Mongolia on Friday received the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has purchased from China as part of the efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the handover ceremony of the 300,000 doses of vaccines, Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Chai Wenrui said that Mongolia is one of the first receivers of COVID-19 vaccine from China within the framework of both donation and procurement. This shows that China and Mongolia have traditionally friendly relations that help each other and overcome difficulties together, said Chai.

"Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, Mongolia and China have provided each other with material and emotional support, and overcome difficulties together," Mongolian Foreign Minister Batmunkh Battsetseg said at the ceremony.

"Vaccine is considered to be the most effective way to fight the pandemic. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to relevant Chinese government organizations for coordinating vaccine procurement and donating vaccines," she added.

Mongolia launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign across the country on Feb. 23, and more than 323,600 people have been vaccinated so far, according to the country's health ministry.

The country plans to vaccinate at least 60 percent of its 3.3 million people using four types of COVID-19 vaccines, and 20 percent will be vaccinated under COVAX, a global initiative for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, said the ministry.

In February, Mongolia received 300,000 doses of China-donated vaccines.

So far, Mongolia has registered more than 9,300 COVID-19 cases, with 14 deaths.

In recent days, more than 300 infections have been reported on a daily basis in Mongolia, mostly in the capital Ulan Bator, home to over half of the country's total population.

Domestic transmissions of the virus have been reported in the capital city and 16 of all 21 provinces of the country.

It is estimated that about 60 percent of the country's total population is at high risk of infection.

On April 2, Prime Minister L.Oyun-Erdene became acquainted with the operations of the companies engaged in public transportation services in Ulaanbaatar city and gave orders to corresponding officials regarding the pressing issues and COVID-19 safety precautions.

Statistics show that there are a total of 1,822 vehicles of public transport services, including 1,148 buses, 48 trolleybuses, 17 stretch buses, 46 mid-sized buses, and 59 mini-sized buses, and 503 taxis, registered in the database of public transportation of Ulaanbaatar, and 960 of them are operating daily along the public transport routes.

PM Oyun-Erdene highlighted that as the risk of coronavirus spreading on public transport remains high, strict sterilization and disinfection measures must be adhered to in public vehicles until the vaccination program is completed.

He ordered state-owned enterprises to deploy their buses for public transportation starting April 5, Monday, during peak traffic periods of the day to improve the accessibility of public transport services and help allowing social distancing inside buses. “However, these measures should be taken without imposing an additional financial burden on the companies,” the PM noted.

During today’s working trip to the public transportation companies, B.Odsuren, Ulaanbaatar city’s Mayor Deputy introduced about the indispensable and immediate need to update vehicles of public transportation since over 60 percent of total vehicles traveling on road are more than 10 years old. According to officials of Ulaanbaatar city, 45 percent of 524 trolleybuses are to be eliminated from public transport services this year due to the retirement age set for the vehicles, and 247 of them are vehicles of Ulaanbaatar city-owned companies.

At the end of his trip, PM Oyun-Erdene gave an order to the Ministry of Road and Transport Development and Ulaanbaatar city departments and companies responsible for the public transport management and operations to conduct a general study and report back to the cabinet within 30 days.

Minister of Road and Transport L.Khaltar, Minister of Finance B.Javkhlan, and Mayor of Ulaanbaatar city D.Sumiyabazar were also charged to evaluate possibilities to make a comprehensive update to the public transport vehicles and have a unified system for public transport management.

In addition, the Prime Minister highlighted that the MNT 356 billion of the total payment collected from Oyu Tolgoi LLC under the Mongolian Tax Authority’s Tax Act has been transferred to the capital city’s budget and the money could be invested for the public transport reforms.

Earlier today (1 April), former MP N.Nomtoibayar was released from prison after serving nine months of his term.

In July, 2020, N.Nomtoibayar was sentenced to five years and five months in prison for abuse of power. Later, the sentence was reduced to a year in prison and he was banned from government office for two years.

N.Nomtoibayar was found guilty of giving privileges to others by abusing power, including ordering the implementation of 29 projects and programmes in his capacity as Mongolian Minister of Labour and Social Protection. The 42-year-old served as labour and social protection minister from 2016 to 2017.

The former member of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party recently ran for parliamentary elections as an independent candidate but failed to win a seat in the country’s 76-seat unicameral parliament. N.Nomtoibayar received his candidate certificate from the GEC on 22 May to run for the Khan-Uul District of Ulaanbaatar.

China's top legislator Li Zhanshu held talks with Gombojav Zandanshatar, Mongolia's parliamentary speaker, via video link on Wednesday. Both sides agreed to enhance exchanges and cooperation between their legislative bodies.

Li, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, said that under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Mongolia have understood and supported each other and set a model of cooperation between neighboring countries in the fight against the pandemic, which illustrated the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind.

China and Mongolia should continue to strengthen mutual political trust in the post-pandemic period, further develop mutually beneficial cooperation, and accelerate the alignment of China's Belt and Road Initiative and Mongolia's Prairie Road development strategy, to better benefit the two peoples and promote the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, Li said.

The two legislative bodies should continue to strengthen friendly exchanges, maintain close high-level exchanges, promptly approve, revise or issue legal documents that are conducive to improving bilateral ties, and strengthen exchanges of experience in implementing the rule of law, developing the economy, improving people's livelihoods, and maintaining stability.

Zandanshatar said the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia is willing to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the NPC and make positive contributions to promoting the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

On March 31, the Government of Mongolia and the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) announced the entry-into-force of the $350 million Mongolia Water Compact designed to sustain economic growth and reduce poverty through the expansion of bulk water supply in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia, and enhancing the long-term financial, institutional, and environmental sustainability of the water sector.

"We are delighted to announce the entry-into-force of the Mongolia Water Compact, which aims at enhancing the water supply of Ulaanbaatar and ensuring sustainable economic development. The entry-into-force today marks the official start of a five-year timeline to implement the Compact Program," said B. Battsetseg, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Board of Directors of MCA-Mongolia.

She further emphasized, “Over the past two years, we have worked to successfully meet the Conditions Precedent to the Compact entry-into-force, while undertaking necessary preparations for projects and activities to be funded by the Compact. Despite numerous challenges posed by the global pandemic, the Government of Mongolia was able to fulfill its responsibilities and enable the timely commencement of the Compact Program, as a result of efficient risk assessment practices and a focus on operational continuity.”

“A period of heightened responsibility is ahead of us to undertake the physical construction of two new water infrastructures in Ulaanbaatar,” noted E. Sodontogos, CEO of MCA-Mongolia. “We have to complete the projects within five years. In order to achieve that, MCA-Mongolia must always consider two critical factors: Schedule and Quality. Unlike other Compact countries, the construction season in Mongolia is substantially short. Therefore, we must plan and implement our work with great precision to race against time. Quality is of the essence. To ensure quality, contractors with both dedication and experience have to be selected to anticipate, mitigate, and manage the risks related with Covid-19 and others. We are confident that we will overcome potential challenges and successfully implement the Mongolia Water Compact through joint effort and mutual understanding of our stakeholders, including the Government of Mongolia, the Capital City authority, the private sector, the academia and the general public.”

The Government of Mongolia and the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation signed the $350 million Mongolia Water Compact on July 27, 2018. The Compact is funding major infrastructure projects, including the construction of new wellfields and two large plants - an Advanced Water Purification Plant and Wastewater Recycling Plant which will be the first of their kind in Mongolia. In addition, the Compact will invest in policy measures to create a financially and environmentally sustainable future for the water sector of Ulaanbaatar. By 2026, the water system in Ulaanbaatar will have been expanded to deliver 80% more drinking water, allowing for the city’s future expansion.

Source: MCA Mongolia

In Mongolia, 394 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the past 24 hours, reported at the regular press briefing of the Ministry of Health today on April 1.

Specifically, there were 266 new cases detected in the capital and the rest were recorded in the 13 provinces. Today, the total number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Mongolia stands at 8841, of which 7266 cases were recorded in Ulaanbaatar and 1038 in provinces.

In the past 24 hours, 150 people have been discharged from the hospital, bringing the total number of recoveries to 5,070. Currently 1,906 patients are receiving treatment at hospitals of the capital city and provinces.

Authorities in Mongolia plan to impose nationwide business and gathering controls April 3-18, while international travel controls are set to continue until at least May 1. Under the new directives, certain categories of nonessential businesses, including cinemas and gyms, must suspend operations. Businesses must close at 20:00 daily and enforce capacity limits. Restaurants cannot offer dine-in services. Public gatherings will be limited to no more than five people. The government also continues to require all people to wear facemasks in public nationwide.

Officials will likely continue highly localized lockdowns in residential buildings and businesses that have reported COVID-19 exposure. Residents, employees, and patrons of these locations must undergo COVID-19 testing and quarantine until receiving negative test results. Authorities will require close contacts of COVID-19 cases and their household members to quarantine for seven days, followed by a seven-day self-quarantine. Officials will require suspected cases originating from an outbreak site to quarantine for seven days.

Authorities continue to restrict travel from Ulaanbaatar to other areas of Mongolia; exceptions are in place for essential cargo shipments, healthcare workers, business trips, and charity work. Residents of the capital must present a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken within the previous 72 hours in order to leave the city. Individuals traveling from other parts of Mongolia must complete a health declaration form prior to entering Ulaanbaatar.

Travel RestrictionsInternational travel restrictions will stay in effect through at least May 1. International commercial flights remain banned; only repatriation services are operational for Mongolian nationals, permanent residents, and some long-term visa holders. Some charter flights for foreign nationals seeking to leave Mongolia are also authorized. International arrivals are required to quarantine in government-run facilities at their own expense for 10 days, followed by four days of self-quarantine.

International rail passenger transport remains suspended. Goods are generally allowed to move through border checkpoints, though intermittent land border closures are likely to continue.

Advice

Consider postponing travel to Mongolia if affected by travel restrictions. Register with your diplomatic mission if attempting to depart Mongolia. Follow all official instructions. Abide by national health and safety measures. Liaise with trusted contacts for further updates and guidance. Maintain contact with your diplomatic representation. Confirm all domestic transport arrangements. Ensure contingency plans account for further disruptive measures or extensions of current restrictions. Plan for potential shipping disruptions. Reconsider and reconfirm nonemergency health appointments.

Benin and Mongolia do not at first appear to have many similarities. One is a relatively small, but densely populated country in West Africa. The other is a large, but sparsely populated country in Central Asia. Yet, citizens in both countries have something in common: since 2020 they’ve had access to hundreds of new public services online.

In March 2020, the Government of Benin launched its national public services portal called service-public.bj which provides access to 70 transactional services like passport or building permit applications. It also delivers clear and coherent guidance on over 500 other public services. Soon after this, Benin launched an e-learning platform for public university students, and a website with the results of national public exams.

Meanwhile in Mongolia, the Government launched a platform available both online and through a smartphone app called e-Mongolia. E-Mongolia gives citizens access to the 181 most in-demand government services. Five months after its launch, e-Mongolia had been used by 700,000 people – that’s over 35 per cent of its adult population.

These new online services came at a perfect time, as governments tried to limit in-person interactions with citizens during the covid-19 crisis. This article looks at how these achievements were made possible, as well as the common features behind these two countries’ digital transformation success stories.

1. Supportive political leaders and committed operational leaders

In both countries, political leaders have put the digital transformation of public services at the core of their agendas. Patrice Talon, President of Benin since 2016, made this clear in his five-year action plan ‘Bénin Révélé’. He also names connectivity, digital literacy and smart administration as key development areas.

The same applies in Mongolia. The 40-year-old and recently appointed Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene has affirmed that building a digital nation is currently the country’s top priority.

But strong political support on its own is not enough. In Benin and Mongolia, much of the credit should be given to the women in charge of driving the digital transformation of their respective governments: Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou and Bolor-Erdene Battsengel.

Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou is the Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation of Benin. She was appointed to this role by President Patrice Talon in 2017. Since then, she has led a wide range of programmes covering digital infrastructures, smart administration and support for technology start-up companies.

Bolor-Erdene Battsengels was appointed the Chairwoman of Mongolia’s Communications and Information Technology Authority (CITA) in July 2020. At 27 years old, she is the youngest person and first female to hold this position. For her first three months in CITA, she oversaw the implementation of the e-Mongolia platform.

2. Empowered central digital agencies

The digital transformation of the governments of Benin and Mongolia also rely on an efficient governance model, where a central digital agency is empowered to drive change.

The Information Services and Systems Agency of Benin (ASSI) is the country’s central organisation in charge of executing flagship projects in digital government. It provides strategic and operational assistance to all government organisations, and ensures the coherence of information systems and services across public administration. The ASSI is directly under the direct supervision of the Presidency.

In Mongolia, the Communications and Information Technology Authority (CITA) is in charge of both ICT policy making and its implementation and it is responsible for the development of e-Mongolia. The fact CITA is placed under the authority of the Prime Minister gives it great legitimacy in leading cross-government projects.

In both countries, that direct link to government decision-makers has proven paramount to the success of these agencies, reaffirming their authority as well as allowing for swift transformation when necessary.

3. Existing connectivity and digital infrastructure

Benin and Mongolia did not wait for the covid-19 crisis to kickstart their digital transformation. The speed at which they were able to launch services in 2020 reflects the ground work they laid in previous years. Likewise, the early adoption of digital services by citizens could not have been possible without the significant efforts demonstrated by both countries in terms of infrastructure development in the past few years.

Since 2016, 2,000 kilometres of optical fibre has been installed across Benin which has helped the country more than double its internet coverage. And in order to reach citizens from all communities, they have set up a network of over 40 Community Digital Points, which are effectively public spaces where citizens can access computers and get online.

Alongside connectivity infrastructure, Benin and Mongolia have invested in digital infrastructure. It is worth mentioning that both countries have based their data infrastructure on the open source data exchange solution X-Road.

Mongolia started to use the X-Road model as early as 2016 to connect the information systems of all its ministries. But it took time to implement the system, and encourage data sharing across public administrations.

4. Engagement with citizens, and the private sector

Both Benin and Mongolia have understood the value of working hand-in-hand with the civil society, and the private sector. In October 2020 – prior to the development of a national e-payment platform – the ASSI organised a discovery workshop with various players in the financial sector. It welcomed comments and ideas from private actors to inform the development and implementation of the platform.

The Government of Benin was also receptive to help from private sector and civil society actors when the covid-19 crisis started. Start-up companies, SMEs, large corporates, academics, NGOs and government agencies gathered in 2020 to create ‘Taskforce INNOV covid-19’ and brainstorm on innovative solutions to the challenges caused by the crisis.

In Mongolia, CITA engaged with citizens to prioritise the services to include in the e-Mongolia platform. They conducted a survey, available both online and on paper. They also tracked the time citizens spent queuing to access public services. They kept engaging with citizens while developing the platform, to make sure all information was clear, and that services were easy to use.

In order to go fast, and keep momentum, CITA outsourced the development of the platform. However, they created a small project coordination unit in-house, to hold service providers accountable, and coordinate all stakeholders from the 28 government organisations involved.

2020: the year when previous hard work paid dividends

Benin and Mongolia made tremendous progress in government digital transformation last year. But that’s the result of a long, slow process that started years before. They’d already laid the essential foundations they could build on, including recruiting and empowering committed leaders, putting the right digital governance in place, investing in digital infrastructure, and creating channels to engage with civil society and private sector actors.

Compared with many countries, the covid-19 crisis has not had such a significant impact on the digital transformation plans of Benin and Mongolia because they already knew where they were heading – the pandemic only confirmed they were going the right way.