Mongolia has launched a unique mass health screening programme to pre-emptively test the entire population for major diseases within 12 months. The government hopes the annual programme would promote health literacy and identify serious ailments before they became costly.

Some 800,000 of the 3.4 million population had already undergone a comprehensive set of health assessments, including blood work, X-rays, and other diagnostic tests, to detect a range of conditions, from cancer to cardiovascular disease.

It has a heavy burden of alcohol abuse disorders, heart disease, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, and suffers from the highest liver and stomach cancer rates in the world.

The new healthcare programme, which screens the population by age group and is funded by the National Health Insurance scheme, is unique in the Asia-Pacific region in its scope and scale.

It covers a vast range of assessments for mental health, diabetes, glucose levels, Hepatitis B and C, cervical and esophageal cancers. The programme, which is also being supported by the World Health Organization, includes an electrocardiogram test and ultrasounds of the abdomen, thyroid and breasts.

Early results have shown that digestive organ issues, cancer, and precancer disease are high among adults in the city, while tooth disease is also high, especially among nomadic children. Of the cancers diagnosed, 20 per cent have been linked to the stomach.

Mongolia managed to maintain one of the lowest morbidity rates from Covid-19 in the world.

On January 11, MIAT State Owned Enterprise introduced the "Special Tariff to Support Tourism" and signed a memorandum with the Mongolian Tourism Association with the purpose of improving the cooperation condition between tourism and air transport.

B.Munkhtamir, Executive Director of MIAT Mongolian Airlines, was interviewed related to this.

-How does MIAT cooperate with tourism companies and support the development of the sector?

-On January 11, MIAT SOE signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mongolian Tourism Association. We have been cooperating with regular understanding over the past years. MIAT SOE approved the special tourism tariff in 2022 in order to support tourism. The implementation of this tariff was not as we expected. And we discussed the reasons and further improvements.

The Government of Mongolia has announced tourism as a major sector for economic development. As a result, 2023-2025 has been set as the "Year of Visiting Mongolia" and a goal of receiving one million tourists. In this framework, tourism and airline companies are making discussions on further cooperation and mutual benefits. The role and participation of both the tourism and transport sectors is very important in this.

DIRECT FLIGHT TO THE U.S IS PLANNED

-Please give us details about the special tariff that is being discussed as the main topic.

-There is a space for tourism development except for peak summer months which are June, July and August. Tourists travel a lot during summer months in Mongolia. During summer, the workload of airline companies is the highest. Related to this, we are making a special tariff for tourism.

In particular, we are preparing a winter time schedule for tourists coming to Mongolia. In the framework of the government's policy, tourists who will participate in the events organized throughout 2023 will have flights with discounted prices.

In 2023, MIAT is expecting to make flights of 23,000 hours and sell about 750,000 seats. Before the pandemic, we used to make flights of 19,000 hours per annum. This year, we made a plan to have 4,000 hours more, which is the largest target in the history of MIAT.

In addition, we are planning to open direct flights to the United States in the first and second quarters of 2024. In this regard, before the peak summer season of 2023, MIAT will bring a wide body aircraft. This plane will make long distance flights. So there will be no shortage of planes.

Also, a 20-hour weekly flight will be made to Seoul. Six flights to Frankfurt, four to Istanbul and 11 to Beijing are planned weekly.

-People criticize that the flight ticket price is high compared to other countries.

-The special tariff for the winter schedule for tourists will be about 50% off the average tariff. We've worked hard on fuel and plane rentals, which make up the airfare. Starting from 2022, we started to buy fuel at a relatively low price. The related law was amended with the support of the Government and Parliament of Mongolia.

For example, the tariff for the Ulaanbaatar-Istanbul flight was reduced to MNT 1.8 million. The lowest price was MNT 3.8 million before MIAT opened the new Ulaanbaatar-Istanbul destination in April 2022. This is an example of the rapid decline in ticket prices. Ticket prices are expected to decrease in other destinations as well.

-Does it mean a special tariff will be applied after signing the memorandum? When will the implementation start?

-In the main provisions of the memorandum, it was reflected in the work on the basis of signing a contract. This memorandum is about MIAT will support the development of tourism in Mongolia in the future. No contract has been made yet.

Within the framework of the memorandum, we held a meeting with the Mongolian Tourism Association, and made discussions. MIAT should also look at their own benefits. We will work in a mutually beneficial way.

- Does the special tariff apply to tourists coming through a travel company?

-No, all tourists can get a special tariff. We can’t give advantage to certain companies. Therefore, the procedure for implementation of special tariffs is presented. Tourists using this tariff must participate in certain events, and there are requirements such as traveling to Mongolia with a group with at least 4 people. The reason we are talking about this discount is because the airline business depends on two things; one of them is seat occupancy. If the seat is not sold, the company will have a loss. If the seat occupancy is full, we will start lowering the prices accordingly. There is a policy of reducing prices and keeping seats fully sold.

-Thank you for the interview.

-Thank you.

There is an old building beside The Wrestling Palace in 6th Khoroo, Bayanzurkh district. The first Telecommunication Center was operated in this building in 1914 by order of the first Prime Minister of Mongolia T. Namnansuren. The Museum of Communication was also here from 1921-1998.

In 2004, the Government agency for State Procurement decided that “Van Khuu” LLC’s ownership was illegal. Therefore, the state registration certificate of the company was revoked and its ownership was given to the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications on February 11, 2020.

Law enforcement agencies repeatedly gave the notice to vacate the property for 2 years. Thus, on January 13, the building was evicted according to the ruling of the Bayanzurkh Civil Court.

MONTSAME News Agency interviewed Mr. Evariste Kouassi-Komlan who was appointed as the UNICEF Representative to Mongolia in November 2021. He has extensive experience with children's issues in the development and complex humanitarian contexts, with a focus on ensuring linkages between climate change and social sectors, and a history of establishing partnerships.

Education: Master of Science in Utility Management from UNESCO-IHE in the Netherlands, and a Certificate of Senior Leadership and Development from Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge in the UK.

Good morning, Mr. Evariste Kouassi-Komlan. You have been in Mongolia for over a year now. What are your main wishes for the country in 2023?

-Since I arrived a year and one month ago in Mongolia, there have been a lot of substantial growth in many areas of the country. Mongolia has acceded to core human rights treaties and has set up an institutional mechanism to meet the commitments under international norms and standards.

Remarkable progress has been made in reducing child mortality rates, stunting and malnutrition, as well as expanding access to water and sanitation, kindergarten, and school. The past year's air pollution strategy and investment were also remarkable. There are still many works to do in different areas on children’s rights toward the achievement of Sustainable development goals.

My wishes for 2023 are more cohesion at all levels, stability in different institutions, and more resources to address child-related issues in the country. We all love children and wish all the children happiness and a healthy life in 2023.

UNICEF executive board approved the Mongolian New Country Programme, 2023-2027 in September last year. Can you tell us what the major shifts are?

-Well, we are incredibly happy that our New Country Programme 2023-2027 went through a very consultative and smooth process and was approved by the executive board of UNICEF on September 7, 2022. I want to express my profound gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other ministries for their input and discussions around the programme before it went to our Executive Board.

Our ambition is to reach every child in all settings.

Over 50 years, the cooperation between Mongolia and UNICEF has been excellent. A lot of progress for children have been made over the decades. However, there are a lot of unfinished business and new issues that demand our full attention. These are concerning (1) child labor, (2) obesity, (3) quality education and online education, (4) water and sanitation, (5) online child abuse, (6) adolescent mental health, (7) air pollution, and ( climate change. These are all issues that UNICEF is working on in the New Country Programme 2023-2027.

First, our previous country programmeme targeted three geographical provinces. In this new programmeme, we expanded to cover nationwide, meaning we will evaluate each province based on strategic areas we've developed to meet the unique requirements of each province and then engage in a Fact Check discussion. During the Fact Check discussion, our team in UB will communicate with provincial governors and co-design solutions.

Secondly, there are some areas that require fundamental improvement. For instance, children screening, one of the top three issues in the health sector, and education. In the education sector, we will focus on digital learning, a challenge not only for Mongolia but for the entire world. We will address online protection as part of our focus on children's online safety in Child protection.

In the framework of the New Country programme, we should provide modern and energy-efficient solutions to reduce air pollution for the gers, and improve indoor air quality, especially in kindergartens, schools, hospitals, homes, and office spaces. Moreover, there is a need to provide good health and information services for people at risk.

In terms of the geographical scope, we need to expand our programme to other urban areas in the country and reach all the areas in the country based on Provincial needs.

As I said, our ambition is to move from specific geographical targeting as done in the previous years to reach every child in all settings.

One of the shifts the country will operate is the expansion of the Child protection programme. Can you elaborate more on this? Since Mongolia is facing an unprecedented child protection issue online and offline?

-The Child protection issue is one of the areas that we would like to put more emphasis through our new programme. We have revamped our child protection programme and put it as one of the key pillars of the programme due to the challenges that many children face during the pandemic.

We have witnessed numerous cases of online bullying and harassment that have become a major concern worldwide, not just in Mongolia. Children are at risk of becoming victims of online bullying and harassment accidentally and exposure to inappropriate content.

As most countries in East Asia and the Pacific region lack sufficient legislation and policies to protect children's safety online, some online abuse and exploitation are not fully criminalized. Children, parents, and teachers are not fully aware of the evolving risks posed online. Children (and their caregivers and teachers) need to have the knowledge and digital literacy skills, information to know what to do and where to seek help when they experience problems online, and to avoid becoming victims of online violence themselves.

So, it is one of the areas we need to train more people. Then, we can address the area proportionally based on the country's resources and capacities. To do that, we will cooperate with the ministries. Because it requires a cross-sectoral approach.

For solving the child protection issues in the country, every sector needs to work together such as Justice and Police, Education, Child Protection, and the Ministry of Digital communication, etc.

The next one is offline issues or domestic violence, which is one of the issues we are still facing. I believe the challenges we face now are how to collaborate with numerous organizations, including the Grass-Root Organization, to improve parenting and to engage in face-to-face discussions with families to reduce these types of abuses. The situation that children face in domestic settings will be our priority this coming year.

These circumstances motivate us to expand our child protection efforts in Mongolia.

In addition to the child protection shift, your vision is to work in all the provinces. What capacities and resources do you have available?

-So, we will spend over USD 60 million in the coming 5 years on our programme. Reaching every child approach is the core of our interventions. Our strategic interventions will focus on six main strategic interventions as described below and will form the basis of the identification of areas in need of our intervention.

1) System strengthening, 2) Evidence to promote child right issues, 3) Leveraging financial resources, 4) Building sustainable markets, 5) Empowering the community, 6) Delivery supplies.

We have started working with many provinces to identify the needs and where we can jointly contribute since 2021. In this case, our interventions can be beneficial and based on the needs of each province.

My last trips were to Sukhbaatar and Khentii aimags where we discussed more Integrated Earlier Child development, air pollution, and climate change issues.

With the technical assistance available in UNICEF and the ability to work at global standards and norms, we will be able to support most of the provinces and leverage domestic resources, including private sector resources for better results for the children in Mongolia.

Private sector plays a significant role in your new strategy. Can you tell us more about how you will work with the private sector?

-The private sector is a huge contributor to our goal globally. They contribute a lot in terms of financial resources, innovations, and many other aspects.

1) Innovation, expertise, and capabilities which businesses can bring through technologies, entrepreneurship; market-based solutions, and distribution networks; 2) Investment capacity, and managerial and operational expertise 3) The private sector's extensive networks and operations provide distribution channels to reach inclusive value chain actors ranging from SMEs to retailers and consumers; 4) The private sector's vast financial resources and expertise in market-based solutions have the potential for achieving scale and sustainability in tackling systemic environmental challenges; 5) Extended investment horizons based on asset lifespans; 6) Policy influence and the capability to deliver what in-country governments seek to achieve, such as improved service delivery, resilience to climate change, and human health that gives businesses a strong, knowledgeable voice to inform policy that supports transparent, inclusive sustainable development; and 7) Philanthropy.

UNICEF will collaborate with the private sector as follows: As an initiator: Creating new projects and initiatives that have real commercial potential for upscaling and transformation on a global scale. That can involve technical assistance, granting, or blended finance.

As a catalyzer (Broker): Fostering existing projects and initiatives (platforms) that have demonstrated potential to scale up, out, and deep. Top up these projects to reach the scale expected.

As a facilitator, supporting the conditions that can foster the creation of a forum, bring together key parties, reach into the public sector domain, build institutional capacity, and leverage existing local networks. Policy and regulatory support, provision of seed capital, and capacity building would be examples of facilitator roles.

Private sectors contribute significantly to our core global resources, and it is time to call for large private sector engagement to address child right issues in Mongolia.

The municipality of Ulaanbaatar city has officially named a street under UNICEF. What is your plan for that street?

-It is a huge recognition of the UNICEF work in Mongolia. Having a Street named after UNICEF is a great honor for us. It is not only UNICEF street but also the children’s street. So more collaboration, more intervention, and more contribution from many partners working on child right is required.

I wish our street would be children-friendly, and safe when children are crossing the road, walking alone, and standing on the street. Moreover, it would be full of entertainment that children can enjoy.

I would like to thank all the citizens in these areas, the district governor, and the municipality for this honor.

What are your wishes for all the children in 2023?

-My hope for Mongolia in 2023 is improved cohesion at all levels, institutional stability, and more resources to address Mongolia's most pressing issue. I would like to say to all the children in Mongolia, we are here for you, we love you, and we wish you a year of joy and love. As you know, we love children, we will keep loving them, and wish them incredibly good prospects and hopes for the new year.

2023 is the beginning of the Our New Country Programme, which will be implemented till 2027. This New Country Programme is calling upon all the citizens and private sectors in Mongolia to join this effort that we are making.

Thank you!

Mongolia has imported 117 buses from China since the neighboring country opened its border on January 8.

Ulaanbaatar plans to import a total of 224 buses to improve public transport system.

The buses were imported through the port of Erenhot in northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. 107 more are scheduled to arrive before the Mongolian New Year's spring holiday, Tsagaan Sar.

117 new buses have started running in Ulaanbaatar since Monday.

Erenhot Port is the largest land port between China and Mongolia. Erenhot border checkpoint opened two "green corridors" and assigned special screening personnel to facilitate the clearance of vehicles due to the large number of exported buses.

Khaltmaagiin Battulga, the former President of Mongolia, who is engaged in the coal business, returned to his hometown after receiving treatment in Korea and participated in the national judo championship. informs website isee.mn.

Battulga played sambo and judo for the Mongolia national team. In 1983 he became the world champion in sambo in Kiev, and in 1986 and 1990 he was the vice world champion. He is the president of the Mongolian Judo Federation.

On January 14, the Mongolian judo championship started at the Ulan Bator wrestling palace. On the social network page of the Mongolian Judo Federation, photos from the first day’s struggles, award-winning athletes and the jury were published. Battulga sits among the judges – in a suit, red scarf and baseball cap.

The Mongolian Anti-Corruption Agency released a list of people involved in the theft of coal exported to China on 13 December. One of the defendants was named Battulga, who served as president from 2017 to 2021. He was interrogated on 15 December, but on 18 December it was learned that he had flown from Mongolia to South Korea for scheduled treatment. Zandraagiin Dashdavaa, head of Mongolia’s independent Anti-Corruption Agency, told parliament on December 21 that he did not think Battulga had escaped investigation and hoped he would come forward when summoned to court. According to Mongolian media, the amount of damage caused by the theft can be up to 13 billion dollars.

Source: Ria

Two decades ago, Sumiyabazar Dolgorsuren was battling opponents on the wrestling mat as an Olympic athlete. Now he spends his days trying to put a stranglehold on Ulaanbaatar’s traffic and air pollution problems as mayor of the Mongolian capital.

While his wrestling career is over, Sumiyabazar is still taking on challenges that result in both wins and losses. He’s credited with improving parks and open spaces, but has been blamed for the increasingly intolerable traffic.

There is a lot riding on his success. The population of Ulaanbaatar has nearly tripled in the past two decades to 1.6mn people, putting a heavy strain on its ageing infrastructure, which mostly dates to the Soviet era. Many residents are looking to the 48-year-old mayor to fix their city’s multitude of problems, which range from affordable housing to air pollution to traffic.

The challenges are immense but Sumiyabazar is no stranger to pressure. He won the wrestling tournament in 2006. He has also represented Mongolia in the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics. He even had a short stint as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.

His unique ability to successfully throw his competitors to the ground runs in the family – his three brothers and his father have all wrestled at the national tournament level. One brother, Dagvadorj, went to Japan where he became a Yokozuna, the highest honour in sumo wrestling.

While some snickered at a wrestler trying to govern the nation’s capital, politics and wrestling have mingled before in the North Asian country.

Mongolia’s most famous wrestler, Bat-Erdene Badmaanyambuu, won the national Naadam tournament 11 times and then went on to a successful career as a member of parliament. Another wrestler and judo phenomenon, Batulgaa Khaltmaa, served as Mongolia’s fifth president.

Boxers and wrestlers beyond Mongolia’s borders have also achieved political success after retirement. Kyiv’s current mayor, Vitali Klitschko, has won multiple heavyweight titles as a boxer. And the flamboyant professional wrestler Jesse Ventura had a run as Minnesota’s governor in the early 2000s.

Sumiyabazar has followed their lead and is looking to make a name for himself as a problem solver. He has slashed spending to tighten up the city’s budget, going as far as banning end-of-year holiday parties for city staffers.

Bespectacled and fond of dark suits, Sumiyabazar does his work with an air of modesty. In a recent promotional video with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), he appears seated next to a chess board, busily arranging papers on his desk while speaking excitedly about transportation upgrades in the city.

As for alleviating city congestion, he’s made decentralisation a priority for his administration. A plan to build six commercial and administrative hubs in different corners of the capital is in motion to minimise the need for residents to go downtown.

City Hall has already moved from the central square to the southern outskirts. A new suburb close to the new airport is being planned. Sumiyabazar has been busy ordering the demolition of unsightly and illegally-placed garages, storage units and fences across the city.

Improving the city’s greenspace and public gathering areas has also been a priority. Especially downtown, where he’s transformed vast areas of waste ground into public parks.

The Children’s Park – a downtown fixture of the city that has been partially boarded up for years following an attempted land grab – is also going back to public hands. The mayor has vowed to redevelop the park and has enlisted financial aid from mining giant Rio Tinto.

Tree planting is also high on the city’s agenda. In March Sumiyabazar announced that 120 million trees will be planted by 2030, as part of the government's plan to plant 1 billion trees across the country.

"The Amusement Park area should be turned into a green space," Sumiyabazar said in a public address. "The one billion tree national movement is important for establishing parks and green space in every district to create a comfortable living environment for citizens."

The mayor has also taken steps to stop the destruction of historic Russian buildings in his city and has taken measures to have them preserved.

“The various beautification and livability projects of the downtown core have been pursued with some drive and competence,” said Julian Dierkes, a Canadian professor of public policy and a frequent visitor to the city. “It’s less clear that this is earning him much public approval.”

As Dierkes indicates, many have expressed doubt that Sumiyabazar’s public improvement projects have amounted to money well spent. Social media critics have lashed out at some of the efforts, forcing the mayor to pull the plug on at least one of them, a plan to improve the flow of the Selbe River through the city.

Many locals want the city to focus on improving infrastructure beyond downtown. The city’s shambolic outskirts, known locally as ger (or yurt) districts, are still in a dire state.

Most of these areas lack many basic utilities such as central heat and running water. Paved roads, public schools, emergency services and other features of urban fabric are also lacking or absent. Families heat their homes with coal briquettes which pollutes areas around the city.

Sumiyabazar, a member of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP), appears to favour a policy of replacing the ger districts with apartment complexes, giving residents an option to swap their land for a condominium.

The mayor announced earlier this year that 30bn tugrik ($8.8mn) would be set aside in the capital city budget to improve infrastructure in ger districts. It’s far short of what is needed to overhaul these areas but Mongolia’s budget has been constrained by a drop in foreign investment and global economic headwinds that have sent inflation soaring.

In order to pay for improvements Sumiyabazar has tried opening doors to new businesses, promoting the free market economy, and loosening restrictions. Last year he lifted most restrictions on closing times, allowing business owners to work through the night.

"There should be nightlife and business in Ulaanbaatar," he said in a release. "If you have a dedicated building for your service and trade you can not only open bars and discos but also restaurants, coffeeshops and grocery stores until 5:00 am., increasing your income and expanding your business."

"We aim to create city streets that promote Mongolian customs, culture, national cuisine, and livelihoods to support citizens and businesses and to actively implement policies in Ulaanbaatar to support tourism and development."

Despite the visual enhancements in Ulaanbaatar, Sumiyabazar still faces public opinion challenges. He gets credit for improving the atmosphere downtown. But he also gets panned by netizens looking for officials to blame for the city’s traffic woes.

Others are just wary of Ulaanbaatar politicians, given the city’s history of corruption and land grabs committed under previous administrations. Escaping clouds of controversy is not easy in a country where the public assumes most politicians are running shady side hustles, made all the more apparent by recent headlines of a “coal mafia” profiting off the country’s mining industry.

“I am very sceptical that the Sumiyabazar team can change Ulaanbaatar into a better place,” said Sumati Luvsandendev, head of the Sant Maral Foundation, a public polling organisation. “All consecutive city governments have a reputation for high level corruption, mismanagement, and low professionalism.”

In order to succeed he’ll need to stay above the finger-pointing and allegations that threaten to topple other senior leaders in power. But Sumiyabazar is not one to compete in a popularity contest. He grew up resolving issues less with charm and more with brute strength.

Personality may not be Sumiyabazar’s strong suit. But fixing the city’s multitude of problems will require a different sort of effort, a full-throttle approach that might be well suited to a person who rose to power through a sport that requires not just strength, but considerable strategy too.

By Michael Kohn