Non-Resident Ambassadors to Mongolia Present Letters of Credence to the President of Mongolia www.montsame.mn

On April 21, 2025, non-resident Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign countries to Mongolia presented their Letters of Credence to President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Cambodia to Mongolia Soeung Rathchavy, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of Burkina Faso to Mongolia Daouda Bitié, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Mongolia Vahe Gevorgyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Zambia to Mongolia Ivan Zyuulu, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Republic of Tanzania to Mongolia Khamis Omar, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway to Mongolia Vebjørn Dysvik presented their Letters of Credence to President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa. President Khurelsukh expressed congratulations to the non-resident Ambassadors on assuming their duties and wished them success. 
The Head of State of Mongolia expressed confidence that the Ambassadors would strive to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation, and affirmed that the State and Government of Mongolia would provide full support in this regard. President Khurelsukh emphasized Mongolia’s commitment to enhancing cooperation within the international community, including the United Nations and other international organizations.

Reviving the Steppe: Mongolia's Living Laboratory for Combating Desertification www.undp.org

Nearly eighty percent of Mongolia’s land is degraded, that is nearly twice as much as the global rate. This stark reality places the country at the center of one of the world’s most urgent environmental challenges—desertification. As grasslands give way to dust and livelihoods are pushed to the brink, Mongolia is a powerful example of both the severity of land degradation and the real, replicable solutions to reverse it.
That is why, in 2026, Mongolia will host the 17th session of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17), a crucial global forum to accelerate action against desertification, land degradation, and drought. This recognition reflects not only the scale of the country’s land degradation, but also Mongolia’s growing voice in the global movement to restore ecosystems and protect the communities who depend on them.
Mongolia is home to some of the world’s most fragile rangelands, with desertification threatening biodiversity, rural livelihoods, and food security. In response, the country has launched bold initiatives, like the “Billion Tree” campaign to restore degraded ecosystems and the successful effort to designate 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, approved by the United Nations. By hosting COP17, Mongolia is offering its land, experience, and solutions to the world.
UNDP Mongolia
One such experience can be found in Mongolia’s Research and Experimental Station for Desertification Mitigation in Elsentasarkhai, strategically located between the grassland and the desert. Established in 2011, this unique 45-hectare site, one of the only three in the country, is reshaping how the country approaches desertification by becoming the testing ground for land restoration and sustainable land management solutions. 
Supported by UNDP’s “Sustainable Land Management to Combat Desertification” project (2008–2012),  funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Government of the Netherlands, the Station has grown from a modest outpost into a living laboratory for scalable, community-adapted solutions. With support from the project, the Station was equipped with essential infrastructure—including a training center, solar panels, and a transport vehicle, as well as capacity-building training for staff. These contributions played a crucial role in ensuring the Station's sustainable operation over the past 14 years.
Here, science meets the soil, literally. The station tests everything from straw-based sand barriers that halt dune movement, to windbreak forest belts that reclaim degraded roadsides, to the cultivation of 21 rare and endangered native tree and shrub species. Each intervention is tested not in theory, but in the dry, wind-swept conditions that define much of Mongolia’s rangelands.
“We call it a station, but it is really a living laboratory,” says Dr. Khaulanbek Akhmadi, Senior Researcher of Desertification Study, Institute of Geography and Geoecology of Mongolia, and Adviser to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. He is also the Station’s founding lead scientist, who has been overseeing the operation since 2011. “Everything we try here is meant to work not just in theory, but in the real, harsh conditions herder communities face every day.”
The Station’s influence extends well beyond its physical boundaries. Its research directly informs Mongolia’s National Action Programme to Combat Desertification, feeds into major national efforts like the Billion Trees campaign, and provides a foundation for future climate-resilient planning.
UNDP Mongolia
One of the station’s successes has been the development of windbreak forest belts. Across a stretch of degraded land, rows of hardy native trees were planted in strategic patterns. These strips reduced wind speeds, enabling sand to accumulate and perennial grasses to re-establish themselves naturally, a proof that nature-based solutions can reverse the desert's advance.
“This is not just about planting trees,” says Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia. “It’s about piloting what works, proving it, and then scaling it through national leadership. This Station is the testing ground that feeds into Mongolia’s broader land restoration strategy.”
In another project, the station installed mechanical straw barriers across 10 hectares of shifting sand dunes spanning Bulgan, Uvurkhangai, and Tuv provinces. These simple but effective 1x1 meter grids stabilize sand for 3–4 years giving native vegetation a chance to reclaim the land. 
Training and public awareness are also core to the Station’s work. Through partnerships with local governments and conservation authorities, the Station regularly hosts workshops on land degradation monitoring, seed propagation, and environmental stewardship. For herders, local officials, and students, the station is more than a research site, it’s a place of learning and action.
“The station embodies the spirit of what we hope to showcase at UNCCD COP17,” says Her Excellency Chimguundari Navaan-Yunden, Ambassador-at-Large and Director of Mongolia’s COP17 Preparatory Office. “It is a model of how science, community, national government, and international cooperation can come together to address one of the most pressing issues of our time.”
UNDP Mongolia
The center’s operations are also climate-smart. Since 2011, it has operated a solar-powered deep well providing uninterrupted access to water for over a decade. Also, the Station takes advantage of energy generated by solar panels. This low-cost, low-maintenance solution allows it to operate more sustainably and clean compared to coal-based electricity-generating solutions. 
At a time when scientific and practical expertise in land degradation and desertification is needed more than ever, the Station is also emerging as a vital knowledge hub serving not only as a research site, but also as a learning ground for the next generation of scientists. It has supported over 40 research projects, including five international collaborations, and has attracted Master’s and PhD students from Mongolia and abroad, including from the Republic of Korea.
UNDP Mongolia
“We are grateful to see that the investments made by SDC and the Government of the Netherlands in our project have had a significant impact here,” says Matilda Dimovska, UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia. “The lessons from Elsentasarkhai extend far beyond its borders. This is a story of transformation of land, of knowledge, and of national capacity.”
As Mongolia prepares to host UNCCD COP17, the Station in Elsentasarkhai offers a concrete model for action grounded in science, driven by experience, and equipped with tried-and-true local solutions to inform global progress in sustainable land management. Its success reflects what is possible when local institutions are empowered, international partners collaborate meaningfully, and innovation is rooted in the realities of rural life.

Lukashenko Invites 150,000 Pakistanis To Work In Belarus Amid Labor Shortage www.rferl.org

In a rare moment of international visibility, Belarusian strongman Aleksandr Lukashenko welcomed Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for an official visit to Minsk on April 10, hailing it as a significant milestone in bilateral relations.
The visit, which continued on April 11, resulted in multiple agreements spanning military cooperation, food security, and trade. Most notably, Lukashenko offered to accept up to 150,000 Pakistani workers to help address Belarus's deepening labor shortage.
For Lukashenko, whose presidency remains unrecognized by the West following the widely disputed 2020 election and subsequent brutal crackdown on dissent, any direct engagement with a foreign leader carries enormous symbolic and strategic value. Isolated diplomatically, shunned by the European Union and the United States, and increasingly reliant on Moscow, Lukashenko has few opportunities to present himself as a legitimate international actor.
"Pakistan has many people who want and are ready to work in Belarus," Lukashenko said during a joint press conference, emphasizing Belarus would create the "necessary conditions" for their employment. With more than 198,000 job vacancies reported across the country, the proposal aims to inject labor into an economy under pressure.
The move, however, raises alarm bells across neighboring European Union states.
The offer to import tens of thousands of Pakistani workers can certainly be viewed with suspicion in neighboring NATO member states Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.
In a 2021-22 border crisis, Belarus was accused of using migrants as pawns in a political standoff with the EU. Belarus facilitated travel for migrants from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia -- including Pakistan -- and directed them toward the EU's external borders, triggering a humanitarian and security crisis.
At the time, thousands of migrants were left stranded in forests along Belarus's borders with Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, often with no food, shelter, or legal protection.
Belarusian authorities were accused of weaponizing migration in retaliation for Western sanctions.
Polish, Latvian, and Lithuanian border guards resorted to pushbacks, resulting in dozens of deaths, international condemnation, and an enduring mistrust of Minsk's migration policies.
During the visit, Belarus and Pakistan signed a military cooperation agreement and a roadmap for defense-industrial ties through 2027, deepening ties between the two countries, as well as other pacts and economic memoranda.
Notably absent from the spotlight, however, is any substantial record of recent trade volume.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry last reported annual bilateral trade with Pakistan for the year 2020, saying it ranged from $50 million to $65 million -- a far cry from a 2015 vow to grow trade between the two countries to $1 billion.
For comparison, Pakistan's primary trading partners in 2023 included China, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia; Belarus didn't make the list.
For Lukashenko, however, Sharif's visit may offer a diplomatic lifeline and a moment of validation. For the EU, it brings back memories of 2021-2022. It may be a warning sign that the authoritarian leader of Belarus could once again use people as leverage in his ongoing standoff with the West.

Two More Russia-Mongolia Border Logistics Terminals To Be Built In Buryatia www.russiaspivottoasia.com

7 killed, 6 injured in road accidents in Mongolia in 3 days www.xinhuanet.com

Seven people have been killed and six others injured in road accidents in Mongolia in three days, the country's traffic police department said Monday.
"The overwhelming majority of these traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas during the weekends," the department said.
Road accidents in Mongolia happen more often during the weekends due to an increasing number of people who travel to the countryside, said the department, urging drivers to strictly comply with road traffic regulations to protect themselves and their loved ones.
In 2024, 21,485 road traffic accidents were recorded across Mongolia, killing 83 people and injuring 1,528 others, according to the traffic police department.

Invitation: 1st Global Coking Coal Conference 2025. May 20-22 in Xiamen, China www.sxcoal.com

Against the backdrop of accelerating global energy transition and carbon neutrality goals, coking coal—a critical raw material in the steel industry chain—is undergoing profound transformations in its supply-demand dynamics, trade flows, and sustainable development pathways. In this context, the 1st Global Coking Coal Conference will be held during May 20-22 in Xiamen, China.
Key topics will cover:
ž   China, as the world’s largest steel producer and coking coal consumer, will play a pivotal role in shaping global trade patterns. Key factors include the operational trends of its steel industry, green and low-carbon transition pathways for its coking sector, and the challenges and opportunities within its domestic coal market.
ž   International Coking Coal and Coke Trade Dynamics and Market Opportunities
ž   Mongolian Coal Industry Prospects and Pricing Methods Exploration
ž   Russia's Coking Coal Domestic Demand, Export, and Potential Market Variables
ž   How Does Australian Coking Coal Cope with Significantly Increased Costs?
ž   Indonesia's Coking Industry: Prospects, Challenges, and Coal Sources Selection
ž   India's Steel and Coking Industries: Current Status, Future Trends, and Coking Coal Demand Prospects
ž   Key industrial technologies advancements going green
The event aims to invite industry leaders and experts to delve into the synergies and competition between China and global coking coal markets, analyze technological pathways and market opportunities under green transition pressures, and assess the impacts of geopolitical factors, cost volatility, and trade policies on resource flows. The goal is to provide strategic foresight and decision-making insights for stakeholders across the global industrial chain.
Email: ailsa.wang@fwenergy.com

Amendments to Parliamentary Election Law approved www.ubpost.mn

Mongolian banking sector's net external assets decreased by 46 pct at end of March www.xinhuanet.com

The Mongolian banking sector's net external assets decreased by 46 percent year-on-year to reach 5.3 trillion Mongolian tugriks (1.48 billion U.S. dollars), local media reported on Sunday, citing data from the National Statistics Office (NSO).
During the period, the net domestic assets of Mongolia's banks reached 36.2 trillion tugriks (10.16 billion dollars), which represents an increase of 31 percent compared to the same period of 2024.
Meanwhile, the cumulative savings within Mongolian commercial banks demonstrated a robust performance, reaching a total volume of 22.1 trillion tugriks (6.20 billion dollars) by the end of March 2025.
It is noted that the Mongolian tugrik savings experienced a substantial uptick, surging by 22 percent, while dollar savings exhibited a more modest increase of 10.4 percent.
Currently, there are about 1,500 branches of 11 commercial banks operating in Mongolia.

Mongolia's industrial output increases 17 pct in Q1 www.xinhuanet.com

 Mongolia's industrial output reached 7.9 trillion Mongolian tugriks (2.21 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of 2025, a 17 percent increase year-on-year, local media reported on Sunday, citing data from the National Statistics Office (NSO).
It was mainly attributed to a significant increase in the output of main mining and extractive products, the NSO said in a statement.
During the period, iron ore production increased by 27.2 percent, while the volume of coal production went up 11.8 percent against the corresponding period of 2024.
Currently, the mining sector remains one of the main pillars of the Mongolian economy, as the country is rich in natural resources such as gold, silver, copper and coal.
Mining commodities, such as coal, copper and unprocessed or semi-processed gold, constituted about 90 percent of Mongolia's total exports during this period, the data showed.

Why Mongolia Matters in Northeast Asia www.arctusanalytics.com

Northeast Asia is home to some of the world’s most powerful and influential nations, collectively making up about 20% of the world’s GDP. This region – consisting of China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, and Mongolia – is marked by intricate geopolitical dynamics. Despite long-standing historical tensions and unresolved rivalries, countries in this region are becoming increasingly interdependent. Yet, at the same time, geopolitical friction and uncertainty continue to rise.
This growing competition among major powers isn’t limited to Northeast Asia, but is evident globally, marked by growing hostility, an escalating arms race and a more volatile security environment that’s shaking up both domestic and foreign policy across nations. To illustrate, the ongoing tariff wars and trade disputes are rattling economies, while rising unpredictability feeds protectionist chaos. In addition, conflicts like Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, are stalling the advancement of multilateralism and reinforcing the idea of “a G-Zero World” – a global leadership deficit, as highlighted in the Eurasia Group’s 2025 Top Risks Report.
Amidst this tension, Mongolia stands out with a unique position. It is the only country in the region that has no territorial disputes, no military alliances, and no major political conflicts with its neighbors. That gives Mongolia something rare in Northeast Asia: genuine neutrality.
This position hasn’t come by chance – it’s the result of decades of carefully crafted foreign policy, grounded in independence and a diplomatic balancing act. Mongolia’s relationships with China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, and the United States are built on mutual respect and long-term strategic thinking. Our nuclear-weapon-free status, officially recognized in 2012, is yet another example of this deliberate and thoughtful approach to global engagement.
Lately, there have been growing murmurs about Mongolia emerging as a possible ‘mediator’ in regional diplomacy. Some international policy circles have floated the idea of Mongolia hosting future high-level talks between the United States and North Korea – particularly in light of Donald Trump’s re-election. While such discussions are still speculative and have been on and off since 2018, the fact that the idea continues to resurface says a lot. It’s a sign that Mongolia is seen as a neutral and practical venue for delicate diplomatic conversations.
Whether or not such a summit ever occurs is beside the point. What matters is that Mongolia remains in the conversation as a place where meaningful diplomacy can happen.
This possibility builds on a long track record of Mongolia’s regional engagement. Since the 1980s, Mongolia has pushed for greater dialogue across Northeast Asia. In 2013, Mongolia launched the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Northeast Asian Security, which has since evolved into an annual gathering of policymakers, scholars, and experts from across the region. The most recent forum, held in 2024, brought together 230 delegates from more than 30 countries and international organizations. The Dialogue has become one of the few platforms in the region that promotes inclusive, depoliticized conversation and trust-building among participants.
Despite our modest economic and military size, Mongolia’s neutrality, consistent diplomacy and commitment to democratic values give this country soft power potential. We aren’t involved in the region’s power struggles – and that’s exactly what makes us capable. In a space increasingly dominated by distrust and hard power, Mongolia offers a safe, stable setting for dialogue. It can be a credible voice for de-escalation and a dependable partner for formal engagement.
If Mongolia is to deepen this role, it must continue to show it is fully committed. That means staying true to our multi-pillar foreign policy, strengthening our diplomatic institutions, and investing in platforms that support regional cooperation. It also means being mindful of how others perceive us. Building trust takes more than goodwill – it requires professionalism, dependability, and consistent, sustained effort in every area.
Mongolia doesn’t need to dominate the headlines to be relevant. It can play a meaningful role by offering what others can’t: A peaceful and neutral ground and a genuine willingness to convene, listen, and collaborate. In a region often defined by rivalry and mistrust, Mongolia’s unique position – such principled neutrality and dependable diplomacy – could prove more powerful than any show of force over time. Mongolia now has both the opportunity and the responsibility to step confidently into this role. And this, ultimately, is why Mongolia matters in Northeast Asia.
By Namuun Bayarsaikhan