Mongolia secures ADB/World Bank support to build 10,000 new sustainable homes www.smart-energy.com

The Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar's city municipality has secured support from the Asian Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation to build 10,000 new energy-efficient homes.

Steppe change: how Mongolian rock band the Hu conquered the world www.theguardian.com

Combining ‘a blend of the east and west’, the Hu have found their way to 45m YouTube views, a smash hit debut album and the admiration of Elton John

“HU!! HU!! HU!!,” yelled the crowd, at escalating volume, for a full 20 minutes before the Hu kicked off their recent concert at the Brooklyn venue, Warsaw. The fans who packed the place, many of whom were decked out in de rigueur heavy metal gear of black T-shirts and leather, thrust their fists into the air in rhythm to their chants, which grew to a roar the moment the band appeared.

The imposing-looking members of the Hu sported leather too, only theirs bore the elaborate patterns and symbols of their homeland, Mongolia. And instead of singing in English, they sang exclusively in their native tongue, delivered in the ancient art of khoomei, or throat singing. In the same vein, their instruments mixed the slashing electric guitars and pounding drums of the west with the richness of the morin khuur (a two-stringed, horse-head fiddle), the tinniness of the tuvshuur (a Mongolian guitar) and the quaver of the tumor khuur (a jaw harp). The beat they kept didn’t so much punch, a la western metal, as gallop, a reference to the horses prized by the nomadic tribes of the band’s ancestors. With so bracing a combination of sights and sounds, the Hu have been forging a highly improbable connection between the complexities of traditional Mongolian music and the 10-ton force of western metal. Think: Genghis Khan ransacking Judas Priest.

“Our music is a blend of east and west, old and new,” said Galbadrakh Tsendbaatar, AKA Gala, the band’s lead singer, through a translator. “We’re building on a history and a sound that has been around for thousands of years.”

Never before, however, has that sound had the impact in the west it’s currently enjoying, courtesy of the Hu. Their first two videos, for Wolf Totem, and Yuve Yuve Yu (or How Strange, How Strange) have amassed more than 45m views on YouTube over the last year, while their debut album, The Gereg, opened at No 1 on Billboard’s Top New Artist chart and No 2 on the magazine’s Indie Label chart. Likewise, it hit No 2 on the UK’s Rock & Metal Album chart and No 4 on the Album Downloads list, while in Australia it broke the top five in overall digital sales. The Hu’s Facebook page has more than 300,000 followers.

Though the band only formed in 2016, their members have been playing their instruments and practicing the tricky rituals of throat singing for most of their lives. The four core members – who also include Enkush (Enkhsaikhan Batjargal), Jaya (Nyamjantsan Galsanjamts) and Temka (Temuulen Naranbaatar) – received formal training at the Mongolian State Music and Dance Conservatory in their country’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar. There, they absorbed a wide variety of music. “Everything from western classical music to jazz to rock and, of course, a lot of traditional Mongolian music,” said Gala.

Along the way, the musicians enjoyed a steady diet of metal, via Metallica, System of a Down and Rammstein. Such music from the west had been banned during the communist era of Mongolia, which ended in 1992. Though the band members were just children then, they remember the cultural upheaval well. “We had to go through hardship,” said Jaya. “The country fell into a financial crisis. But it was something we had to do and, because of that change, we are all able to play rock music.”

In fact, over the last two and a half decades, a significant contemporary music scene has developed in Ulaanbaatar, fleshed out by lots of local pop groups, (such as boy band Camerton), rock acts (like Altan Urag, whose music was featured in the Netflix series Marco Polo), and hip-hop artists (such as breakout star Mrs M, who will soon record in English). Even so, no one had the notion to translate credible, metallic rock to traditional Mongolian styles before B Dashdondog (AKA Dashka), the producer who formed the Hu. After years of working with local pop and rock groups who simply imitated western sounds, Dashka wanted to forge something fresher. So, he hand-picked the members of the Hu from the Conservatory to fulfill his vision. The band say they didn’t choose their name as a play on the Who’s, but because “hu” is the root word for human being in Mongolian. “We took the name because of the inclusive nature,” Temka said. “It’s not about being Mongolian. It’s about being human.”

At the same time, Mongolian themes dominate the band’s lyrics. Many salute their ancestors. “As Mongolians, we are raised to have a great respect for our elders and our history,” said Jaya. “We didn’t come here by ourselves. There are generations of people who paved the way.”

Important, too, in the band’s lyrics is a sensitivity to nature. “Human beings and nature are connected,” said Jaya. “And, as nomadic people, we have cattle and we have to move all around so we don’t destroy the land. We respect it.”

As Jaya explained, there’s an essential connection between nature and the intent of throat singing. “What we’re trying to do is imitate the sound of the water, and the sound of the wind,” he said. “Nature is right in our voices.”

While all the members long ago mastered the art of throat singing, it remains a difficult skill to learn. With khoomei, a single vocalist can produce two, or even three, notes at once by forcing air through a tightened throat. The guttural sound that the technique produces can remind western listeners of the dark cries of thrash singers. “Both put a lot of force on your throat,” said Jaya. “It creates a very energetic sound.”

The band’s video for Yuve Yuve Yu likewise stresses the connection between modernity and tradition. It opens with various band members in contemporary settings – an upscale coffee shop in Ulaanbaatar, or at home playing a video game – before Gala opens the door of his urban apartment to enter a vast expanse of mountains and lakes in Mongolia’s remote western region. The images that occupy the rest of the video are so stunning, they could double as a travelogue for the Mongolian tourist board. The band’s second video, for Wolf Totem, unites traditional Mongolian horse riders with leather-clad men on Harleys, suggesting an eastern take on Easy Rider. That connection underscores a bad-ass image that has made the band a natural for metal heads. The smash success of their two videos inspired a rash of labels to woo the band before they even completed their first album. They settled on Eleven Seven Music, home of metal acts from Mötley Crüe to Five Finger Death Punch.

“It wasn’t the amount of views of their videos that attracted us,” said Steve Kline, chief operating officer of Eleven Seven. “It was the fact that their sound is completely unique. We couldn’t even put a label on what they do. We just found ourselves saying, ‘we’re not exactly sure what this is. But it’s really good.”

The Hu’s debut, which the label released last month, took its name from something the Mongol Empire introduced to the world, the first diplomatic passport, which dates from the 1200s. “People think of the Mongol Empire as just warlords and warriors,” said Jaya. “But there are so many positive things the empire brought to the world, like the first postal system, the first international trading on the Silk Road and the diplomatic pass.”

The Hu’s music has become its own passport. Their current American tour has sold out more than half of its dates, and they’ll take their show to Europe at the end of the year and the UK at the start of 2020. For the live dates, they add four auxiliary members to the core foursome, making their sound even more forceful. For another lure, Eleven Seven has begun marketing remixes of their songs featuring cameos from a rash of American rockers, singing in English. The first, for Yuve Yuve Yu, boasts a guest vocal from Danny Case of the rock band From Ashes to New. All the exposure has even helped the Hu attract kudos from some big-name stars. “The other day, Elton John told me he’s a big fan of ours,” Gala said. “He told us it’s been many years since he has heard something this fresh in music.”

That’s good news for rock itself, given the fact that the genre is now often considered an old sound that’s past its peak. “We love rock,” Gala insisted. “But people have never heard it sound like this before. That’s why it’s connecting. It’s something new.”

Mongolia Tackles Development Challenges Posed by Internal Migration www.iom.int

Ulaanbaatar – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has launched a four-year project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), to improve understanding and management of internal migration in Mongolia.

After experiencing the collapse of the economic and social safety-net systems in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Mongolia has faced an uneven development path impacted by natural disasters, including extremely cold winters (dzuds), droughts and floods.

As a result, the capital, Ulaanbaatar, has become a magnet for Mongolians seeking safety, better economic opportunities and social services. It is now home to an estimated 1.4 million people or about half of Mongolia’s total population. Of these, about 600,000 live in the ger areas – spaces on the edge of the city where impoverished internal migrants have set up their traditional tent-houses.

In 2017, IOM, with the support from SDC, embarked on a pilot project to research the issue. Two research papers: Mongolia Internal Migration Study and Urban Migrant Vulnerability Assessment pushed internal migration up the national and local government agenda and formulated a theory of change for necessary interventions.

“Internal migration is now the most pressing issue in the country and my ministry welcomes this (new) project’s commitment to mainstream it into policy and management,” said State Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (MLSP) Gombosuren Unurbayar.

Under the 2019-2023 project, IOM will work with the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Ulaanbaatar Emergency Management Agency (UBEMA) to strengthen the government’s capacity to produce and analyse high-quality data on internal migration.

The project will also work with the MLSP and the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar to support the production of thematic research studies which will mainstream evidence-based migration governance. The recommendations will be operationalized in a Policy Roadmap that will help the government and civil society to reduce the vulnerability of internal migrants through improved access to information, services and targeted interventions.

“This partnership will be the driving force behind the project’s ultimate goal – to create the conditions for improved socio-economic well-being of internal migrants, thereby promoting inclusive growth, economic opportunities and social protection for vulnerable groups – a key aspiration of Mongolia Sustainable Development Vision 2030,” said IOM Chief of Mission for China and Mongolia Giuseppe Crocetti.

SDC’s Deputy Director of Cooperation and First Secretary in Mongolia Benoît Meyer-Bisch added: “In Mongolia, like elsewhere in the world, migration is a big challenge, but also a great opportunity. The Swiss Government sees migration as cross-cutting and therefore posing a risk to development. This project will provide direct services to migrants, will help to develop policies and a plan of action, and will take a multi-stakeholder approach in partnership with the government and NGOs.”

For more information please contact Joana Bala at IOM Mongolia, Tel: +976 94637810, Email: jbala@iom.int

Mongolia gets over 1.3-bln-USD FDI inflows in 8 months www.xinhuanet.com

ULAN BATOR, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia attracted over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first eight months of 2019, showed data released by the country's central bank on Tuesday.

Mongolian vaccine plant reopens www.news.mn

The only manufacturer producing vaccines and bio-products has re-opened today (22 October) after being closed for 10 years due to the lack of equipment and accommodation problems.

Mongolian cashmere giant joins EBRD project www.news.mn

Mongolian cashmere giant the Gobi Company is implementing a project entitled ‘from Mongolian Herders to World Brand’ in cooperation with the Sustainable Fibre Alliance and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The project will last from 2019-2021 and aims at preventing land deterioration, protecting wild animals and developing a sustainable cashmere industry.

Central bank presents monetary policy stance for 2020 www.news.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On October 21, the Bank of Mongolia organized an open discussion on the monetary policy of Mongolia for the third year with a view to shed light on the formulation of the country’s monetary policy outline on the basis of macro-economic factors and basic economic indicators.

The discussion heard presentations by B.Bayardavaa, Director General of Monetary Policy Department of the central bank on ‘Economic forecast – Monetary Policy’, by N.Urgamalsuvd, Director of Monetary Policy Projection Department on ‘General guidelines of state monetary policy for 2020’. Also, Deputy Governor and officials of the Mongol Bank attended to deliver information on the given issues.

During the event, the Bank of Mongolia introduced general guidelines of state Monetary policy for 2020 where objectives for economic growth to pay close attention on potential risks and challenges to be faced during the next few years are reflected in it as well as solutions for maintaining economic stable growth. In addition, risk-taking capacity of the banking sector will be improved by applying Basel standard regulatory framework to the banking control and monitoring tools. Moreover, the Bank of Mongolia will be guided by a policy aimed at stabilizing the inflation next year and banking legal framework reform will be introduced to protect the customers’ rights.

As Mongolia’s economic growth is expected to remain solid next year, it is needed to ensure balance of external and internal sectors and implement most appropriate policy of exchange rate, according to the Bank of Mongolia.

In terms of factors having influence on the monetary policy, the central bank officials remarked the high percentage of imports in the production and consumption, inadequate foreign exchange reserves, necessity to decrease the burden of foreign debts, insufficiency of economic diversification, in particularly, over-dependence on mining, dependence in foreign environment and positive correlation between business and financial cycles. The state monetary policy for 2020 will be aimed at tackling these issues.

The country’s economic conditions prone to international economic shocks, which lead to economic and financial crises make it more difficult to stabilize the macro economy and prevent from crisis. B.Bayardavaa, Director General of Monetary Policy Department said exchange rates, budget and salary are main things that cause the monetary policy rate to grow and also noted that budgeted salary raise for next year will have a positive effect on the economic growth”.

Regardless of the country’s overall economic state, Deputy Governor B.Lkhagvasuren informed that there is no risk for domestic tugrug currency to weaken depending on some p[positive economic indicators, such as economic growth of 6.5 percent and foreign exchange reserve of USD 4 billion.

At the event, the Bank of Mongolia also presented about the Mongolia’s economic forecast projected by international financial companies, such as International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, S&P and Fitch.

Mongolian startups present their business at Google Asia HQ in Singapore www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. 27 startup companies from Mongolia took part in the Mongolian Startup Showcase 2019 (MSS) event jointly organized by the Mongolian Embassy in Singapore and Mongolian START Company. Within the framework of the event, the Mongolian entrepreneurs presented their businesses on October 14 at the Google Asia Pacific Headquarters in Singapore.

China, Mongolia sign a military agreement www.politicallore.com

Chinese and Mongolian defence ministers signed a protocol and agreement to provide assistance to Mongolia, Akipress news agency reported. Both countries have already cooperated in the military and technical fields.

330 kV Ulaanbaatar-Mandalgobi transmission line commissioned www.montsame.mn

Dundgobi /MONTSAME/ The 330 kV power transmission line stretching for 250 km between Ulaanbaatar and Mandalgobi soum of Dundgobi aimag and two electric substations which have been built with a soft loan of USD 113.04 million from the Exim Bank of China and an investment of USD 5.95 million from the Government of Mongolia were commissioned and handed over on October 18.