an acquisition proposal.
Once the decision to develop a mine on the Fort à la Corne property in Saskatchewan has been made and announced, Star Diamond will have six months to begin contributing to the joint venture.
A 2018 preliminary economic assessment estimated 66 million carats could be recovered from the project over a 38-year period, generating $C3.3 billion ($2.6 billion) in revenue.
Located 60 km east of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan’s third largest city, Star-Orion is known to host larger stones, including high-value Type IIa diamonds.
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Germany to Remove Romania, Iran, Armenia, Philippines & Mongolia From Its High-Risk List www.schengenvisainfo.com

Updating the list of countries that are highly affected by the COVID-19 disease, the German authorities have announced that five countries will be removed from the high-risk list on Sunday, December 12.
The new update of lists has been published by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), which is Germany’s responsible body for disease prevention and control. According to the announcement, the following countries will no longer be part of the high-risk list:
Armenia
Iran
Mongolia
The Philippines
Romania
Based on the current entry rules that Germany has, the decision means that starting from December 12, vaccinated and recovered travellers who reach Germany from one of the countries mentioned above will be required to follow less stringent entry rules, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Travellers from Armenia, Iran, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Romania, who have been fully vaccinated or recovered from the COVID-19 disease will no longer have to register their entry before travelling to Germany.
Moreover, travellers from these countries will also be released from the quarantine requirement.
On the other hand, strict entry rules will continue to apply to unvaccinated and unrecovered travellers who reach Germany from one of the countries that are to be removed from the high-risk list. They can enter Germany only for absolutely essential purposes provided that they follow entry rules, such as testing and quarantine requirements.
In regards to Germany’s high-risk list, no new countries have been added to it. Still, the list currently includes Switzerland, Poland, Liechtenstein and several other EU/Schengen Area countries such as Croatia, Belgium, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czechia, and Hungary.
All travellers from a high-risk area need to fill in a digital entry form. Moreover, those who haven’t been vaccinated or recovered from the virus must stay self-isolated for ten days upon their arrival in Germany.
“Travellers who have previously stayed in a high-risk area must have a test, vaccination or recovery certificate with them and, in the event that a carrier is used, present the proof for the purpose of the transport,” the authorities explained.
Similar to the high-risk list, Germany’s virus variant areas list has also remained unchanged. Currently, the virus variant list includes Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Previously, the German leaders agreed to impose stricter restrictions in order to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 and its new variant. Since December 2 all persons who haven’t been vaccinated or recovered from the virus are refused access to several indoor places.
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How Mongolia Turned the Tides of the Pandemic www.thediplomat.com

In the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Mongolia stood out as a “positive outlier” thanks to its vaccine diplomacy skills, which saw Ulaanbaatar obtain vaccines such as AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, and Pfizer from partners around the world. Mongolia’s multi-pillar foreign policy and diplomatic efforts were the key to its vaccine success at a time when many developing countries faced severe shortages.
Still, in the summer of 2021, Mongolia experienced its highest infection spike to date, rising sharply from a few hundred daily cases in May to a peak of nearly 4,000 daily cases in September, leading to 2,023 deaths.
Nevertheless, thanks to relentless efforts made by Mongolia’s Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Health and the assistance from China, Russia, and third neighbor countries, Mongolia has managed to turn the tides of the pandemic yet again.
In the summer of 2021, despite Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai’s optimism, the number of daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases and death rose sharply, receiving criticism from all sides of the political and social spectrum. However, the latest figures give hope that the country has ridden out the storm, while still having a stockpile of vaccines to be administered. That has allowed Mongolia to push ahead with third doses or “booster shots.”
Bolortuya Chuluunbaatar, the press secretary of the prime minister’s office, said in a tweet on December 6 that 23 percent of the total population, or 39 percent of adults, had received a third dose of vaccine. Zavkhan province is leading in vaccination numbers, with 49 percent of adults already vaccinated with a booster. Bolortuya added that 56.6 percent of the people who have received the booster are elderly, aged between 70-74.
Urug, a Mongolian independent media outlet, reported that 74.9 percent of the population in Ulaanbaatar had been fully vaccinated, and 37.4 had received a third dose. Overall, 91 percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated, making the landlocked country one of the most vaccinated nations in the world.
Mongolia’s pandemic management efforts were helped by the Mongolian government’s securing more than 2.5 million doses of booster shots of Pfizer BioNTech vaccine through the COVAX initiative, with a grant from Japan. Moreover, in August, “Japan has signed an agreement with Mongolia to extend 883 million yen ($8 million) in grant aid to help the country fight the coronavirus pandemic.” The grant specifically went toward providing cold chain equipment to keep vaccines at the proper temperatures.
While Mongolia has been active in the regional fight against COVID-19, other countries have also noticed Mongolia’s success in vaccinating both urban and rural populations. On December 2, Advisor to the Health Ministry Batbayar Ochirbat was interviewed by CNBC, and the U.S. television network recognized Mongolia’s astonishing success in bringing numbers down while receiving vaccinations and boosters. He stated, “Mongolia started with administering anti-viral early on under an organized action. We’re confident that Mongolia will get more COVID vaccines if needed. So far, we have a stockpiles of 7.7 million vaccinations.”
Moving forward, the government announced its preparations for the “New Revival Policy,” which aims to reinvigorate and diversify Mongolia’s economy, bolster export-oriented development projects, and increase foreign and domestic investment by creating a more favorable business environment.
In pursuit of diversifying its economy, the Business Council of Mongolia hosted the COP26 Implications on Business and Investment Forum, which include panelists such as Axelle Nicaise, ambassador and the head of the European Delegation to Mongolia; Catherine Ivkoff, Canada’s ambassador to Mongolia;, Philip Malone, the U.K. ambassador to Mongolia; Sebastien Surun, France’s ambassador to Mongolia; and Gregory May, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy Ulaanbaatar.
Given recent climate pledges made at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, with signals a global shift away from coal, it is paramount for Mongolia to highlight the changing investment climate. Mongolia’s change-in-gear can be viewed as an opportunity for foreign investors, but it is also a necessity for the country to shift toward truly diversifying the national economy, embracing green energy and sustainable development projects.
While all these dynamics are mentioned in Mongolia’s long-term development strategy, Vision 2050, Oyun-Erdene and his government must find a tangible roadmap to achieve these goals and improve the country’s investment environment. In the short term, Mongolia – like many other countries – must also find a solution to extreme price hikes for groceries and fuel. Moreover, as a significant recovery measurement, the Ministry of Finance rolled out the most extensive stimulus package yet, worth 10 trillion Mongolian tugrik ($3.5 billion) or a quarter of the country’s GDP.
GUEST AUTHOR
Bolor Lkhaajav
Bolor Lkhaajav is a researcher specializing in Mongolia, China, Russia, Japan, East Asia, and the Americas. She holds an M.A. in Asia-Pacific Studies from the University of San Francisco.
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Mongolia accedes to UN nuclear weapon ban treaty www.icanw.org

Mongolia acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on 10 December 2021, becoming the 57th state party. In a speech to the national parliament in October, the Mongolian foreign minister, Battsetseg Batmunkh, said that joining this landmark treaty would “meet the fundamental interests of national security”.
With Russia located to its north and China to its south, Mongolia is surrounded by nuclear-armed states and has long stressed the need for greater action on disarmament. In 1992, it formally declared itself a single-state nuclear-weapon-free zone.
In an address to the UN General Assembly this September, Mongolia said that the TPNW’s entry into force “set a milestone in the international efforts in banning these disastrous weapons”. It added that the treaty will be “instrumental” in eliminating nuclear weapons.
Mongolia has actively promoted universal adherence to the TPNW, including by co-sponsoring and consistently voting in favour of an annual UN General Assembly resolution since 2018 that calls upon all states to sign, ratify, or accede to the treaty “at the earliest possible date”. In 2017, Mongolia participated in the TPNW’s negotiation at the United Nations and was among 122 states that voted for its adoption.
In its opening statement to the negotiating conference, it expressed hope that the treaty-making process would “establish a strong, robust but effective legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total elimination”. Following the treaty’s adoption, the then-minister of foreign affairs of Mongolia, Tsend Munkh-Orgil, welcomed the new agreement, noting that “current tensions have only deepened the concern associated with nuclear weapons”.
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ADB concludes consultations on future operational priorities with all 21 provinces of Mongolia www.akipress.com

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has completed provincial-level consultations as part of the 30th anniversary of Mongolia-ADB partnership with a fifth event covering the western provinces. Governors of Bayan-Ulgii, Govi-Altai, Khovd, Uvs, and Zavkhan provinces discussed their medium-term development policies and post-COVID-19 economic recovery based on agriculture, private sector development, and cross-border trade and tourism, ADB said in a release.
“ADB is working with the government and other development partners to promote low-carbon, climate-resilient territorial development and green economic diversification by supporting sustainable livestock sector management and reverse rangeland degradation,” said ADB Deputy Country Director for Mongolia Declan Magee. “Initially focusing on Mongolia's western aimags, this investment program will provide a transformative model for development that can be replicated countrywide, with aimag and soum centers becoming anchors of green agribusiness.”
Recent major investments in the transport sector have given a boost to overcome the western region’s isolation from domestic and international markets. The Western Regional Road Corridor connecting the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation runs nearly 750 kilometers (km) through Khovd and Bayan-Ulgii provinces where ADB helped construct 420 km. The government has also built paved roads connecting all western provinces with Ulaanbaatar.
The regional event started with virtual site visits to education, energy, gender, health, trade facilitation, and transport projects financed by ADB. Representatives of project executing agencies then discussed impacts and lessons from the projects and possibilities to replicate them in other regions and provinces.
In the second part of the event, representatives of central and local governments discussed the region’s trade and investment opportunities as well as quality and access of social services to promote economic competitiveness. Provincial governors stressed the importance of supporting micro, small and medium enterprises. They also emphasized investing in housing and urban infrastructure to attract businesses and professional workforce to the country’s western region where the glacier-peaked Altai mountain ranges often made this region difficult to access.
Provincial-level regional consultations carried out by ADB throughout the year as part of the activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of partnership with Mongolia heard and visited all 21 provinces. Discussions with provincial governors have highlighted investment in infrastructure and connectivity, financing for climate-resilient agribusiness value chains, and closing inequalities between urban and rural areas through social services as key to promoting rural development in Mongolia.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.
 
 
 
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