SB Energy, a subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp., and Elixir Energy, an Australian energy business, have signed an MOU to collaborate on the research and development of a green hydrogen generation project in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert.

SB Energy announced in a press release that the construction of this project would represent the company’s first foray into the green hydrogen industry.

SB Energy and Elixir intend to establish a green hydrogen generation project in Mongolia with a capacity of one gigawatt. The Nomgon IX Coal-bed Methane project is located in the South Gobi region of Mongolia and is owned by Elixir. SB Energy runs the 50 MW Tsetsii Wind Farm in the Gobi Desert through a Mongolian-based joint venture.

Ulaanbaatar residents use clean groundwater. The city's population is growing day by day. Due to this, residential areas are expanding and new buildings are being built and accordingly, the management of drinking water is also being improved. On the other hand, water pollution is caused by factors such as improper use, construction, and industrialization. Moreover, there is a risk of further water shortages because Ulaanbaatar residents consume an average of 150 million liters of water per day.

D.Sumiyabazar: Redevelopment of Ulaanbaatar is the way to protect groundwater and solve soil pollution

The Law on Water stipulates that provinces and capital city governors organize activities related to water resources and water use. In order to carry out this work comprehensively, a working group has been set up to work on the redevelopment of Ulaanbaatar. Here is a brief interview with Governor of the Capital City and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar D.Sumiyabazar.

-What measures are being taken to protect Ulaanbaatar city's drinking water resources and prevent water shortages?

-In 2018, former Prime Minister of Mongolia U.Khurelsukh agreed to build a second source of drinking water in Songinokhairkhan district with a grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation. This work has begun in 2020 and is currently in full swing. With two sources of drinking water, city residents will be able to live without worrying about clean drinking water for 60 years. On the other hand, we need to use clean drinking water very sparingly. Therefore, the capital city authorities need to work on implementing the proper use of gray water and introducing gray water recycling technology.

In order to reduce congestion and decentralize Ulaanbaatar, the policy of gradually moving from a mono-centric city to a multi-centric city is being implemented. Due to this, soil pollution is being arised; therefore, soil pollution should also be considered to protect fresh groundwater. The only way to solve soil pollution is the redevelopment of Ulaanbaatar. With redevelopment, obsolete engineering networks and facilities can be rehabilitated in the medium and long term.

Ts.Turkhuu: Ulaanbaatar drinking water satisfies hygiene and safety requirements completely

Ulaanbaatar residents receive their drinking water from a total of 10 sources. The Water Supply and Sewerage Authority is responsible for delivering water from these sources to the public in a healthy and safe manner. Now in its 63rd year of operation, the organization employs 1,823 people 24 hours a day to provide the city's population with standard drinking water and wastewater disposal. Head of the Water Supply and Sewerage Authority Ts.Turkhuu said:

-Water consumption per person in ger areas is 8-15 liters per day, while in house areas it is 160-200 liters. Because of this big difference, residents need to save water. The Water Supply and Sewerage Authority is working to promote about saving water to teenagers and include them in the study program in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Capital City Education Department.

Drinking water is subject to complete laboratory analysis in all transfer processes. About 1,000 samples are taken from more than 300 spots per day and analyzed. The results show that the water we deliver satisfies the drinking water standard.

Water is an important part of our lives, but the following facts show that human beings do not save this vital need.

• 303 liters of water are required to produce one can of beer.

• 300 tons of water are required to produce one ton of steel.

• 9997 or almost 10 thousand liters of water are required to produce one pair of jeans.

• 265 liters of water are required to fill a standard bath once.

• 40-60 liters of water flow after five minutes of showering.

• If all the world's water were stored in a four-liter container, drinking water would be just one teaspoon.

CAPITAL CITY TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCY

Ukrainian judokas refused to participate in the international Grand Slam tournament in Ulaanbaatar if Russian athletes were allowed to compete in.

The tournament will be held from 24 to 26 June. Earlier it became known that the Russians will take part in it as neutral athletes. The International Judo Federation (IJF) announced its decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to the next Grand Slam tournament in Ulaanbaatar. Representatives of the aggressor countries will be able to compete in Mongolia on the terms of neutrality, without using the anthems and flags of their states.

Mikhail Koshlyak, President of the Judo Federation of Ukraine, reacted to the decision of the governing body. According to him, in response to the decision of the IJF, Ukrainian judokas may refuse to participate in international competitions.

A total of 276 judokas from 29 countries will compete in Ulaanbaatar.

President U.Khurelsukh received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China Chai Wenrui on June 13.

The Ambassador conveyed that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to President of Mongolia U.Khurelsukh on his birthday.

Emphasizing the importance of developing friendly relations between Mongolia and China, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed readiness to work with his Mongolian counterpart to elevate bilateral relations and cooperation.

The Chinese side reaffirmed its readiness to implement the visit of the Mongolian President to China in the first turn.

Ambassador Chai Wenrui noted that even during the pandemic, the Mongolia-China friendly relations and cooperation have been deepening in all sectors and political mutual trust has been enhancing alongside the development of humanitarian relations, strengthening of the people-to-people ties and expansion of cooperation on international and regional issues.

The Ambassador said that China highly praises ‘One Billion Trees’ movement for its valuable contribution to the protection of the world environment and the fight against climate change.

In turn, President U.Khurelsukh expressed gratitude to Mr. Xi Jinping for his birthday greetings and handed over a congratulatory letter to the Ambassador on the occasion of President Xi Jinping's upcoming birthday.

The President said that at a time that the international situation is unstable and the pandemic has not subsided, Mongolia is committed to further actively developing relations and cooperation with China within the framework of its foreign policy priorities.

He also thanked the Government of the People's Republic of China for providing CNY 31 million worth of medicines, medical devices and equipment to Mongolia during the difficult times of the pandemic.

President Khurelsukh said that he is ready to cooperate with the Chinese side in all aspects to combat climate change and its negative consequences as agreed during a telephone conversation held earlier with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Capital City Road and Transport Projects Manager B.Odsuren exchanged views with some representatives of the Ulaanbaatar Sustainable Urban Transport Project being implemented in the capital city.

The meeting was attended by World Bank Governance Practice Manager for East Asia and the Pacific Benedict L.J. Eibergen, and World Bank Senior Country Economist Jean-Pascal Nguessa Nganou.

“In the last three decades, the population of Ulaanbaatar has nearly tripled in size, reaching 1.6 million while the number of cars has quadrupled, increasing by an average of 80,000 vehicles a year. Traffic congestion is the pressing issue that needs to be addressed immediately in the capital city. Within the framework of the ‘New Revival Policy’, works are being carried out to implement projects to construct new ring road, light rail transit and to renovate public transportation fleet.

Tasks related to the counseling services for the Ulaanbaatar Sustainable Urban Transport Project were carried out, aside from ensuring the preparation for selection. We hope that with the successful implementation of this five-year project will serve a valuable contribution to reducing traffic congestion in Ulaanbaatar,” said Ulaanbaatar city's Mayor Deputy B.Odsuren.

World Bank Governance Practice Manager for East Asia and the Pacific Benedict L.J. Eibergen agreed with Ulaanbaatar city's Mayor Deputy B.Odsuren, and expressed his position on the project. He emphasized that by way of building new streets and roads, and creating comprehensive transportation system, the project will play a major role in reducing traffic congestion, and improving traffic safety, conducting strategic research required for city transport sector.

A Mongolian woman was swindled out of USD 77,000 in a “devastating” romance scam, police have said.

The woman met the fraudster via a Facebook and developed a relationship in 2020. She was persuaded to transfer her money to her online lover, who is so-called American businessman Aliso Camelove, with the promise of a repayment threshold. However, the promise was never kept.

The victim has transferred a total of USD 77 thousand through 18 transactions through Golomt Bank of Mongolia. After two months, the woman realized that she has been swindled and contacted to the police. The Mongolian police contacted to US Consulate in Turkey and tried to identify that who the Aliso Camelove was. However, there was anyone who registered in US citizenship under name Aliso Camelove.

In similar cases, three Mongolian women swindled out of totaling USD 443,400.

The 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow was an eye-opener for Mongolia. After attending the conference, the president of Mongolia, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, launched a nationwide movement to plant 1 billion trees by 2030 as part of Mongolia’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as a way to fight desertification, deforestation, and food insecurity.

Since November 2021, the Office of the President and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism have been actively promoting the One Billion Tree nationwide movement. In March, the president officially announced the beginning phase of the project. As of June, 21 provinces (aimags) and 330 sub-provinces (sum) are participating in the seedling process.

In a five-minute promo video, governors from different provinces have pledged to plant 20,000 seedling in their respective provinces. Provinces such as Selenge, Darkhan, Bayankhongor, Tov, and Dornigovi have already started the seedling process.

The president’s economic and environmental policy advisory team, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, is encouraging mining conglomerates and other entities in the public and private sectors to participate via government contracts. Since November 2021, 21 large corporations such as Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi, Oyu Tolgoi, Tavan Tolgoi, Energy Resource, and Erdenet Mining Corporation have signed government contracts and pledged to plant 608.5 million trees.

In a nationwide combined effort, the president is hoping to seed around 640,000 seedlings at a cost of 4.3 billion tugriks. According to the Mongolian Mining Journal, Mongolia will spend 1 percent of the national GDP on the One Billion Tree mega project.

When discussing Mongolia’s environmental issues, it is important to note that the northern parts of the country and its ecosystems are very different from the south, where the Gobi Desert occupies a large territory. Dornigovi’s provincial administration stated that, due to the Gobi Desert’s unique environment and ecosystem, the trees and plants that will be seeded in this area will be different from other areas and will require extra care. These regions are already combating desertification.

Mongolia’s extreme climate and its diverse ecosystems pose a challenge for policymakers looking to implement realistic, sustainable action-based goals. Throughout different administrations, Mongolian policymakers have initiated and implemented a variety of environmental policies. But these efforts are often disrupted by elections, resulting in changes of national and provincial administrations. Hence, these green projects rarely even received the necessary funding, let alone bringing successful results. It is fair to say that climate change has not really been a top priority for the Mongolian government.

According to the Montsame News Agency, Mongolia’s One Billion Tree nationwide movement will be implemented in three phases. The first phase will be completed by 2024, and intensification process will take two years, from 2024-2026. By 2027, the participatory parties should already be in the sustainable stage.

Khurelsukh hopes that the One Billion Tree nationwide movement will continue even after his single six-year term as president, which ends in 2027. During his speech at the U.N. General Assembly, he reiterated Mongolia’s fight against climate change, particularly emerging issues such as deforestation and desertification. These issues in many ways illustrate the larger struggle in highly urbanized modern Mongolia, where native sites are being taking over by mining-heavy industries.

On the other hand, the Mongols, known for their nomadic lifestyle, traditionally did not dwell in one place for a prolonged period. Hence, agriculture and prolonged environmental care has never been a breadwinner for Mongolian society.

As the global fight against climate change has become a main theme for environmentalists and conservationists, it is in Mongolia’s interest to be informed, involved, and active. Given Mongolia’s vast landscape, it is imperative for policymakers to implement policies that both treat current problems and help prevent further damage. Can Mongolia’s One Billion Tree nationwide movement be such a dual-purposed policy?

From a policy perspective, the implementation of this mega project will require continued federal and local funds. Equally important, the continuity mechanisms must prove that Khurelsukh’s initiation is not just for a showcase for Mongolia, but an action-based fight against many emerging issues. The biggest hope is that the participating parties will pick up the torch and continue the movement beyond any political change.

GUEST AUTHOR

Bolor Lkhaajav

Bolor Lkhaajav is a researcher specializing in Mongolia, China, Russia, Japan, East Asia, and the Americas. She holds an M.A. in Asia-Pacific Studies from the University of San Francisco.

Mongolia will hold an international conference of female peacekeepers to increase the role of women in peacekeeping operations, the presidential office of Mongolia said on Tuesday.

The three-day event, which starts on Thursday, is to be held under the auspices of Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.

With the theme of "Women, Peace and Security," it is expected to bring together hundreds of representatives and female peacekeepers from more than 30 countries and several international organizations, such as the United Nations, the presidential office said in the statement.

The participants will discuss challenges facing countries in achieving gender equality in the UN military and police missions.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first deployment of Mongolian peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping operations.

Since then, Mongolia has sent a total of over 20,300 military personnel, including more than 900 female peacekeepers, to UN peacekeeping operations around the globe, according to the Mongolian Armed Forces.

Globally by 2030, it is predicted that there will be 24 million new cancer cases per year, with 75% of cancer deaths occurring in the developing world. Baozhou Sun, PhD, associate professor of radiation oncology at the School of Medicine, Institute for Public Health faculty scholar and Global Health Center collaborator, and teams of university and global partners are working to bring advanced radiation therapy treatments (RT) to underserved parts of the globe.

Mongolia

Cancer has become a major public health problem in Mongolia as it accounts for more than 25% of all deaths. Of its 6,000 cancer patients diagnosed in 2020, due to lack of access and other factors, only 13% of patients were treated with radiation therapy (RT). Currently, the National Cancer Center of Mongolia (NCCM) is the country’s only RT center.

Department of Radiation Oncology team at the National Cancer Center of Mongolia, top left, Erdenekhuu Nansalmaa, General Director; Enkhtsetseg Vanchinbazar, Chief Medical Physicist and Minjmaa Minjgee, Head, Department of Radiation Oncology; Global Health Center Manager, Jacaranda van Rheenen, top right; School of Medicine Associate Professor, Baozhou Sun, bottom left; and Global Health Center co-Director, Victor Davila-Roman gather for a project call

In collaboration with WashU’s Department of Radiation Oncology, the Global Health Center, and NCCM, Sun’s team is using a grant from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, to bring advanced types of radiation treatment to Mongolia’s cancer patients, and training to its staff. NCCM will be introduced to a rapid deployment and efficient quality assurance of advanced radiotherapy system developed at WashU called RACER, which will help streamline patient data collection, improve efficiencies in the process of cancer treatment delivery, and automate and standardize quality assurance processes. Sun says the goal is to bring this type of state-of-the-art treatment and technology to other lower- and middle-income countries. For Mongolia, it is essential. “This project will significantly enhance NCCM’s capabilities to increase RT delivery to a larger number of patients with improved quality, helping to bridge a major health care gap,” says Sun.