The United Nations (UN) was established in 1945, following the Second World War, to maintain international peace and security and promote cooperation among countries. Today, it is one of the world's principal international organisations, with 193 Member States.

One of the UN's most notable features is that each country has one vote in the General Assembly, while the five permanent members of the Security Council – the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and France – each hold the special right of veto. This illustrates the contrast between the principle of sovereign equality among states and the realities of power distribution among major global actors.

The UN is not a world government and does not have its own standing army; military and police personnel serving in peacekeeping operations are contributed by Member States. Whether the organisation's decisions are implemented depends largely on their legal nature, cooperation among Member States, and prevailing political circumstances.

The UN headquarters is located in New York City, United States. The organisation has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. The world map and olive branches on the UN flag symbolise global cooperation and peace.

The UN was established with 51 Member States and has since expanded to 193, reflecting major changes in world politics, including the end of colonialism and the emergence of newly independent states. Thus, the UN serves not only as a forum for discussing international issues but also as an important mechanism through which countries, large and small, can express their positions and contribute collectively to global peace and security.

Relations between Mongolia and the UN are expected to extend beyond traditional diplomatic cooperation, encompassing international security, climate change, the interests of landlocked developing countries, human rights, and regional cooperation. Since joining the UN in 1961, Mongolia has regarded the organisation as an important partner in advancing its national interests at the international level and strengthening its foreign-policy autonomy.

Recent initiatives indicate that Mongolia seeks to move beyond simply supporting international decisions and to participate more actively in initiating discussions and developing collective solutions to specific issues. One of the most noteworthy future directions in Mongolia-UN relations is Mongolia's ambition to be elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Speaking during the General Debate of the Eighty-First Session of the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2026, President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa officially announced that Mongolia was putting itself forward as a candidate for non-permanent membership of the Security Council for the 2048–2049 term.

This is not a goal that can be achieved in the immediate future, but rather one that requires long-term diplomatic preparation. If elected, Mongolia would have greater opportunities to participate directly in discussions on international peace and security and articulate its positions. However, its election would depend on the votes of UN Member States, diplomatic relations, and competition with other candidates.

The second important direction is bringing Mongolia's participation in peacekeeping operations to a new level. Mongolian military personnel have gained extensive experience in international operations, including protecting civilians and supporting the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Information published on the official UN Peacekeeping website in August 2026 highlighted the involvement of Mongolian peacekeepers in protecting civilians affected by floods and delivering assistance in South Sudan.

Going forward, Mongolia is expected to focus not only on deploying military personnel for peacekeeping operations, but also on increasing the participation of women peacekeepers and strengthening training and professional capacity. In this connection, Mongolia has announced plans to host the Second International Conference of Women Peacekeepers in Ulaanbaatar in 2027.

The third direction focuses on international cooperation to combat climate change, desertification, and land degradation. In August 2026, Mongolia hosted the Seventeenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar. This milestone event brought issues such as desertification, rangeland degradation, and water scarcity in Mongolia to the forefront of global policymaking while expanding opportunities for financing, technology transfer, and the exchange of experience.

The key challenge going forward is to translate commitments and agreements made at international meetings into concrete projects, investment, and environmental outcomes. In this regard, Mongolia has opportunities to expand cooperation with the UN in reducing desertification, improving sustainable rangeland management, and developing renewable energy.

The fourth direction involves diplomatic efforts to protect the interests of landlocked developing countries. Owing to its geographical location, Mongolia depends on the territories, transport infrastructure, and transit routes of other countries to access international markets. Consequently, transport and logistics costs, cross-border trade, and transit arrangements have a direct impact on economic development. In 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted the Awaza Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2024–2034. In 2026, Mongolia discussed preparations for a national implementation plan for the programme in cooperation with the UN and other partners.

Going forward, Mongolia could leverage this programme to improve regional transport connectivity, facilitate trade, diversify its economy, and strengthen its collective position alongside other landlocked nations.

The fifth direction centers on cooperation in human rights, governance, and social development. The UN has long supported Mongolia in human development, inclusive economic growth, the rule of law, and human rights. The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2023–2027 aligns these priorities with Mongolia's national development policies.

In early October 2026, Mongolian representatives articulated the country's positions on policies and reforms concerning human rights and inclusive social development at the Third Committee of the Eighty-First Session of the UN General Assembly. In addition, Mongolia's mission reported that, during the May 2026 visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the parties agreed to cooperate toward establishing a regional human rights training and research centre in Ulaanbaatar.

If implemented, this initiative could enable Mongolia to play a more active role in regional cooperation concerning human rights awareness, professional training, and research.

The sixth direction involves strengthening Mongolia's nuclear-weapon-free status and regional security policy. Mongolia has consistently affirmed its status as a nuclear-weapon-free state at the international level and sought to link this status with broader international security policies. The UN General Assembly regularly addresses this issue and, in December 2024, adopted without a vote a resolution concerning Mongolia's international security and nuclear-weapon-free status.

Going forward, Mongolia could use the UN and other multilateral mechanisms to advance nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, and regional confidence-building. In particular, expanding security dialogue in Northeast Asia remains an important priority that aligns with Mongolia's third-neighbour policy and multilateral diplomacy.

These trends indicate that the future of Mongolia-UN relations cannot be measured solely by the number of projects and programmes or the volume of financial assistance received. Instead, the relationship should be assessed in terms of Mongolia's ability to take initiatives on international issues, build common positions with other countries, expand its diplomatic influence, and translate international commitments into tangible domestic results.

Mongolia's ambition to secure non-permanent membership of the Security Council for the 2048–2049 term, the international conference of women peacekeepers planned for 2027, the implementation of the Awaza Programme of Action, and active cooperation on climate change serve as concrete examples of this trajectory.

In the coming years, Mongolia's main challenge will be connecting the initiatives it advances on the international stage with sustainable financing, skilled human resources, regional partnerships, and effective domestic policy implementation. If these elements can be successfully aligned, the UN will remain much more than just an international organisation for Mongolia: it will continue to serve as a key strategic partner in safeguarding national interests, contributing to global solutions, and enabling Mongolia, as a small state, to successfully pursue an independent foreign policy in practice.

Elberel E., Researcher

Division of Regional and Multilateral Cooperation Studies, Institute of International Studies

Mongolian Academy of Sciences

Published Date:2026-10-27