Calls from citizens seeking inquiries and information related to 74 types of services accounted for 27.5 percent of the calls to the 1800-1200 Call Center of the Capital city.

The Governor of the Capital City and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar’s Decree No. A / 987 of 2021 “On some measures to be taken to create a favorable business environment and reduce corruption and bureaucracy” entered into force starting from January 1, 2022. According to this decree, citizens and business entities are no longer required to obtain any permits or special licenses to conduct 74 types of business activities within the capital city.

The 1800-1200 Call Center provides 24-hour information on public services provided to citizens and legal entities by the capital city’s local administrative organizations, as well as information related to the “COVID-19” pandemic. In recent days, 27.5 percent of the calls to the Call Center have been related to 74 types of services.

Therefore, we would like to highlight information related to the 74 types of trade and services activities allowed in the capital city without any permits or special licenses. Starting from January 1, 2022 citizens and legal entities will be able to operate freely by registering on the “www.ulaanbaatar.mn” website. As of January 11, more than 200 service requests have been registered in the online service registration system. Here are answers to common questions from citizens and business entities.

-How can citizens and companies register themselves in the system?

-Citizens and business entities can go to the “REGISTRATION OF SERVICES” section of the www.ulaanbaatar.mn website to verify their information and gain access through the DAN registry system. After the first step, which is reviewing and accepting the standards, requirements, and the responsibilities, citizens and business entities must enter their identification numbers so that personal information is retrieved from the “KHUR” system. After this step, by entering the service location information and information about whether the document has been submitted before, your request will be registered and a registration page with a QR code will appear. You can start your business activities immediately after registering.

- Do you need any documents to register your request for the 74 types of activities?

-No documents are required from citizens to carry out 74 types of trade and services activities in the capital city. Previously, citizens and business entities engaged in trade, production and services were required to provide 7-12 types of documents (7-8 from government organizations, 3-4 from citizens and business entities) to obtain permits/licenses to operate. This has changed and no documents are required anymore.

However, if the premises are rented to operate trade and service activities, a copy of the rental or lease agreement and real estate certificate must be attached. Documents issued by government organizations will be processed through exchange of information, support, methodological advice, and cooperation between government agencies, without the participation of citizens and business entities.

-How can foreigners register their business?

- It is not possible for foreigners to obtain information from the “KHUR” system, so a citizen of Mongolia shall be registered as a trustee in a legal entity to operate.

-There are people who cannot register through the online system. Where can they go?

-Citizens who are unable to register through the online system can get instructions on how to register from the 1800-1200 Call Center or can register their service with the operator of the Service Center of the Capital city.

-Are previous permits required to be extended if the valid period has expired?

-Citizens and business entities operating in the past with permits and special licenses no longer need to renew their permits/licenses to continue operations,

In case of expiration of the certificate issued by the district, citizens and entities can register themselves through the www.ulaanbaatar.mn website to continue their trade/services activities. This registration does not have to be renewed annually.

MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE OF THE CAPITAL CITY

At the end of the previous year., the population of Mongolia totaled 3.4 million, increased by 56.2 thousand or 1.6 percent compared to 2020, according to the National Statistical Office of Mongolia.

As of the end of 2021, 71166 mothers gave birth, and 73866 children were born, decreased by 4528 (2.3%) and 4080 (5.2%) respectively, compared to 2020.

The death toll totaled 20002, increased by 4012 or 25.1 percent compared to the previous year.

Today, the National Statistics Office of Mongolia introduced socioeconomic situation for December, 2021.

According to the NSO, 691.5 million pieces of securities worth MNT 1.2 trillion were traded at the national stock market in 2021, increased by MNT 1.1 trillion (21.7 times more) and 338.3 million pieces of securities (95.8 percent) compared to the same period of the previous year.

In December 2021, total sales of stocks reached MNT 31.8 billion, increased by MNT 3.1 billion (10.6 percent) from the previous month. The number of pieces of traded securities reached 12.5 million, decreased by 125.5 million pieces (90.9 percent) from the previous month.

In December 2021, the average of indices of the top 20 financial markets was 41668.8 units, increased by 2289.4 units from the previous month and increased by 23542.7 units from the same period of 2020.

In December 2021, the total value of joint-stock companies operating at stock markets reached MNT 6.0 trillion, increased by MNT 737.0 billion (14.1 percent) from the previous month, and increased by MNT 3.0 trillion (97.5 percent) from the same period of the previous year

At an irregular meeting of the Cabinet today on January 17, certain measures were taken against officials that were deemed to have an irresponsible approach to their respective duties.

Minister of Environment and Tourism N.Urtnasan, Deputy Minister Ts.Batbayar, and the minister’s State Secretary D.Ganbold have been dismissed.

Furthermore, Governor of the Capital City and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar D.Sumiyabazar has been tasked to take appropriate measures to have capital city officials and specialists in charge of air and environment pollution held responsible. Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry Z.Mendsaikhan will be temporarily in charge of the activities of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

Mongolia’s judo lightweight M.Urantsetseg announced her retirement in judo and will be focusing on a career in Mixed Martial Arts. 31 year-old judoka became World Champion 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. M.Urantsetseg competed three times at the Olympic Games in 2012 when she finished seventh, in Rio 2016 when she just missed out on the medal and last year in Tokyo where she secured the bronze medal for het country Mongolia.

In 2017, M.Urantsetseg became World silver medallist in 2017 in Budapest and she claimed the bronze in 2019 in Tokyo and 2021 in Budapest. The Mongolian lightweight won the Masters four times in a row (2013-2017) and won the gold at the the Grand Slam in Paris. Also she captured gold at the Grand Slam in Tokyo. In total she claimed 46 World Cup medals including 40 in the IJF World Tour which makes M.Urantsetseg all time top scorer.

In her last year she won the Grand Slams in Tashkent and Tbilisi and took bronze at the World Championships and Olympic Games, in fact one of her best years. She fought more than 300 international contests and we saw her debut at the Junior worlds in Bangkok in 2008.

She fought many matches against Asian opponents such as Jeon Bo-Kyeong (KOR) and her former teammate G.Otgontsetseg who fights for Kazakhstan now. Also she fought with many Japanese opponents such as Haruna Asami, Funa Tonaki and Ami Kondo.

At the Olympic Games she won her last contest in judo against Catarina Costa after a career of 16 years. She promised to take the UFC belt soon. In 2010, she was Sambo World Champion.

Mongolia reported 1,676 new daily cases of coronavirus infection, the Ministry of Health said on Monday.

1,083 were confirmed in Ulaanbaatar, 590 cases in regions.

The total number of cases has increased to 410,542.

1 death linked to the coronavirus was recorded per day bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 2,013.

Mr. Tsengeg Mijiddorj, Ambassador of Mongolia to the Republic of Austria and Ms. Mary-Ann Hayes, Head of Structures Trade and Export Finance, UniCredit Bank as well as Mr. Georg Karner, Director for Structured Trade and Export Finance, UniCredit Bank, signed the Export Credit Agreement for the ‘Upgrading of Medical Equipment at the National Cancer Center; Cancer Navigation and Stereotactic Radiotherapy Center Project’ with a value of 7 million Euros on January 13, 2022 in Vienna.

The project will be implemented within the framework of the Financial Cooperation Agreement signed between the Government of Mongolia and the Government of the Republic of Austria.

The project will be implemented by Austrian company VAMED and will establish a neuro-oncology center of navigation surgery and stereotactic treatment at the National Cancer Center in order to provide comprehensive, modern diagnostic and treatment for patients with brain and spinal tumor and to develop brain cancer care services in Mongolia to international level.

Source: Embassy of Mongolia in Vienna

On January 14, Deputy Prime Minister S.Amarsaikhan presented a bill to Speaker G.Zandanshatar on a resolution for establishing a Free Economic Zone at Khushig Valley.

With an area of 1,000 hectares in the territory of Sergelen soum, Tuv aimag, the Free Economic Zone will be based around the new Chinggis Khaan International Airport.

By establishing the Khushig Valley Free Economic Zone:

• A specialized zone will be established for tourism, business, and financial operations through production and services, such as tourism services focusing on nomadic culture, betting games and associated services, cultural and creative industry, trades, and international bank and financing services,

• A zone will be created for export-oriented production and innovation based on science, advanced technology, and artificial intelligence,

• Opportunities will be created for the country to become ‘Transit Mongolia’ by utilizing the geographical advantage of being located between Asia and Europe in facilitating trade and transportation and creating more favorable conditions for investment.

In a traditionally patriarchic sectors – such as the military, police, and security forces – women around the world have faced political, social, and cultural barriers for centuries. Since the 1950s, the United Nations’ operations have led and promoted the inclusion of women in global missions. However, to this day, the number of women in higher ranks and leadership positions remains disappointingly low. The experience of Mongolian female peacekeepers can exemplify these global shortcomings.

Throughout history, women from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds have served as shieldmaidens, wartime strategists, and behind-the-curtain contributors in making modern history. Unfortunately, in modern times, women’s roles when serving the armed forces were switched to support functions, such as nursing, cooking, caregiving, and administration. These roles, in turn, prevent women from receiving promotions, blocking them from advancing in career and rank due to their lack of experience in other fields within the security sector.

In 1957, female peacekeepers were introduced in the U.N. However, from 1957 to 1979, there were only five women out of a total of 6,250 soldiers. From 1980 to 1989, the number increased to 15 women out of approximately 13,750 military personnel, and these women “served mainly as nurses in medical units.” The early 2000s showed consistent growth of women soldiers, bringing the numbers to 1,034 women out of 71,673 soldiers in 2007, finally breaking the 1 percent mark. As of 2020, the U.N. reports that “out of approximately 95,000 peacekeepers, women constitute 4.8% of military contingents,” and has set a goal to increase that to 15 percent by 2028.

The end of the Cold War promoted a new era of U.N. involvement in global and regional peace and security efforts. Many countries began to participate in these efforts, and so did women.

The UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) was created in 1992. Two years later in 1994, the General Assembly set a goal to reach gender parity – 50 percent men and 50 percent women – in peacekeeping operations by 2000. To implement this goal into the U.N. missions, the secretary-general extended the goal to all “field mission and mission replacements posts” in 1995. On the U.N.’s part, there has been a consistent push for the inclusion of women in peacekeeping missions. In order to accelerate this goal, in 2000, the U.N.’s commitment to gender equality was reinforced with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325). This was the first time the UNSC discussed and promoted women’s participation in promoting peace and security.

Since the UNSC resolution 1325, DPKO has called on member states to “double the number of female service uniformed peacekeepers every year for the next few years.” A year later, in January 2007, the First All-Female Police Unit (FFPU) from India was sent to Liberia. The FFPU played a significant role in security in Liberia, and their presence encouraged Liberian women to join the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and the national police force. India’s mission to Liberia became a role model for women worldwide who serve in the military and security forces, including Mongolia.

Even though Mongolia joined the U.N. in 1961, it was not until 1996 that Mongolia expressed an interest in contributing to U.N. peacekeeping operations. In 1999, Mongolia and the U.N. signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Contributions to the United Nations Standby Arrangements. In 2002, Mongolia adopted a “Law on participation of Military and Police personnel in the United Nations peacekeeping operations and other international operations” and began sending military observers to U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Since joining the U.N peacekeeping operations, Mongolia has successfully pushed forward a foreign policy aimed at developing the state’s military capacity through multilateral cooperation in international military operations. Since 2002, Mongolia has deployed more than 19,000 peacekeepers to the U.N. peacekeeping operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Chad, Sudan, West Sahara, Congo, Ethiopia, and Georgia. Moreover, Mongolian military observers are working in Congo, West Sahara, and South Sudan. As of August 2021, Mongolia ranked 24th among 117 U.N. troop-contributing countries and had sent 62 female and 824 male soldiers to U.N. operations.

The first female soldier from Mongolia joined a U.N. peacekeeping mission in 2006, as an unarmed military observer to the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. Two years later, in 2008, Mongolia sent the first six female peacekeepers with the military contingent in Sierra Leone. In 2010, the first female Staff Officer was stationed in the mission Force Head Quarter (FHQ) MINURCAT Chad, the Central African Republic.

In 2013, Bolor Ganbold (one of the authors of this piece) served as the first female Section Head (Chief J6) in the FHQ in UNMISS, South Sudan. After serving in UNMISS, she was the first woman to be deployed as a Peacekeeping Affairs Officer in U.N. headquarters in New York. The same year, Mongolia deployed the first female contingent Commander of Level II hospital to the UMAMID in Sudan. The following years saw an increase in Mongolian female participation in global forces such as in Sudan. In 2019, the first female troops from Mongolia also participated as a member of the German Joint Forces, who took part in Operation Enduring Support in NATO in Afghanistan.

As of 2021, more than 900 Mongolian women have served as military observers, staff officers, and military contingent members in both U.N. peacekeeping operations and NATO coalition forces. The successful deployment and the completion of their missions has a significant influence and promotes women’s participation in the military and the security forces. These accomplishments must be recognized at an international level.

As the next step, female peacekeepers should be considered for senior-level posts within the U.N., not only as contingent members. However, several challenges prevent women from accelerating into higher-level positions or posts within U.N. peacekeeping operations.

In U.N. peacekeeping missions, most women serve as doctors, nurses, cooks, laundry staff, or administrators. In interviews conducted by Bolor Ganbold, for example, female Mongolian peacekeepers expressed that there are many levels of barriers that prevent them from fully reaching their potential as peacekeepers.

For example, one of the significant problems experienced by female peacekeepers across the board, but especially in military contingents, was that they could not leave the compound to interact with locals. Having access to the local communities is particularly important to the roles envisioned for female peacekeepers, but in practice it is impossible to inspire, assist, and engage with the local community of women from the compound.

Education and training gaps – including on language study – are another issue. Mongolian female peacekeepers do not have the opportunity to study at the Mongolian Army Command Staff College before being selected and deployed, and this lack of access is a significant hurdle that blocks their career path as a whole. More female Mongolian Army Command Staff College officers should qualify for special education and specific training. In that case, the female soldiers will have a chance to hold senior positions in the Mongolian Armed Forces and peacekeeping operations abroad. Therefore, it is crucial for the government to invest in female soldiers, training both key officers and non-commissioned officers. In the past, only a few female English-speaking officers from Mongolia have had the opportunity to study abroad in the United States, Australia, or India and had a chance to work the selected U.N. missions.

Today the U.N. peacekeeping operations continue to see slow improvement on gender parity. While it is difficult to address the situation within contingent troops, the Office of Military Affairs (OMA) goal is to reach 25 percent women by 2028. To overcome these challenges and find a noticeable solution, critical operations and missions by the U.N. must increase the number of women in senior roles and decision-making posts. Alongside these changes, it would have a direct impact if the U.N. missions were to deploy all-female contingents in global missions and integrate them into mixed-gender environments. Finally, international coalition missions must deploy women ready to bring about substantive changes in the peacekeeping environment.

The challenges ahead concern not only Mongolian female peacekeepers but also all the women in the world’s armed and security forces who possess strength, knowledge, and dedication to serving. UNSCR 1325 is quite explicit in urging the secretary-general to seek to expand the role and contribution of women in United Nations field-based operations, especially among military observers, civilian police, human rights, and humanitarian personnel. From a military perspective, increasing women’s contribution strengthens both the U.N. missions and the serving country and their female population immensely.

AUTHORS

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.

Bolor Ganbold

Col. Bolor Ganbold has previously served in U.N. peacekeeping missions. She is currently serving as the dean of the National Defense University of Mongolia.