In the 2019 Global Terrorism Index, the impact of terrorism improved for 98 countries compared to 40 that deteriorated over the last year. However, the overall impact of terrorism was still higher in 80 countries comparing to that of five years ago.

2019 Key Findings

• The total number of deaths from terrorism declined for the fourth consecutive year in 2018, falling by 15.2% to 15,952 deaths.

• The Taliban is now the deadliest terrorist group in the world, accounting for 38 per cent of all terrorist deaths. This is an increase of 71%.

• Terrorism still remains a global security threat with 71 countries recording more than one death - the second highest number of countries since 2002.

• Deaths in Europe fell by 70%. Western Europe recorded its lowest number of incidents since 2012.

• There has been an increase in far-right terrorism in Western Europe, North America, and Oceania for the third consecutive year.

• The global economic impact of terrorism was US$33 billion in 2018; a substantial decrease of 38% from the previous year.

The GTI is developed by the Institute for Economics and Peace, an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.

source: London Institute for Economics and Peace

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development - the OECD - says in a new report that prospects have steadily deteriorated.

It forecasts continued growth of around 3% but warns that the risks have increased.

The report says a lack of direction on climate policy is holding back business investment.

Although the OECD is not forecasting a recession, it is a decidedly downbeat report.

There are calls for action from governments to address challenges, some of which have both long term and more immediate consequences.

The OECD says extreme weather events could lead to disruption of economic activity and could inflict long lasting damage on capital and land. They could also lead to what the report calls disorderly migration flows.

Insufficient policy action could increase the frequency of such events.

There is clearly a long term challenge for governments in addressing these issues, but the OECD says that there is already an impact on business investment.

In many countries it is investment and trade that has been at the centre of weakening economic performance.

"Without a clear sense of direction on carbon prices, standards and regulation, and without the necessary public investment, businesses will put off investment decisions, with dire consequences for growth and employment," the OECD says.

The report argues that more clarity on climate policy - and also on digitalisation - would trigger a marked acceleration of investment by business.

It suggests the creation of national funds to make public investments in these areas.

Among the other challenges that the OECD mentions is the change in the Chinese economy, it is becoming a more services-oriented economy which means the country's demand for imported goods for its industries to process is unlikely to grow as strongly in the future.

Along with the shift in the shape of the Chinese economy, there has also been a gradual slowdown in the rate of growth since the start of the decade. For the previous thirty years, the economy had grown at a rate that the Chinese government accepted could no longer be sustained.

China is trying to ensure it is not too abrupt a slowdown. The possibility that it might not succeed is something the OECD identifies as a risk to the global economy.

Attending the opening ceremony were Mongolian Health Minister Davaajantsan Sarangerel and Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Xing Haiming.

Construction of the children's hospital, funded by the China Foundation for Peace and Development, was finished within only two months, Sarangerel said, expressing her sincere gratitude to the Chinese side. Enditem

In his presentation, Dr. D.Nyamdavaa presented proof that Mongolians used to border and cooperate with those that lived in 8 states near the Himalayas and the northeastern region of India.

During his 15 years of assignment in India, he traveled through all of the states of India to gather information and do research. Noting that the people of India used to call their bordering Hunnu people as ‘Huna’, the researcher highlighted that there are various findings of cave paintings and stone age artifacts as well as the traditions, certain cultural artifacts, music, and clothes of the people that live in the region even today being similar to those of Mongolians.

As for researcher at the National Center for Public Health N.Suvd, she noted how babies with blue spots are born in the northern region of India as they are related to the Mongol ethnic group. The researchers also mentioned that the estimated number of people throughout the world that are related to Mongolians by blood is between 50 to 60 million. For instance, there are 12 million in Nepal, 30 million in India, 864 thousand in Russia, 5.8 million in China, 4 million in Afghanistan, 2 million in Pakistan, 2 million in Iran, and about 10 million in the countries of the central Asian region.

They also underlined unique facts about the relations between the two countries that explain its history from a new angle, such as the relations being 3,700-10,000 years old, and how ‘Hunas’ invaded India through the region of central Asia from 465 AD, establishing their empire, as well as when the Mughal Empire was established by Emperor Babur, who proclaimed having descended from Chinggis Khaan in the year of 1526, that continued to exist until colonization in 1871, and that his proclamation is proven by his descendants being traced back to a tribe named Barlas of Mongolia.

During the conference, a photography exhibition was also presented, depicting ancient architecture, coins and currency, dictionaries written in Persian, Arabian, Indian and Mongolian, sutras, two-humped camels, yaks, and goats being herded, and the processing methods for milk and dairy, alongside the mutual official visits of the presidents of Mongolia and India.

Under the aforementioned project, a viral vaccine production facility and factory compliant with international Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Requirements will be newly built and fully equipped; infrastructure/utility systems of the factory will be expanded; and the staff to work at the new factory will have training.

The project will open up an opportunity to domestically produce the much needed vaccines and medicines against foot-and-mouth disease and rinderpest and this will improve livestock health, dramatically decline food insecurities caused by infections, increase export of animal raw materials and products, and enhance herders’ livelihoods.

Representatives and experts of the AACC attended the event, giving counsel to Mongolian entities on exporting their products to the U.S. market and conducted a training on requirements and legal environment to draw investment. Delegates of 30 Mongolian companies took part in the event and it gave opportunities to up to 10 potential companies to export their goods to the United States.

Secretary General of the MNCCI B.Saruul highlighted during the event that the chamber will pay attention and work towards broadening and developing bilateral trade and economic cooperation, conducting joint business meetings and exhibitions in collaboration with the U.S. trade promotion organizations, connecting business people of the two countries and rendering support on exporting products of Mongolia to the U.S. market.

Nearly 14,000 trucks transport coal from three coal sites at the Tavan Tolgoi mine to Gashuun Sukhait Border Crossing. Currently, 32 million tonnes of coal is transported to China.

As the long queue of coal trucks continues to rise and temperatures continue to fall, China is, through its snap decisions, again putting Mongolian lives at risk.

In October, Copenhagen finally gave the green light for the pipeline to pass through its territorial waters.

Nord Stream 2, which runs from the Russian Baltic coast to Germany, will deliver 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year to European customers. The Russia-led project has been repeatedly criticized by the US as Washington wants to boost sales of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe.

EITC has been organizing the annual Made in Mongolia event in the USA, Canada and Japan and the Export Mongolia Business Forum in Mongolia since 2015.

EITC officially established its Logistics Centre in Chicago in 2015. Later, in 2018, it opened the Made in Mongolia Trade Centre at the ‘Oatbrook Centre’, also in the ‘Windy City’, with the purpose of increasing foreign trade on value-added products.