In the midst of retreating globalization, threats posed by climate change, growing youth unemployment and the COVID-19 pandemic are exacerbating a sense of uncertainty for children and young people, while they live their lives and prepare for the future and for the world of work. On 8 September 2020, the final report of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Policy Review in Mongolia was officially launched in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, offering timely recommendations to strengthen skills needed in a rapidly changing world. On behalf of UNESCO, Mr. Tapan Mishra, UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia, presented both the English and Mongolian volumes of the Report to Ms. Ariunzaya Ayush, Mongolian Minister of Labour and Social Protection (MoLSP).

Hon. Ariunzaya Ayush, Mongolian Minister of Labour and Social Protection, expressed her sincere appreciation to UNESCO for partnering with MoLSP so as to review the TVET Sector and make policy recommendations for action by the Mongolian Government and partners.

The Minister reminded launch participants of the critical importance of TVET and skills development, lauding the Report as a significant contribution well aligned with Mongolia’s goal and socioeconomic policy framework for transitioning to a digital economy. She pledged her commitment to implementing the significant TVET sector reform proposed in recommendations made, stating that TVET “is one of the priority areas for the government and Mongolia to develop” and declaring “This TVET review report will be my new tabletop book.”

TVET aims to empower youth with relevant technical and vocational skills to transition into adult economic and social roles, and to effectively contribute to their community’s socioeconomic development. The Minister affirmed that, under her administration, TVET sector transformation in Mongolia will take place in line with the principles of Sustainable Development Goal 4: seeking to ensure access, equity, inclusion, quality and lifelong learning, leaving no one behind.

Mr. Tapan Mishra, the UN Resident Coordinator, commended the in-depth review of the TVET sector, leading to clear policy recommendations for implementation. He applauded UNESCO’s dedication to strengthening the TVET sector in Mongolia, which will ultimately contribute to a holistic, equitable and quality development of the country, and towards achieving all Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG4 and SDG8. Mr. Mishra assured the Minister of the Mongolia UN Country Team’s strong commitment to work with MoLS to advance TVET and Skills Development in Mongolia.

Dr. Marielza Oliveira, Director of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office, reiterated UNESCO’s strong commitment to TVET, including to the continued support to MoLSP and other Mongolian institutions in translating the key recommendations of the TVET Policy Review Report into actions. She affirmed that conclusion of the policy review is not an end to the UNESCO’s support to Mongolia, but actually the beginning of a critical process to align TVET education and skills development with the needs of the Mongolian labour market and knowledge economy. The Director mentioned that such UNESCO efforts have already started, with designation of three Mongolian centers as members of UNESCO’s global knowledge network of TVET Institutions and centres of excellence – the UNEVOC network – so as to benefit from exchanges, institutional capacity development and cooperation. Dr. Oliveira recognized the contributions made by these 3 Mongolian Centres to the TVET Policy review.

The Review was a critical analysis of the TVET Sector and the Institutions and programmes and an in-depth assessment of the policies and programmes are aligned to the develop aspirations of the Mongolian Government. During the review, the UNESCO project team undertook several missions to the country, during which it held numerous meetings with key stakeholders and visited training centres, universities and workplaces. The report from the validation workshop in September 2019 compiled at the national level provided inputs to the policy review.

A presentation by Mr. Hiromichi Katayama, Programme Specialist at the TVET Section at UNESCO Headquarters, covered the five major recommendations made in the TVET Policy Review Report: (i). Improving effectiveness of participatory governance and management, (ii). Improving financial management of the TVET system, Improving the image and reputation of TVET, (iii). Increasing Flexibility of programme delivery modalities to serve training needs of all ages (iv) Improving financial management for TVET systems and (v) using labour market information for TVET.

Ms. Beate Dippmar from GIZ presented on behalf of the donor development partners on the reflections on the TVET policy review.

Due to COVID-19, the launch was organized simultaneously in the UN House in Ulaanbaatar and virtually online. A total of 30 participants physically attended the launch, representing the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education and Sciences, the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, UNESCO HQ and Beijing Office, UN agencies, development partners, research institutes and private sector. The launch was covered widely in national and local media in Mongolia.

BEIJING (Kyodo) -- China said Tuesday that Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Mongolian counterpart Tsend Munkh-Orgil have agreed that the two countries will not intervene in internal affairs with each other at their talks held the previous day.

The agreement made at the foreign ministerial meeting in Ulaanbaatar came as China has been increasingly criticized for trying to replace the Mongolian language with Mandarin Chinese at some schools in China's northern Inner Mongolia region.

Wang was quoted by the ministry as telling the Mongolian foreign minister that the two nations should "respect each other's national sovereignty" and "refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs."

Since September, China has been strengthening education in Mandarin at elementary and junior high schools in the Inner Mongolia region, prompting many ethnic students to boycott classes in opposition to Beijing's move.

Also in Ulaanbaatar, hundreds of people staged protests on Monday on the occasion of Wang's visit, where they held up signs with a slogan saying the Mongolian language "should be protected."

(ANKARA) China and Mongolia are permanent neighbors and should "refrain from interfering" in each other's internal affairs, said a statement by Beijing after the country’s foreign minister paid a visit to the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator.

The statement released by Beijing comes as locals in China’s autonomous Inner Mongolia region expressed resentment over Beijing’s new language policy in the region.

“Both sides should continue to strengthen political mutual trust, consolidate the political foundation of bilateral relations, in particular respect each other's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs,” said the statement.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Mongolian counterpart Nyamtseren Enkhtaivan in Ulan Bator on Tuesday.

“This is not only a political commitment when the two countries established diplomatic relations, but also a basic norm of international relations. Therefore, it should become an ‘anchor’ for the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations,” Beijing said.

The visit came after China changed the language of education from Mongolian to Mandarin Chinese in Inner Mongolia, with a particular reference to three subjects, Mongolian language and literature, moral and legal education, and history.

The change applies to students from the first grade of primary school.

According to daily South China Morning Post, dozens of protestors in traditional Mongolian garb held demonstrations in Ulan Bator’s main square calling for the protection of their mother tongue.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency from Taiwan, academic Chien-Yu Shih said: “This language policy change has to do with the introduction of the so-called Second Generation Ethnic policy [of China], which can be traced back to probably 15 years ago and was an intellectual debate on the strategy to successfully develop a single Chinese identity, instead of having so many divergent ethnic minority identities.”

Chien-Yu was, until recently, teaching in Hong Kong and returned to Taiwan after China imposed national security law. He now serves as an adjunct professor of international relations at the National Tsinghua University, Taiwan.

“Inner Mongolia has kept this traditional Mongolian written form for long; Outer Mongolia's language reform certainly would have aroused Beijing's attention,” he added.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has sought to shore up relations with neighbouring Mongolia during a visit to its capital Ulan Bator, where protesters have accused Beijing of suppressing the Mongolian language in China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

More than 100 protesters convened in Ulan Bator’s main square, many in traditional Mongolian clothing, on Tuesday to coincide with the visit, chanting slogans including “Wang Yi go away” and calling to protect their language.

During talks with his Mongolian counterpart, Nyamtseren Enkhtaivan, on Tuesday, Wang said the two countries should respect each other’s sovereignty, strengthen mutual political trust and avoid interfering in each other’s internal affairs, according to China’s foreign ministry.

The two sides also discussed advancing projects along Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, cooperation during the coronavirus pandemic and expanding Mongolian coal and agricultural exports to China.

A statement from Mongolia’s foreign ministry did not refer to mutual respect on domestic affairs, but added that, along with increasing bilateral trade, there was discussion of strengthening trilateral cooperation with Russia.

Wang’s visit followed rare mass demonstrations in northern China’s Inner Mongolia, a region home to more than 4.2 million ethnic Mongolians, over a new curriculum that would replace Mongolian with Mandarin Chinese as the language of instruction for three subjects.

Tens of thousands have protested against the policy change, seeing it as a move to extinguish the Mongolian language and culture, while Beijing has defended the action as necessary to help ethnic Mongolians with employment and to better integrate into the majority ethnic Han society.

Wang is expected to also meet this week Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga, who in February was the first foreign leader to visit China after the new coronavirus outbreak and offered a donation of 30,000 sheep.

But the protests in Inner Mongolia, and the subsequent clampdown there, have sparked anger in Mongolia, including from high-profile figures such as Battulga’s predecessor Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj.

The former president has been outspoken on social media, slamming Beijing’s actions in the autonomous region as “cultural genocide”, and supporting Mongolians in seeking to preserve their language and culture in China.

“The right to learn and use one’s mother tongue is an inalienable right for all,” Elbegdorj wrote on Twitter earlier this month. “Upholding this right is a way for China to be a respectable and responsible power.”

In an interview with Mongolia’s Daily News on Tuesday, Chinese ambassador Chai Wenrui criticised Elbegdorj for his remarks and said false information about the situation in Inner Mongolia would harm relations between the two countries.

According to the report, Chai also pointed out that China’s demand for coal was on the decline. Mongolia’s economy has grown increasingly dependent on China in recent years, particularly its coal exports, which were suspended for two months after the coronavirus outbreak.

Elbegdorj responded with a tweet on Tuesday in which he accused Chai of making “a childish mistake” in his categorisation of Mongolia’s views on China’s territorial integrity. Mongolia and China had never discussed the sovereignty of Inner Mongolia he said, pointing out that Mongolia had long respected Beijing’s claims to self-ruled Taiwan.

Neither China’s embassy in Mongolia nor Elbegdorj responded to requests for further comment.

BY: Sarah Zheng joined the Post as a reporter in 2016. She graduated from Tufts University with a degree in international relations and film and media studies. She reports on China's foreign policy.

An Online Seminar using Zoom

This will take place on

Tuesday September 22nd

11am in London

6pm in Ulaanbaatar.

The principal speaker will be Damdiny Tsogtbaatar who was the Foreign Minister for Mongolia from October 2017- July 2020

Contributions will also come from the British Ambassador Philip Malone and the Mongolian Ambasador Tulga Narkhuu.

The event will also mark 10 years of the Mongolian British Chamber of Commerce which held its first event in London on September 22nd 2010.

To register for the event please register with the link below .

The MBCC is a not-for-profit membership organisation established in 2009 to foster strong business links between Mongolia and the UK. It aims to provide a professional and social environment for business people who wish to be introduced to, and become part of, the British-Mongolian business culture and community.

U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs David R. Stilwell and Mongolia State Secretary Ankhbayar led the 2020 Annual Bilateral Consultation (ABC) on September 14. This meeting represents the first ABC since the announcement of the Strategic Partnership between the United States and Mongolia in July. This virtual event underscores the strength of our cooperation and shared values and is an opportunity to reaffirm concrete steps in our bilateral relationship.

Over the course of this year, our respective countries have increased cooperation in multi–lateral fora, including on UN leadership elections. In the security and military sphere our relationship remains active, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The United States and Mongolia are united in our desire to boost our trade and investment ties and have agreed to an additional upcoming dialogue to solidify the economic partnership.

The United States and Mongolia share a deep commitment to the democratic values enshrined in our respective constitutions, such as human rights, religious freedom, and rule of law. Our bilateral law enforcement cooperation continues to grow, namely on border security and transnational crime. The United States is proud to have successfully trained more than 1,000 Mongolian law enforcement and security personnel in areas such as investigative techniques, contraband interdiction, and anti-money laundering. We have maintained robust people-to-people engagement through a range of in-person and virtual exchange programs. Mongolia’s vast and active network of alumni of U.S. programs is a testament to our common values and experiences, and we are proud that so many alumni are leading members of Mongolia’s parliament, government, business community, and civil society.

These initiatives show that the U.S.-Mongolia relationship has never been stronger.

Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) is set to launch its first-ever closed-loop recycling solution, bringing to the North American market a new scrap take-back solution and production of high-quality alloys made with recycled content.

The service, which will be available from 2021, complements the company’s production of low carbon footprint aluminum and is designed to provide customers with greater choice to meet the increasing consumer demand for sustainable products.

“We have developed this new recycling solution after requests from customers who want options to reprocess their extrusion scrap. It’s an offering that combines responsibly produced primary aluminium and recycled metal, demonstrating our commitment to a more sustainable, circular economy,” said Tolga Egrilmezer, Rio Tinto Aluminium vice president sales and marketing in a media release.

“Our hydro-powered operations in Canada produce some of the world’s lowest carbon footprint aluminium,” said Egrilmezer. “We expect this will be the first of many initiatives on the recycling front.”

Rio Tinto will partner with Shawinigan Aluminium Inc (SAI) for its recycling services through a $7 million melting facility being constructed adjacent to SAI’s billet casthouse in Quebec. The facility will have the capacity to recycle 30,000 tonnes of aluminium per year.

Rio Tinto’s technical marketing experts will assist customers in selecting the right recycled content together with the optimal alloy for their specific needs, the company said.

The Anglo-Australian in 2016 launched the industry’s first certified low carbon aluminium, RenewAlTM. In 2018, it became the first company to receive certification from the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI).

ELYSIS, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Alcoa supported by Apple and the governments of Canada and Quebec, is working to further develop a revolutionary smelting technology free of direct carbon emissions.

Stock upgrades

Earlier this week, shares of Rio Tinto surged higher as JP Morgan and Barclays both upgraded the stock following the exit of CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques.

The unscheduled departure of key executives has left the miner with a “best-in-class balance sheet,” noted JP Morgan, which raised the stock to overweight from neutral despite the company being in a “strategy limbo.”

Rio’s stock rose by 125% during Jacques’ tenure, outperforming BHP by around 30%.

Elsewhere, Barclays said the firm has become “incrementally more bullish” on the Chinese steel and accordingly upgraded its view of Rio to equal weight.

Mongolia’s National Police Agency (NPA) on Tuesday said it had launched a month-long national campaign dubbed “Cast No Shadow” to prevent crime, especially sexual assault, against children.

NPA said it launched the programme with other relevant organisations.

“At least 160 children, mostly girls have been affected by sexual assault across the country in the first eight months of this year.

“The majority of the perpetrators of the sexual violence are people close to the victims, including their stepfathers, brothers, relatives and even biological fathers,’’ the NPA said in a statement.

According to the NPA, a total of 676 children has been sexually assaulted across the country over the past three years.

Divorce and lack of adequate parental care are said to be the main factors for sexual assault on children.

According to Mongolian law, a man convicted of defiling a child under 14 years will be punished with 12 years to 20 years imprisonment or life sentence.

A man who is found guilty of defiling a child aged 14 years to 18 years can be sentenced to between two years and eight years imprisonment

Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/. The national currency in circulation reached MNT 928.2 billion at the end of August 2020 increased by MNT 1.9 billion (0.2%) from the previous month, and MNT 2.5 billion (0.3%) from the same period of the previous year.

At the end of August 2020, the time deposit in domestic currency amounted to MNT 11.2 trillion, increased by MNT 1.3 billion (0.01%) from the previous month, and increased by MNT 383.4 billion (3.5%) from the same period of the previous year.

The composition of the total time deposit in domestic currency shows that 89.7 percent (MNT 10.1 trillion) were individuals deposits and 10.3 percent (MNT 1.2 trillion) were entities deposits.

The time deposits in foreign currency amounted to MNT 4.7 trillion, increased by MNT 74.0 billion (1.6%) from the previous month and MNT 1.7 trillion (58.6%) from the same period of the previous year.

Source: National Statistics Office

Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/. At the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia N.Enkhtaivan, State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China, Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi has begun his official visit to Mongolia today, September 15.

Officials from both sides have welcomed Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Wang Yi at the Buyant Ukhaa International Airport.

During the visit, Foreign Ministers of the two countries are to hold official talks and sign the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement on providing a grant of CNY700 million to Mongolia. Moreover, it is intended to renew the bilateral agreement on border ports and their regimes and conclude an agreement on export of rye flour from Mongolia to China.

As the visit is being organized in a heightened state readiness, infection and protection procedures are being strictly adhered to and as few people as possible are involved in the activities.