Mongolia's foreign policy directions presented at Helsinki+50 www.akipress.com

COP17 to UNCCD to Be Held at the National Park www.montsame.mn

The 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17) will be held from August 17 to 28, 2026, in Mongolia.
A National Committee has been established to prepare for the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17), chaired by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Mr. Batbaatar Bat. In accordance with a resolution passed by the City Council, the COP17 will be hosted at the premises of the municipally owned budgetary enterprise “National Park”. Members of the National Committee have conducted on-site visits to the designated location where the main activities of the COP17 will take place.
Regarding the planned development at the site, B. Battulga, Director of the COP17 Investment and Development Office, stated, “Of the 920 hectares comprising the National Park, 29.9 hectares have been designated as the primary development area for COP17, 5.6 hectares of which will be allocated for construction. The development will include 930 parking spaces and the installation of 20 temporary structures. Roadwork and construction activities are scheduled to commence this year. Engineering infrastructure, including water supply and telecommunications channels, is already progressing according to plan.”
Advisor to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Mr. D. Batmunkh, and Head of the COP17 Preparatory Department, Ms. D. Ariuntuya, briefed Minister Batbaatar Bat on the ongoing preparations to welcome international guests and ensure optimal working conditions for the organizing teams. During the on-site meeting, they exchanged views on key operational matters related to the event.

First Cessna SkyCourier in Mongolia to Join Hunnu Air Fleet, Enhancing Operations in Asia-Pacific Region www.theglobeandmail.com

The Cessna SkyCourier is making its entry into Mongolia with charter operator Hunnu Air placing the first order for the versatile twin-engine turboprop aircraft in the country. Hunnu Air will use the Cessna SkyCourier to enhance domestic tourism and cargo operations within Mongolia. The order includes two passenger variants of the Cessna SkyCourier aircraft and one Cessna Grand Caravan EX , with deliveries of their new aircraft expected to begin in 2026.
The Cessna SkyCourier is designed and produced by Textron Aviation Inc. , a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company.
"Designed for versatility and performance, the Cessna SkyCourier is a strong fit to support Hunnu Air’s services across Mongolia,” said Lannie O’Bannion, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing. “The increasing global popularity of the aircraft underscores its exceptional adaptability in supporting air freight, charter and special missions use cases, showcasing its broad appeal across diverse operational sectors.”
Since 2011, Hunnu Air has served as a pivotal player in the Mongolian aviation sector, demonstrating a robust commitment to expand both domestic and international air travel. As the second-largest airline in Mongolia, Hunnu Air has carved a niche for itself by offering reliable and efficient air transport solutions to its passengers.
With its exceptional performance, reliability and capacity, the SkyCourier is well-suited for VIP operations across Mongolia’s vast and diverse landscapes, providing greater accessibility to remote and scenic destinations. This strategic investment underscores Hunnu Air’s commitment to expanding air travel options and supporting Mongolia’s growing tourism sector.
Textron Aviation recently celebrated the first Canadian delivery of the twin-engine, high-wing turboprop to Air Bravo Corporation, as well as the achievement of certification for the Combi configuration from the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil and first delivery into South America.
About the Cessna SkyCourier
The Cessna SkyCourier twin-engine, high-wing turboprop offers a combination of performance and lower operating costs for air freight, commuter and special mission operators.
The freighter variant is sized to handle up to three LD3 shipping containers with an impressive 6,000-pound payload capability. The 19-passenger variant includes crew and passenger doors for smooth boarding, as well as large cabin windows for natural light and views. Both variants offer single-point pressure refueling to enable faster turnarounds.
The SkyCourier is powered by two wing-mounted Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65SC turboprop engines and features the McCauley Propeller C779, a heavy-duty and reliable 110-inch aluminum four-blade propeller, which is full feathering with reversible pitch, designed to enhance the performance of the aircraft while hauling tremendous loads. The SkyCourier is operated with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and has a maximum cruise speed of more than 200 KTAS and a 900 nautical-mile maximum range.
About Textron Aviation
We inspire the journey of flight. For more than 95 years, Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, has empowered our collective talent across the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands to design and deliver the best aviation experience for our customers. With a range that includes everything from business jets, turboprops, and high-performance pistons, to special mission, military trainer and defense products, Textron Aviation has the most versatile and comprehensive aviation product portfolio in the world and a workforce that has produced more than half of all general aviation aircraft worldwide. Customers in more than 170 countries rely on our legendary performance, reliability and versatility, along with our trusted global customer service network, for affordable and flexible flight. For more information, visit www.txtav.com | www.defense.txtav.com | www.scorpionjet.com .
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Pipistrel, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, and Textron Systems. For more information, visit: www.textron.com
Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, changes in aircraft delivery schedules or cancellations of orders.

New Bird-Like Dinosaur from Mongolia Had Extremely Robust Hands www.sci.news

Paleontologists have identified a new species of dromaeosaurid dinosaur from an almost complete and articulated skeleton found in the 2000s in Mongolia.
The newly-identified dinosaur roamed our planet during the Campanian age of the Cretaceous period, between 75 and 72 million years ago.
Based on several derived features in its skull, vertebrae and skeleton, the species is referrable to a group of bird-like theropod dinosaurs called the Dromaeosauridae.
Named Shri rapax, it is only the second species in its genus; the other species, Shri devi, was described in 2021.
“Dromaeosauridae is a clade of small- to medium-sized theropod dinosaurs known from several Cretaceous units from North America, Asia, Europe, South America and eventually Antarctica and Madagascar,” said lead author Andrea Cau and colleagues.
“Feather-like integumentary structures, true pennaceous feathers and remnants of the digestive tract are found in exceptionally-preserved dromaeosaurids from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Biota of north-eastern China (e.g. Daurlong wangi, Sinornithosaurus millenii, Microraptor zhaoianus).”
“Along with troodontids, dromaeosaurids are universally considered as the closest relatives of birds among dinosaurs.”
An almost complete skeleton of Shri rapax was likely found in the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia.
“This dromaeosaurid specimen was illegally poached before 2010, then retained in private collections in Japan and England before being acquired by the French company Eldonia,” the paleontologists said.
“The exact locality of the specimen is unknown.”
“Based on the documentation associated with the specimen, we tentatively refer it to Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia.”
Holotype of Shri rapax in 2010, before preparation at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; the arrow indicates the single femur reconstructed using elements from both femora (elements separated during preparation). Image credit: Moutrille et al., doi: 10.1080/08912963.2025.2530148.
Holotype of Shri rapax in 2010, before preparation at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences; the arrow indicates the single femur reconstructed using elements from both femora (elements separated during preparation). Image credit: Moutrille et al., doi: 10.1080/08912963.2025.2530148.
Shri rapax had a peculiar combination of vertebral and pelvic features as well as exceptionally robust hands.
“The most unusual feature of Shri rapax is the exceptional robustness of the hand,” the researchers said.
“In particular, when scaled to the same length, all elements of the pollex are approximately 150% transversely more robust than the homologous elements in other Djadokhtan dromaeosaurids, and proportionally stouter than any other known dromaeosaurid.”
“We suggest that frequent interactions with the ceratopsians, combined with active antipredatory behavior by the latter, could had promoted the evolution of more robust forearms and stockier hands among some Djadokhtan velociraptorines.”
“If we assume that Shri rapax shared the predatory behavior of its close relative Velociraptor mongoliensis, the more robust proportions of its hands imply that it was better adapted to target larger and more robust prey than those usually preyed on by Velociraptor.”

How a cup of tea led to the UK heading up the first metro system in Mongolia www.metro.co.uk

Here are a few fun facts you might not know about Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.
It’s the coldest capital city on the planet, with an average temperature barely above freezing point. Its Mongolian name translates to ‘Red Hero’. And nobody has ever managed to build a metro system there.
That’s not for lack of trying. Strenuous efforts to bring light rail transit to tunnels beneath the city’s broad streets have been taking place for at least 15 years, with countries from South Korea to France offering help to no avail.
Now, salvation appears to have come in an unlikely form: an air-conditioned rail line 4,300 miles away, taking passengers from Reading in the west to Shenfield in the east, with tasteful purple branding.
Yep, you read that right – our very own Elizabeth Line is soon going to be also running through the deep depths of Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar.
Fiona Blyth, the UK’s ambassador to Mongolia, first brought up the Elizabeth line to Ulaanbaatar Mayor Khishgee Nyambaatar in a meeting last November at her residence, a standard suburban house decorated with local art and Union Jack cushions.
The mayor signalled his ambition by bringing along a book that has quickly become beloved of city planners and infrastructure nerds around the world since being published last year, plainly titled How Big Things Get Done.
Blyth told Metro: ‘He’s straight down to business, you know, he’s not interested in flattery.
‘He is a man who is trying to get big things done.’
She served him and his wife a cup of Yorkshire Tea and a plate of banana bread, the specialty of the embassy’s Mongolian residence manager, then talked him through one of the UK’s ‘biggest things’ of recent years.
That was just a month after the mayor’s election. Three weeks later, Nyambaatar was in London to try out the Elizabeth line for himself.
‘It was quite a surreal moment, being on the tube with someone who’s a big figure in Mongolia,’ recalled Blyth.
‘He’s instantly recognisable, probably to every Mongolian. He’s a pretty senior figure and we’re just, you know, on the Tube.’
Over the course of that visit and a return trip in February, he met figures including Transport Minister Mike Kane, Foreign Office Minister Catherine West, and Crossrail boss Paul Dyson.
Nyambaatar – a man Blyth describes as ‘quite down to the brass tacks’ – immediately dived into the details in a bid to work out how such a system could work in Ulaanbaatar.
The upshot is that Crossrail International, the firm that delivered the Elizabeth line, is now strategic advisor for the 19.4km, 15-station metro project – and UK companies will be invited to bid on linked contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
It’s a big deal for British businesses, and a massive deal for Mongolia. The residents of the capital will enjoy shorter commutes, cleaner air, and a more vibrant city.
Currently, Ulaanbaatar is facing a rapidly growing population, spread across a wide area, with a poor public transport system relying almost entirely on buses. All that is a recipe for one thing: gridlock.
At peak hours, the Yaarmag road carries around 95,000 vehicles. Sitting in traffic for hours every day is, of course, particularly grim in a place where the temperatures can fall to -37°C in winter.
The predominance of cars has also made Ulaanbaatar one of the most polluted capital cities in the world. Children growing up in the centre of the city have 40% less lung capacity than those who grew up in the countryside.
Locals, understandably, are fed up to the back teeth. A metro system is the obvious solution. But every effort to get one off the ground over the past 15 years has fallen flat, to much frustration.
But since Nyambaatar’s election, he’s pushed forward with the planning of the city’s very own Elizabeth Line.
Mayor Nyambaatar said: ‘Mongolia and the UK are jointly building a world-class metro system from the ground up – echoing the bold urban ambition that gave rise to London’s underground in 1861.
‘This project not only meets global standards – it reflects a shared vision for resilient, connected cities.’
Put simply, Blyth said, this is Mongolia’s ‘single biggest infrastructure project since the end of communism at the beginning of the 1990s’.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the ambassador’s work was an example of how the government has ‘reframed embassies as an elite salesforce for UK plc’.
He added: ‘From the eighteenth century to the present day, Britain has always been a rail pioneer and I am delighted that the globally-admired Elizabeth line will now be expanded to our partner countries.’
Work on UB Metro is due to begin in next year, as temperatures begin to creep back into positive figures. Spring can’t come soon enough for the residents of the world’s coldest capital.
By Craig Munro

Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Protection to Implement Projects with ADB www.montsame.mn

Minister of Family, Labor, and Social Protection Aubakir Telukhan met with Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Mongolia, Shannon Cowlin, and relevant officials on August 8, 2025. 
The Government of Mongolia and the Asian Development Bank have cooperated effectively for over 30 years, implementing tangible projects in the labor and social protection sectors. Within this framework, the sides exchanged information on several bilateral projects and programs.
Specifically, the two sides highlighted the progress on accessible services for vulnerable social groups and the positive results achieved through the projects “Ensuring Inclusiveness and Service Delivery for Persons with Disabilities” and “Developing Elderly Care System and Services in Mongolia.” Appreciation was also expressed for the achievements and tangible outcomes of the “Second Shock-Responsive Social Protection Project,” financed by ADB, particularly its “Graduation Approach” program.
Minister Aubakir Telukhan proposed providing short-term practical training opportunities for youth in high-demand occupations, expanding support and training for start-up businesses targeting persons with disabilities, the unemployed, and low-income individuals, increasing employment opportunities and labor market participation for rural youth, and improving women’s participation in the workforce.
Country Director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Mongolia, Shannon Cowlin, expressed readiness to support and partner on high-impact initiatives.

“Nomads” World Cultural Festival to be held on August 22–24 www.gogo.mn

The “Nomads” World Cultural Festival will take place on August 22-24, 2025 at the foot of Taij Khairkhan Mountain in Nalaikh District of Ulaanbaatar city. 
Organized annually, the event supports the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Mongolia’s Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage (Article 39, Clause 39.2), and Government Resolution No. 41 of January 25, 2024.
This year’s festival will highlight the diversity of Mongolia’s intangible cultural heritage and the traditions of various ethnic groups. The program will feature 780 heritage-related events, 10 national sports competitions, and interactive activities where visitors can learn traditional skills and knowledge.
Alongside the main program, the festival will host province and capital city cultural showcases, "Cultural Heritage Station", "Nomad World: Past and Future” international scientific conference, "Tourist Food Street" and "Small and Medium Enterprises" exhibition. Organizers will also continue heritage viability inspections and gather information from participating tradition bearers.
A major highlight will be the 17th World Horseback Archery Championship, featuring over 120 elite archers from more than 30 countries, 15 of Mongolia’s top competitors, internationally certified judges, and representatives from UNESCO and the World Horseback Archery Federation.

Advanced Water Purification Plant Ready to Be Commissioned www.montsame.mn

The ongoing construction work of the advanced water purification plant at the eastern slope of the Songinokhairkhan mountain in the capital city is 99.5 percent complete.
Prime Minister of Mongolia Zandanshatar Gombojav, Mayor of the Capital City and Governor of Ulaanbaatar Nyambaatar Khishgee, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Mongolia Mr. Richas Buangan visited the advanced water purification plant.
The “Water Supply Project,” with financing worth USD 461 million, is being successfully implemented with the grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the United States of America and investment from the Government of Mongolia. The advanced water purification plant is under construction at the eastern slope of Songinokhairkhan mountain within the framework of the project. The plant will purify up to 50 million cubic meters of water extracted from the western source of Ulaanbaatar to meet drinking water standards, supplying it to the central distribution network.
A team of 27 engineers and technical staff from the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, responsible for operating the plant, participated in practical training in equipment installation and commissioning, and officially commenced their duties on July 31, 2025.
The MCC’s Water Supply Project will support the construction of new groundwater wells and a state-of-the-art plant for purifying drinking water as a western water source of the capital, the construction of a new plant for treating wastewater, and the development and implementation of policy, legal, regulatory, and institutional reforms to enhance the long-term sustainability of Ulaanbaatar’s water supply. The comprehensive implementation of the project will increase the water supply of Ulaanbaatar city by over 80 percent, creating favorable conditions for the westward expansion and economic growth of the capital city.

Mongolia's inflation declines slightly to 8.1 pct in July www.xinhuanet.com

Mongolia's inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, eased to 8.1 percent in July, data from the country's National Statistics Office (NSO) showed Saturday.
The figure reflected a 3.0 percentage point increase compared to the same period last year and a 0.1 percentage point decrease from the previous month, the NSO said.
Mongolia's central bank targeted an inflation rate within a range of 5 percent (+/- 2.0 percentage points) from 2027 to support macroeconomic and financial sector stability in the medium term.
The landlocked country's economy grew 2.4 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2025, according to the statistical agency.
Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has predicted that Mongolia's economy would grow by 6.6 percent in 2025 and 5.9 percent in 2026.

60 companies adopt Responsible Mining Codex www.ubpost.mn

The Mongolian National Mining Association held an introductory meeting with its member company, MAK LLC, to present two key frameworks guiding responsible and sustainable mining practices, the Responsible Mining Codex (RMC) and the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) standard.
During the meeting, managers from MAK’s Environment and Sustainable Development Department shared the company’s current activities related to environmental stewardship and sustainable development. The discussion highlighted the company’s ongoing commitment to responsible mining practices.
CEO of the Association G.Erdenetuya presented detailed information on the goals, structure and implementation status of the RMC and TSM frameworks. She noted that more than 60 mining companies in Mongolia are currently adopting the Responsible Mining Codex, reflecting growing industry momentum toward integrating sustainability and ethical practices into operations.
“These initiatives aim to embed responsibility and sustainability into mining activities, while also improving the knowledge and awareness of all stakeholders involved,” she emphasized.
The meeting concluded with an exchange of ideas on future collaboration opportunities between MAK and the Association, particularly in aligning operations with internationally recognized sustainability standards.