P.Naranbayar announces plan to draft law to restrict children’s use of social networks www.gogo.mn

P.Naranbayar, Minister of Education, posted on his official website that the Ministry of Education will prepare a practicable law to restrict children’s use of social networks, citing growing evidence of harm to young users.

The Minister pointed to legal precedents in countries such as Australia, France, the Republic of Korea and Spain, where under-16 access limits or related measures have been introduced. He said Mongolia will seek broad participation from parents, educators, platform operators and child-welfare experts to design a law that can be implemented in practice.

“Eagle Festival-2026” to be held on March 7-8 www.gogo.mn

The 20th “Eagle Festival” will take place on March 7–8, 2026 at the Chinggis Khaanii Khuree tourist complex.

The festival, dedicated to preserving and promoting Mongolia’s traditional eagle hunting heritage, aims to pass on the customs and unique culture of nomadic communities to younger generations. This year’s event is notable for expanding into a World Championship format for the first time.

To facilitate attendance, a free shuttle bus service will operate between the parking area in front of Sukhbaatar Square and the Chinggis Khaanii Khuree tourist complex for citizens and tourists.

Beate Dastel: UNICEF will continue the implementation of successful projects and programs in Mongolia www.open.kg

On February 23, Beate Dastel officially took office, handing over her credentials to the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mönkhtushig Lkhanaajav.

Mönkhtushig noted the significant and lasting contribution of UNICEF to achieving Mongolia's social and economic goals, especially in the area of child rights protection and their development. He expressed satisfaction with the fruitful cooperation aimed at improving maternal and child health, expanding educational opportunities, strengthening social protection, and safeguarding the rights of vulnerable groups.

Beate Dastel confirmed UNICEF's readiness to continue implementing successful projects and programs in Mongolia and emphasized the intention to strengthen cooperation to ensure the well-being of children in the country.

Beate Dastel is an Austrian citizen with experience in international development and strategic planning. Prior to her appointment in Mongolia, she served as the Permanent Representative in Djibouti and was also the Deputy Permanent Representative in Laos and Bhutan, as reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Saxaul Tree Cultivated in Winter Greenhouse for First Time in Mongolia www.montsame.mn

The Agro-Ecology Center and Tree Nursery of Military Unit No. 336 under the Mongolian Armed Forces has successfully cultivated seedlings of the saxaul tree in a winter greenhouse for the first time in Mongolia. The team collected saxaul tree seeds in November 2025 and conducted a pilot propagation program in a winter greenhouse during the first two months of 2026.

The saxaul tree (scientifically known as Haloxylon ammodendron) grows exclusively in the Gobi regions of Mongolia and Central Asia. It is a long-lived species, capable of surviving for hundreds of years, with an extensive and deep root system adapted to arid conditions. The species constitutes a significant portion of Mongolia’s forest resources and serves as a dominant tree in the Gobi zone.

Ecologically, the saxaul plays a crucial role in maintaining environmental balance in desert areas. It helps combat desertification, stabilizes shifting sands, and prevents soil erosion. In addition, it provides fodder for livestock and wildlife and supports the broader ecosystem of the Gobi region.

Mongolia's Proposed Senior Unsecured Notes Assigned 'BB-' Long-Term Foreign Currency Rating www.spglobal.com

S&P Global Ratings today assigned its 'BB-' long-term foreign currency issue rating to the benchmark-size U.S. dollar-denominated senior unsecured notes that Mongolia proposes to issue.

The note issuance is part of the Mongolian government's liability management exercise. Concurrently, Mongolia (BB-/Stable/B) has announced a voluntary tender offer on its U.S. dollar-denominated bonds due 2026, 2028, and 2029. The government intends to fund the tender offer using proceeds from the note issuance.

The notes represent direct, general, unconditional, unsecured, and unsubordinated obligations of the sovereign and rank equally with the sovereign's other unsecured and unsubordinated debt obligations.

The rating on the notes is subject to our review of the final issuance documentation.

Moody’s assigns B1 rating to Mongolia bonds on refinancing plan www.in.investing.com

Moody’s Ratings assigned a B1 rating today to proposed senior unsecured, U.S. dollar denominated bonds to be issued by the Government of Mongolia. The notes will rank pari passu with all of Mongolia’s existing and future senior unsecured obligations. The proceeds will be used to fund a tender offer to repurchase a portion of its bonds and for refinancing upcoming maturities.

The rating of the proposed notes mirrors Mongolia’s long term issuer rating of B1 with a stable outlook. Mongolia’s credit profile is supported by solid economic growth prospects underpinned by strong demand for key mineral exports, particularly copper, alongside an emerging track record of effective debt and fiscal management. Structural demand for copper related to electrification and digital infrastructure supports medium term growth, while ongoing increases in output will further strengthen export performance.

The government debt burden declined to around 43% of GDP at year end 2025 from about 74% of GDP in 2020, supported by strong nominal growth and prudent debt management. Moody’s expects fiscal deficits to widen modestly over the next few years, reaching about 4.3% of GDP in 2026, as revenue growth moderates and spending pressures persist. The firm forecasts a broadly stable debt ratio of about 44% of GDP in 2026.

Credit strengths are balanced by Mongolia’s continued reliance on commodities, which exposes fiscal and external metrics to price fluctuations, particularly for coal. While coal remains a significant export, its price sensitivity to developments in China’s property and steel sectors constrains revenue visibility. External liquidity risks remain elevated given sizeable market debt maturities in the second half of the decade, though these risks are mitigated by continued access to international capital markets and the government’s track record of refinancing upcoming obligations.

Mongolia’s ESG credit impact score is CIS-4, driven by high exposure to environmental and governance risks. The sovereign’s exposure to environmental risks reflects an economy that is highly dependent on the production and export of hydrocarbons, particularly coal, which leaves the sovereign susceptible to carbon transition risk. Exposure to governance risks reflects still weak executive institutions and policy effectiveness, despite recent progress on structural reforms.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.

The 2250-km, more diverse alternative to the Trans-Siberian railway www.brisbanetimes.com.au

It is perhaps no surprise that someone has asked for it to rain vodka atop the Mountain of Wishes – the real shock is that they get it.

I’m standing next to a stupa, under a clear blue sky, looking across the seemingly endless Gobi Desert in southern Mongolia when droplets start landing on my head. For a second, it really does seem like a Buddhist miracle, then I notice a man on the other side of the stupa, muttering prayers and spraying a holy statue with cheap grog as a sort of offering.

Nearby flags are fluttered to tatters by a relentless steppe wind. Just away from the peak, three men throw coins and more vodka into the void, screaming some kind of blessing as they do so.

Women are not allowed to ascend to the sacred summit, barring them from this strange boys’ club. Even deities can be misogynists, I suppose, but several of the women in my small Intrepid Travel group are glad to have avoided the extra climb and the curious behaviour at the zenith.

Our group arrived in Mongolia on board a chuntering train. Like the cheap vodka, the Trans-Mongolian is a relic from the Soviet Union’s 68-year rule and bisects the country from the Chinese border town of Erlian to the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar.

There are more than 2250 kilometres of track, but no significant routes beyond this mighty trunkline. Intrepid’s itinerary, including the visit to the Mountain of Wishes, is supplemented with bus tours and designed to help us experience more of the country than we’d see from the carriages.

In an ordinary year, anyone looking to sample this old Soviet mode of transport would likely have taken the Trans-Siberian Express, but with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, few are willing or able to travel to Russia. The Mongolian alternative is much shorter, but Intrepid’s itinerary ensures it is also a lot more diverse. So instead of being married to the tracks, we find ourselves in the windy wilderness.

A few kilometres from the holy mountain, we meet the nomadic Yorolt family who tend a 170-strong herd of Bactrian camels. Unlike the feral imports in Australia, these two-humped beasts are perfectly at home in the Gobi Desert.

The Yorolts are a genuine farming family and real nomads, but they allow tourists to briefly experience their way of life. We have lunch in their yurt, or ger in Mongolian, drink camel milk and are invited on a camel ride. I look into the camels’ eyes, past the lavish Disney princess eyelashes, into the mind of a moron, and politely decline.

Our visit really does feel like a step through a time portal – at least initially. As the camels are gathered to be milked, one or two spook and flee across the sand, looking for all the world like pantomime horses containing three or more people, as their ungainly sprint gathers pace.

To herd them, one of the family uses horsepower, though not on horseback. Emerging from behind a dune, a sapphire blue Toyota Prius speeds out in pursuit of the runaway. Efficient as it is, I find it difficult to imagine the region’s legendary hardman Genghis Khan approving of anyone driving a hybrid across his land.

From the city of Sainshand, our brilliant tour guide, Bata Erdenekhuu, gets us all back on the Trans-Mongolian for an overnight trip to Ulaanbaatar. While we board, the peach-and-rhubarb colours of sunset kiss the side of the engine and for a moment, it seems like the most romantic vehicle in the world. That impression does not last, but what the train lacks in comfort it makes up for in authenticity.

It doesn’t appear to have had many upgrades since the Soviets completed it in 1956, with pink faux-velvet curtains and an ugly satin pillow a shade of green that reminds me of a heavy cold. In our cabins, however, it feels like we are on a school trip, especially when a couple of Canadian retirees produce a bottle of local vodka.

While Bata lives in the capital, she has relatives who still live nomadic or semi-nomadic lives. She feels those traditions herself. When I ask for an example of how that manifests her answer is almost poetic: “A horse has a soul – you can work with that. The bike is just a bike, the car just a car, and so I don’t get on well with them.”

We wake the next morning a little bleary-eyed in Ulaanbaatar and are taken to a hotel for a shower and breakfast before getting back on the road. While we’ll eventually have our time in the country’s biggest city, the great Mongolian grasslands is to be experienced.

There are also, despite the Soviet Union’s efforts to erase religion from this country, more Buddhist sites to visit. This includes the Aryabal Temple in the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park, about an hour north-east from the city. The first little fires of autumn begin to colour the leaves of trees that surround the holy place. Birds call in the cool, clean air. It feels calm, as places of worship so often do.

It is a little jarring, then, to start reading the little prayers and philosophies printed on boards next to the stairs. They appear in both Cyrillic and English, and I have no idea how accurate the translation is, only that the messages are so miserable and misanthropic as to be hilarious. “May you thoroughly realise that this world is like a ravine on fire,” reads one. Another: “One suffering replaces another type of suffering. We mistake the in-between time of this replacement to be happiness.”

The next couple of days pass in the countryside, far from the smoggy city. Our group travels west, slipping through Ulaanbaatar as fast as the traffic allows us and out the other side. We spend two nights in gers under a cold starry sky. Simply being in the immense stillness of the steppe feels almost transcendent.

We meet nomad couple Landa Yadamsuren and Diwa Gochoo. This is the first year they have worked in tourism and assure us that people are much easier to work with than livestock, and that when winter passes, they’ll come back and do it all again.

Their place seems idyllic, a flat piece of grassland sheltered from the wind and far enough from the road to feel genuinely remote. I assume they’ll come back here in spring.

“Well that totally depends on the grazing, how good it is for the animals,” Diwa says. “The animals are the most important thing. They always are.”

BY Jamie Lafferty
Jamie Lafferty is a writer and photographer based in Glasgow, Scotland. He has been to over 100 countries and all seven continents at least four times. He absolutely will steal your hotel's shampoo when you aren't looking.

China is planning to carve 1.800 km of elevated railway on pillars across the Gobi Desert, linking Mongolia and Russia, eliminating gauge bottlenecks www.en.clickpetroleoegas.com.br

Designed to cross the Gobi Desert in a corridor of over 1.800 km, the elevated railway on pillars connects the Erenhot border to Mongolia and continues towards Russia, standardizes the gauge, and promises to transport coal, copper, and rare earth elements to Chinese ports without stops at the border.
The Gobi Desert has always been more than just an empty space on the map: it's an extreme environment, with temperatures below -40°C in winter, temperatures above 50°C in summer, and terrain that changes behavior as the ground freezes and thaws. It is in this setting that China plans to build an elevated railway spanning 1.800 km, transforming a natural barrier into a logistics corridor.

The ambition goes beyond engineering. When a project begins to dictate the pace of coal, copper, and rare earth production, it ceases to be merely infrastructure and becomes an instrument of power.especially for a landlocked country, trapped between two neighbors and dependent on routes that are currently hindering its economy.

What makes the Gobi Desert such a challenging challenge for any project?
In the Gobi Desert, the problem isn't just traversing distance. The difficulty begins with the climate and is compounded by the soil: the aggressive temperature variations accelerate material fatigue and increase the likelihood of deformations, cracks, and settlement.

In regions where the terrain is unpredictable, infrastructure must contend with the elements year-round....and the cost of this struggle is evident in constant maintenance and interruptions.

There is also the factor of soil freezing and the associated instability, which can transform a traditional solution into a series of patchwork repairs.

Bridges and roads can suffer when permafrost begins to thaw and then hardens again, creating cycles of expansion and contraction that disrupt alignments and foundations. For a freight corridor, predictability is just as important as speed.

Why raising the tracks changes the logic of crossing the tracks.

Instead of rails resting on the ground, the proposal places the railway on concrete pillars fixed to a more solid base, below the layer that freezes and thaws. With the tracks suspended, the expansion and contraction of the ground no longer dictate the alignment of the line., reducing some of the effects that would destroy a structure at ground level.

This choice also reveals the type of priority for the project: operational continuity. Approximately 60% of the planned route would be elevated, while the remainder would be on the ground where the terrain allows.

The logic is to use long viaducts in the most problematic areas of the Gobi Desert, without turning the entire route into a single rigid solution and, at the same time, without accepting the bottlenecks that the terrain would impose.

The corridor's design: from Erenhot to Mongolia and towards Russia.
The railway corridor begins in Erenhot, on the border with Mongolia, crosses approximately 1.000 km of the Gobi Desert within Mongolian territory, reaches the capital and continues towards Russia, with its destination indicated as the city of Nausqu.

In total, the route covers more than 1.800 km and was designed for high cargo capacity, with an expected operating speed of up to 120 km/h.

In addition to the elevated structure, the project incorporates solutions for harsh weather and operational safety: tunnels with ventilation and heating in colder sections, systems to prevent rail freezing, real-time earthquake monitoring, and engineering adjustments to reduce failures in extreme environments.

The goal is not just to build, but to keep it running regularly.Even when winter becomes a daily test.

Gauge and bottlenecks: the detail that delays weeks and costs a lot.

There is a technical obstacle that, for decades, has acted as a barrier to exports: the gauge, the distance between the rails.

The rail network associated with the Soviet standard does not coincide with the standard gauge used by China. In practice, this forces transshipment: cargo leaves one train and enters another when crossing the border, which consumes time, increases operating costs, and amplifies the risk of queues and delays.

This type of bottleneck doesn't just appear on the clock. It translates into financial costs and loss of competitiveness. A shipment of coal capable of crossing the country in a few days can be stuck for weeks waiting for transfer.

When transportation becomes unpredictable, the exporting country loses bargaining power.Because the buyer prices in risk and demands tougher conditions.

Standardization that changes the flow and shortens the route to the ports.
The railway was designed to use the international standard gauge, aligned with the Chinese standard. This tends to eliminate the need to change trains at the border, allowing cargo to leave the mines in Mongolia and go directly to Chinese ports.

The change seems technical, but it alters the economic landscape: it shortens time, reduces handling, and decreases losses associated with transshipment and waiting.

This standardization also creates a less obvious consequence: it increases the physical integration between Mongolian production and the Chinese industrial chain.

When the route becomes direct, whoever controls the logistics begins to influence the pace of the market.Because it controls the "how much" and the "when" of each batch that arrives for processing and export.

What lies beneath: why coal, copper, and rare earth elements become the focus of the project.
Mongolia holds reserves that are changing the country's importance on the global stage. The Oyu Tolgoi mine in the south is described as the third largest copper mine on the planet. Meanwhile, the Tavan Tolgoi region is associated with approximately 6 billion tons of coal.

In addition, there are significant reserves of rare earth elements, including elements such as neodymium and dysprosium, which are essential for permanent magnets used in electric motors and wind turbines.

Copper, in particular, appears as a key input for electrification: solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles consume large quantities, and projections indicate that global demand for the metal will double by 2035.

In this context, Logistics is not a detail: it's what determines who delivers first, who delivers cheapest, and who sets the standard..

Why would China invest 50 to 80 billion dollars?
The estimated cost of the corridor is between 50 and 80 billion dollars, a level that usually requires clear justification.

The first is economic: transforming a "locked vault" into a continuous export flow, reducing weeks of waiting to hours or a few days of transit.

The second is industrial: to quickly get raw materials to processing, expanding control over value chains.

The third reason is strategic. China already accounts for about 40% of the world's copper processing and dominates approximately 85% of global rare earth processing.

If the corridor shortens the distance between Mongolian reserves and Chinese processing, it reinforces that position. It's not just about buying ore, but about reducing the chance of competitors vying for the route and supply..

The geopolitical component that frightens the West.
The corridor fits into the China-Mongolia-Russia economic axis, associated with the Belt and Road Initiative, and creates the prospect of a direct land link from the Chinese coast to Russian territory.

This tends to reduce dependence on maritime routes and strategic bottlenecks, offering a logistical alternative to the north in a scenario of tensions, sanctions, trade disputes and competition for critical minerals.

For Western countries, the fear is not just the project itself, but the cumulative effect: more distribution capacity, more predictability, more integration and, potentially, more influence on the prices and availability of inputs essential to industry and the energy transition.

When access to critical minerals becomes more concentrated, foreign policy begins to move hand in hand with logistics..

Mongolia between two powers: real opportunity and proportional risk.
Mongolia is the largest landlocked country in the world and is surrounded by two neighbors, Russia to the north and China to the south. Solar Energy Systems

This map already defines part of the destiny: any infrastructure solution increases interdependence with one side, with the other, or with both. Part of society sees in the corridor the chance to break a historical blockade, transforming mineral wealth into development.

At the same time, there is a risk of over-dependency. The country is often described as "a shrimp between two whales," because a decision that excessively favors one side can generate a reaction from the other.

The line can become a corridor of growth or a corridor of influence, depending on who dictates the terms.And this can't be solved with just concrete and railroad tracks.

Debt, concessions, and what contracts decide in the long term.
Concern about the so-called "debt trap" accompanies large projects financed by powerful nations.

The concern is that the partner will accumulate obligations that it cannot pay and, faced with this, will be pressured to grant long-term control over strategic assets.

One example is the case of Sri Lanka, where a 99-year concession was granted for a port after payment difficulties arose.

To mitigate this type of risk, negotiation proposals are emerging: Mongolia's own equity stake in the railway, tariffs defined in the contract, and clauses that prevent the loss of strategic assets in case of default.

Even so, The heart of the story lies in the details: currency, collateral, arbitrage, usage targets, and review mechanisms.That's where works of this magnitude usually gain or lose legitimacy.

The environmental impact on the Gobi Desert and what still needs to be clarified.
The Gobi Desert is home to rare and endangered species, such as the wild bacterial camel and the snow leopard.

An elevated railway can reduce some direct impacts on the soil, but it does not eliminate effects such as noise, vibration, habitat fragmentation, and pressure for auxiliary infrastructure, especially if the project stimulates the opening of new mines and support routes.

There is also criticism that the environmental studies released so far are not sufficient to measure all the risks.

In fragile ecosystems, the "functioning" of the structure is not the only criterion: what matters is how the surrounding region changes.This includes wildlife, migration routes, breeding areas, and human access to previously isolated zones.

2035: What would change in the speed of mining and in global competition?
In the most optimistic scenario, the start of operations is projected for 2035. If the railway delivers on its promises, the time leap would be enormous: coal that currently takes weeks to reach Chinese ports could be transported in less than 48 hours; copper from Oyu Tolgoi could reach foundries in less than a day.

This tends to reduce costs, increase predictability, and put pressure on competitors to seek alternative supply and processing methods.

But the consequence is ambiguous. The route could accelerate the energy transition by facilitating the flow of copper and rare earths, while at the same time boosting coal and mining expansion in the Gobi Desert. Solar Energy Systems

The same path that shortens distances can lengthen dilemmas.Because it places development, sovereignty, the environment, and global competition on the same level.

Ultimately, the question is not only whether the pillars will withstand the Gobi Desert, but whether the agreements will withstand the weight of what will be carried by them.

If you were a citizen of Mongolia, what would you demand in order to support this corridor?

Would you prefer tariffs and equity stakes guaranteed for decades, strict environmental limits with independent oversight, or total priority for rapid growth even at the risk of dependency?

And from the outside, do you see this project as necessary infrastructure or as a piece of control over critical minerals that the whole world needs?

By Maria Heloisa Barbosa Borges

ETT to payout 2025 dividends to shareholders by April 30 www.gogo.mn

The board of directors has approved distribution of dividends from the company’s 2025 net profit, the firm announced.

Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi reported a MNT 1.1 trillion net profit for 2025. The board agreed to pay a total of MNT 786.6 billion to shareholders, equivalent to ₮65.55 per share, of which MNT 208.5 billion will be paid to 3.5 million Mongolian shareholders.

The acting chief executive was instructed to organise payment to individual citizens holding 1,072 shares. Under the board decision, those shareholders will receive MNT 63,242 (after tax) each. The company said the dividend payments to holders of 1,072 shares will be completed by April 30, 2026, in accordance with the law and established procedures, and in cooperation with relevant authorities.

Mongolia Ranked Among Five Most Peaceful Countries in Asia www.montsame.mn

 In the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2025 report, Mongolia was ranked among the five most peaceful countries in Asia.   

Over the past 10 years, Mongolia’s performance in the GPI has improved, allowing the country to consistently rank among the world’s top 50 nations. For instance, in 2015, Mongolia ranked 42nd in the world with a score of 2.22. Ten years later, its score improved to 1.71, placing it 5th in Asia and 37th out of 163 countries globally.

The Asia ranking was led by Singapore, followed by Japan, Malaysia, and Bhutan, with Mongolia coming next.

Released annually by Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the GPI ranks over 163 independent states and territories according to their levels of peacefulness. A composite index measuring the peacefulness of the countries is made up of 23 quantitative and qualitative indicators, each weighted on a scale of 1-5. The lower the score, the more peaceful the country. Indicators include perceptions of criminality, homicide rate, intensity of internal conflict, weapons imports, deaths from internal conflict, external conflicts fought, and others.

According to the report, Mongolia received favorable evaluations for its relatively stable political environment in the region, low level of external conflict, and strong indicators of societal safety and security.