Today, Ms Irina Kravchenko, Head of Office of EBRD in Mongolia officially launched the initiative in the presence of the associations selected for support, the consultants that support the initiative as well as various guests.

EBRD already supports BMOs since 2014, at that time focusing on organisational strategy development for 16 - mostly rural - associations. The new initiative, that is to support twelve BMOs for around 18 months focuses on creating an enabling environment for SME by supporting selected business membership organisations in improving their effectiveness and efficiency by achieving goals related to organisational strategy, advocacy, managerial capacity and development of new services.

After an intense joint assessment phase during which the associations assess themselves with the assistance of local and international consultants, the associations will be assisted and coached in developing action plans for improvement. As of May 2018, a series of workshops, conferences and individual consultancy and coaching sessions will enable associations to improve membership base, develop new services and strengthen their financial sustainability.

The EBRD has contracted APPLICATIO Training & Management GmbH and ICON Institute of Germany to implement the activities, which started today with an official opening event. Both companies have been working in Mongolia for several donor organisations since the early 1990s. More than 10 Mongolian experts and numerous international experts are involved in the programme.