Statement by Mr. Tsogtbaatar Damdin MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, at the General Debate of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly www.mfa.gov.mn

Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The world, we live in today, is indeed, complex, at times chaotic, uncertain and unpredictable. It is faced with mounting challenges, including protracted conflicts, persistent poverty and hunger, terrorism and violent extremism, and a fast-changing climate. Democracy, although still prevalent as never before, is challenged and tested as to its strength. Inequalities are deepening, global military spending and arms competition are increasing, respect for international norms and institutions are weakening. Multilateralism is being more than often challenged. In short, at times it feels more like the world of pre-1990s.

Yet, the Cold War era is long over. Back then we had existential stand-off of antagonistic ideologies negating each other completely. The stand-off was existential, I repeat. Compared to that, in today’s world there is virtually no other existence-threatening enemy, except for terrorism and the climate emergency. If one looks at the foreign policy documents, constitutions and laws of the absolute majority of the countries, it would be revealed that war and violence are prohibited. Basically, all the countries today pursue growth, progress and prosperity for their own people within their own jurisdictions through international cooperation.

This general situation coupled with the unprecedented level of education and information-saturation of the mass, science and technological progress apparently makes us believe that our reason is unshakably strong and extremely unlikely to yield to irrational urges.

Therefore, in the present world when we go in our international debates into provocative and adversarial territory, we seem to have inner belief that it will not degenerate into violent, coercive interaction. However, that may be an erroneous overconfidence in our intellect, humanity and reason.

We should not forget that we at the core remain social animals. Aggression and anger triggers counter-aggression and angry response. In addition to that, we have an unprecedented exposure to the risk of the anger and frustration of few to multiply and explode into the mass irritation due to the interconnectedness through the social media. The later unchartered before and unique territory should always be kept in mind now. We are yet to fully understand the social change that the IT era is offering.

On top of all the above-mentioned under-known realities, we should not forget that we have piles of nuclear weapons that can put all the differences to an end at once and for good along with all the virtues the life offers. And this is not the way we would want to settle and end our differences. Indeed, after living for 30 with odds years in the world without an enemy in a full nuclear sense, we are used to taking global peace for granted. Hence, we often control little our rhetoric as to its potential to aggravate animosity. However, in today’s environment we should not overestimate the strength of our reason and underestimate the risk of our animal instincts.

The world we know today is no longer misleading through the apparent political correctness. It increasingly is unveiling its rigidity and roughness with honesty. This reminds us to chill down and assess anew the risks and dangers.

In light of all the above, we ought to realize that compared to the Cold War era our present world is a brotherhood of nations. Hence, there are no differences today that cannot be overcome, should we settle for respecting and understanding each other, before anything else.

Over the past high-level week the international community has come up united in its resolve to speed up the collective action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing the climate emergency. Mongolia strongly supports the pledge to make the coming decade one of action and delivery through supporting the most vulnerable and reaching the furthest behind first.

I wish to applaud the leadership of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for hosting the Climate Action Summit earlier this week.

The Summit proved instrumental in building the momentum to turn the tides as 77 countries along with over 100 cities committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, 70 countries pledged to boost their NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) by 2020, and a dozen of governments doubled their contributions to the Green Climate Fund.

Science tells us that any temperature rise above 1.5 degrees would lead to a catastrophic and irreversible damage to the ecosystem that supports us.

Like many other developing countries Mongolia has contributed the least to the global heating. Yet, in Mongolia, over the last 80 years, annual mean temperature has increased by 2.26 degrees Celcius. As a result, 77 percent of the territory has been affected by desertification and land degradation. The permafrost area had shrunk more than twice over the last 40 years, and more than 800 lakes have dried out.

Given the fact that over 80 percent of the rural people’s livelihood is dependent on nature, climate change is already having a devastating impact on our people, on our lives and the economy.

On its part, Mongolia is faithfully fulfilling its NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution) to reduce by 14 percent its Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Furthermore, a more ambitious NDC target along with sound climate change legislation and policies are being developed.

Mongolia has abundant solar and wind power resources and aims at increasing the share of renewable energy to 30 percent of its energy mix by 2030, up from the current 3 percent. To this end, the Government has introduced feed-in tariffs for wind, solar and hydropower energy, and is working to refine the relevant legislation in support of renewable energy.

We are also working to set up a multilateral institution for Electricity grid interconnections to ensure energy security, job creation and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in Northeast Asia through tapping its wind and solar energy potential.

Mongolia is willing to contribute not only to energy security, but also to peace and security in Northeast Asia.

Back in early 1980s Mongolia first proposed the idea of creating a regional security dialogue mechanism.

Later, in 2000 we proposed to have an informal meeting of Foreign Ministers of the NEA countries on the margins of the ARF Ministerial meetings to start discussing the least contentious issues. Some countries at that time were not ready to start engaging in such a format. Perhaps now the time is more conducive to explore such opportunities. Hence, I reiterated our proposal at the last ARF Ministerial meeting held August 2 in Bangkok.

Mongolia is, indeed, the only country in NEA which does not have any unresolved issues, be it territorial or political with other countries in the region, or any other country in the world. Our aim is to provide a neutral ground for constructive dialogue and engagement.

I am pleased to note that the UB Dialogue on Northeast Asia, hosted by Mongolia annually since 2014, is evolving into an open and inclusive mechanism for facilitating talks, promoting mutual understanding and confidence-building and searching rooms for compromise when necessary. Its agenda has also expanded to cover both traditional security issues as well as those related to energy, infrastructure, green growth, investment and humanitarian cooperation.

The overall security situation in Northeast Asia still remains complex.

As a country with a well-recognized nuclear-weapon-free status, Mongolia stands for a de-nucleriazed Korean Peninsula and welcomes a series of high-level recent summits between the main stakeholders.

I join the others in underscoring the importance of a continued dialogue, the implementation of the Joint Statement by the US and the DPRK as well as the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Here, I wish to support the idea proposed by President Moon Jae-in of the ROK on September 24 to transform the Demilitarized Zone into an international peace zone.

Achieving sustainable development for the people and the planet will not be smooth and easy. But we are all in this together. The heightened interdependence of the human family requires an effective global partnership to secure our common future.

Full implementation of the Vienna Program of Action for the LLDCs needs to be closely aligned with the SDGs and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development. We expect that its 5-year review in December this year will come up with an ambitious roadmap for accelerating its implementation.

The LLDCs continue to face considerable challenges inherently linked to their geographical handicap and remain largely marginalized in the global trade. Their combined share in global exports declined from 1.2 percent in 2014 to 0.98 percent in 2018 with commodities accounting for the bulk of their exports. Increased international assistance for export diversification, value-addition, infrastructure development, institutional and productive capacity-building and better market access remain essential for the LLDCs.

Mongolia is proud to contribute to the South-South Cooperation through promoting interests of LLDCs and initiating the establishment of a think tank back in 2006. Today the Ulaanbaatar-based International Think Tank is actively engaging in global dialogues on related issues through providing evidence-based advisory services and organizing regional and international workshops.

I wish to invite all member states and development partners to support the work of this Center of Excellence. On its part, the Government of Mongolia has been contributing USD 100,000 annually to this institution over the last several years.

In these turbulent times, democracy has been tested in many corners of the world. Some countries are having hard times to manage a downward spiral while others were able to withstand it and strengthen the people’s power.

Nearly three decades ago in 1990, Mongolia made a historic choice to democracy and market economy. Though the road leading to multi-party system, parliamentary democracy, free elections, open markets, human rights and the rule of law has been bumpy with knolls and holes, we were able to build democracy and are proud of its solid achievements. Today, our citizens enjoy human rights, fundamental freedoms, private property and freedom of expression and movement.

Democracy unleashed the inherent potential of individuals and the private sector has come to produce over 80 percent of our GDP. The access to information and the right to assembly allow for greater transparency, online and offline social interaction, and freedom of speech.

Moreover, over the recent years, Mongolia has taken a host of measures aimed at strengthening merit-based professional civil service, cutting red tape, promoting rule of law and fighting corruption head-on.

Globally, Mongolia was proud to serve as Chair of such representative international organizations as the International Conference of New and Restored Democracies, the Community of Democracies and the Freedom Online Coalition sharing with others its lessons learned in democratic consolidation.

No doubt that democracy needs to be nurtured as we move forward with its consolidation. Accordingly, governance reform issues, including better checks and balances, securing the independence of the judiciary, greater authority for local and municipality levels are being broadly discussed as the Parliament considers amendments to our 1992 Constitution.

Recognizing that active involvement of all people in this exercise is of paramount importance, the Parliament is set to decide on the national referendum on the amendments. I could not agree more with the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he “urged all governments to respect the right to active, substantive and meaningful participation” in his message to the people and the Government of Mongolia on the International Day of Democracy on the eve of the 30th anniversary of our democratic transition.

The world today is home to the largest generation of young people in history, 1.8 billion.

The youth is a source of new ideas, innovation, energy and dynamism. Constructive engagement of young generation in addressing global issues is critical. This was vividly demonstrated last weekend when millions of the youth marched on Climate Action Strike demanding climate justice, action and accountability. Their resolve has helped to boost the momentum at the Climate Action Summit.

With a view to utilizing better social media in promoting a culture of peace, non-violence and tolerance among the youth my Ministry organized a unique forum, called “Peacebook Forum” in collaboration with the Facebook Inc. last April in Ulaanbaatar.

Furthermore, my Ministry, together with the UN, hosted the first ever Northeast Asia Forum on Youth, Peace and Security in June 2019. At the Forum, our initiative to create a completely digital Peacebook Journal of International Relations was highly appreciated by the participants.

The journal would run and publisize research works on global issues by scholars and peacebuilders from around the world. The benefits for the youth in creating such a journal would include promotion of a culture of peace, tolerance, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, enhancement of the voice and participation of the youth in decision-making for the prevention and resolution of conflicts.

Furthermore, to encourage critical, analytical, scholarly academic thinking on global peace and security issues among the youth we also proposed the creation of an award – the Peace, Progress, Prosperity Promise Award to inspire a scholarly research work competition.

In advancing these initiatives we will be working together with all our interested partners, including the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Youth.

As we are nearing the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, Mongolia reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the world Organization as the center of multilateralism.

My delegation highly commends the Secretary-General’s bold reforms in peace and security pillar, repositioning the UN development system, management and gender-parity initiatives – all designed to make the world Organization fit to meet the current manifold challenges.

Our collective efforts must be redoubled to uphold and strengthen multilateralism in promoting peace, security and sustainable development while ensuring that no one and no country is left behind.

I thank you for your attention.

Mongolia, S.Korea sign trade deal www.menafn.com

South Korea's customs agency said that South Korea and Mongolia have signed a customs deal on Monday to facilitate bilateral trade between the two countries.

USA to return stolen Mongolian dinosaur fossils www.news.mn

Mongolia has some of the largest dinosaur fossil beds in the world. These remains, found in the Gobi, belong to the Cretaceous period between 145.5 and 65.5 million years ago. These remains, which include the world’s first discovered dinosaur eggs, are considered as national treasures.

The visit of President of the Senate of Czech Republic starts www.montsame.mn

Speaker of the Parliament G.Zandanshatar greeted delegates led by President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Jaroslav Kubera, who is paying an official visit to Mongolia, at the Sukhbaatar Square.

Minister for Asia visits South Korea, Mongolia and Japan to discuss free trade, climate change and gender equality www.gov.uk

Starting in South Korea on Monday 30 September, Minister Wheeler will travel to the region to help strengthen the UK’s ties with the three countries as the UK prepares to leave the European Union.

Beijing on high alert ahead of October 1 national celebration www.cnn.com

Beijing (CNN) — Every week for the past month, residents of a Chaoyang District in Beijing have had their street shut down by uniformed men and bizarre vehicles.
When residents attempted to cross the road on September 14, security men dressed in black told them that floats for the upcoming October 1 parade were coming through.
One week later, they struggled to even get into their building compound. This time there were large, tank-shaped objects hidden under green military blankets.
Many of those in the community were understanding, even a little bit amused.
"It is for the 70th anniversary," said a retired local surnamed Liang. "I feel happy our country is 70 years old. ... We will keep the weapons a secret."

The inconvenience and heightened security come in the lead-up to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, an important moment for the ruling Communist Party and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
To celebrate, the Chinese government is holding a massive military parade through the center of Beijing -- about 15,000 personnel, more than 160 aircraft and 580 pieces of weaponry and equipment will take part.
Authorities have been working overtime to make sure nothing goes wrong ahead of the parade or during, and it isn't just local residents affected.
Even tourists could see that Beijing is preparing for a major event.
"You clearly see the increase of the police everywhere," said Shanghai-based teacher Andre Pinto. "We clearly can see the security level is up."
All along the central Chang'an Avenue, in both directions, black clad security guards with red arm bands stood every few feet for miles.

On Friday, crowds of domestic Chinese tourists were scrambling to get into Tiananmen Square, where entrances and roads were blocked in random places by police and security barriers.
One visitor was overheard complaining that if the government was going to impose such strict measures ahead of the event, they should issue a national warning to travelers.
But a Beijing mother who'd brought her daughter down to the square said that they were happy to just come back another day if they couldn't get in.
"I brought my daughter down here just to feel the atmosphere ahead of the 70th anniversary," said the woman, who declined to be named for speaking to foreign media during a politically sensitive time.
Even Pinto, visiting from Shanghai, said that he wasn't concerned, and it was nice to have fewer people on the street while he was in Beijing.
"We were expecting much more crowds but so far it's very good ... we're fine with it," he said.

No pigeons or drones
For weeks, residents have had to deal with traffic jams and road closures due to practices in the center of the Chinese capital.
During rehearsals leading up to the major event on October 1, hotels near Tiananmen Square reportedly sent notices to guests informing them they would be unable to leave the property for several hours each day.
But restrictions have become increasingly draconian in the lead-up to the event. On September 15, the Beijing Municipal government announced that all civilian flying objects would be banned until after the celebration.
That included drones, kites and even racing pigeons.
But the bigger concern now is road and subway closures.

From the night before the parade, the majority of central Beijing will be out of bounds as preparations get underway.
On the day itself, Beijing's Subway Line 1, which travels east-west through the city and passes Tiananmen Square, will reportedly stop running for the whole day.
Beijing's normally-restricted internet has become even more difficult to navigate for users trying to access sites outside China's Great Firewall in the lead-up to October 1.
Residents report that VPNs have become cut off one by one, leaving sites like Google, Facebook and Twitter more or less inaccessible.

Finance Minister presents on projected budget of 2020 www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On September 27, Minister of Finance Ch.Khurelbaatar delivered a media presentation on bills on state budgets of Mongolia for 2020, which have been submitted to the Parliament for discussion.

President of the Czech Senate to pay an official visit to Mongolia www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ President of the Senate of the Czech Republic Jaroslav Kubera is to pay an official visit to Mongolia accompanied by business delegation on September 29-October 2.

More direct flights to be conducted in route Ulaanbaatar-Istanbul www.montsame.mn

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ At the end of 2-day meeting of bilateral working group in charge of amendments on Intergovernmental Agreement between Mongolia and the Republic of Turkey on Air Relations, the sides signed the agreement on September 26.

‘Our Creations in Space’ : launch planned from UB! www.news.mn

This year, Mongolia is marking the 380th anniversary of the foundation of its capital Ulaanbaatar. To mark this important event, a competition entitled ‘Our Creations in Space’ has been announced for school children aged 12-15. The youngsters can compete with any works that they think the work should be sent to space. The event is co-organised by Governor Office of the capital city and Ulaanbaatar City Tourism Department in collaboration with Mongolian Aerospace Research and Science Association (MARSA).