Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Mongolia signed two technical assistance (TA) agreements totaling $1.6 million to support the preparation of the country’s health and education sector master plans on October 20.

The Ministry of Finance’s Director General Dorjsembed Batsengee, and ADB Country Director Yolanda Fernandez Lommen signed the agreements at a ceremony in Ulaanbaatar. Additional co-signatories and witnesses included First Secretary Hiroshi Fukasawa of the Embassy of Japan in Mongolia, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports’ State Secretary J. Bolormaa and the Ministry of Health’s Director General D. Tumurtogoo.

“The projects will help the Government of Mongolia develop a long-term plan for the health and education sectors to realize the goals established in Mongolia’s Sustainable Development Vision 2030,” said Ms. Fernandez Lommen. “Ensuring all major stakeholders are engaged in the development of new health and education sector master plans is one of the key objectives of the projects. The projects are consistent with ADB’s 2017-2020 Mongolia country partnership strategy, which aims to help the government provide better social services.”

The two projects are financed by the Government of Japan through the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR), which has supported 50 projects focused on poverty alleviation, livelihood improvement, and environmental protection in Mongolia over the past 18 years.

The TA on the health sector will assess previous master plan and major sector reforms, define core strategies in priority areas, establish a stakeholder’s consultation and coordination mechanism, and develop a midterm expenditure framework, financial, and investment plans.

Under the project, the Institutional and Human Resource Capacity Building Program will provide formal and on-the-job training to help officials at the Ministry of Health and local governments improve policy planning and implementation coordination.

The education sector TA, meanwhile, will help the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, and Sports and associated institutions manage and coordinate the process of developing, implementing, and monitoring an education sector master plan.

The TA will draw on in-depth education sector studies in Mongolia and reviews of international experience and lessons. Stakeholders and development partners will jointly review and discuss progress in the sector and identify priority policy and reform actions, physical investments, and institutional capacity development.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Established in 1966, ADB is celebrating 50 years of development partnership in the region. It is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2016, ADB assistance totaled $31.7 billion, including $14 billion in co-financing.

Published Date:2017-10-23