The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $32 million financing package to help the Government of Mongolia strengthen disaster preparedness by modernizing the country’s disaster early warning system.
The financing comprises an $18 million loan from ADB’s concessional ordinary capital resources, $12 million loan from ordinary capital resources, and a $2 million grant from the ADB administered Asian Development Fund (ADF). The project will enhance Mongolia’s capacity to respond to major hazards such as floods, storms, wildfires, earthquakes, and dzud—a severe winter condition that can cause mass livestock deaths.
“Around 40% of rural Mongolians live in poverty, many of whom depend on traditional herding, which is highly vulnerable to extreme weather and disasters,” said ADB Country Director for Mongolia Shannon Cowlin. “Climate-related and geophysical disasters pose serious socioeconomic and health challenges for these communities, especially for women. This project will modernize and integrate Mongolia’s disaster early warning systems, improve how risk information is shared, and strengthen preparedness capacity—benefiting the entire population.”
Mongolia is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries. From 2015 to 2024, the country recorded over 40,000 hazardous events, including 1,220 severe weather incidents, resulting in 726 deaths, 2,014 injuries, and the loss of over 11.5 million livestock. Located in a seismically active zone, Mongolia also experienced 73 earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.5 or higher in 2024 alone. These disasters have caused direct financial losses estimated at MNT1.9 trillion, placing a heavy burden on both the government and affected communities.
Climate risks are worsening as hazards intensify faster than the pace of the country’s current early warning systems. Mongolia lacks an integrated multi-hazard early warning system, leading to fragmented coverage and coordination gaps and overlaps. Alerts are limited to certain hazards and locations, such as earthquake warnings in and around Ulaanbaatar. This leaves many, particularly remote herding communities, without timely warnings.
The Strengthening Integrated Early Warning System in Mongolia Project will use digital technologies to improve hazard monitoring, early warning dissemination, and public awareness nationwide. It will upgrade emergency dispatch centers for two-way disaster communication, introduce cell broadcast alerts across mobile networks, enhance emergency broadcasts, expand siren towers, and deploy mobile communication units to remote areas.
The project will also establish a disaster risk monitoring system that addresses the different needs of men and women, upgrade seismic monitoring equipment around Ulaanbaatar, and conduct training for national and local emergency staff. It will mobilize volunteer groups in 21 provinces and develop harmonized national and local disaster procedures.
The initiative supports Mongolia’s National Adaptation Plan to Climate Change (2024–2030), the Disaster Protection Law (2003, amended in 2020), and the “Vision-2050” Long-Term Development Policy, all of which identify disaster risk management and resilience as key national priorities.
ADF provides grants to the poorest and most vulnerable countries in Asia and the Pacific. During its 2021–2024 period, the fund helped 384,000 people emerge from poverty and generated around 500,000 jobs.
ADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth across Asia and the Pacific. Working with its members and partners to solve complex challenges together, ADB harnesses innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships to transform lives, build quality infrastructure, and safeguard our planet. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members—50 from the region.

Published Date:2025-11-07