On December 14, 2020, the meeting of the External Advisory Committee of the “Switch Off Air Pollution” project was successfully organized online. The meeting was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the European Union to Mongolia, Mr. Traian Hristea and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Mongolia, Mr. Philippe Merlin.

The project, which works to create a quality insulation market in Ulaanbaatar, aims to reduce air pollution by CO2 equivalent of 3.000 tons and reduce heat loss from ger area households by at least 15% as part of efforts to reduce air pollution in the ger area. This is the second meeting of the External Advisory Committee of the Project and this time, the Delegation of the European Union to Mongolia, the French Embassy, ​​the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development, the Ulaanbaatar City Governor’s Office, Xac bank, Mongolian Sustainable Finance Association, UNICEF, GIZ, World Vision, the World Bank’s Ulaanbaatar Clean Air and Additional Financing Project, Mongolian Women’s Foundation, Project Implementing Partners, project brigades and suppliers, and insulated households participated and discussed about the project results so far, future plan and its potential scale-up.

Opening the meeting, Ambassador of the European Union to Mongolia, Mr. Traian Hristea highlighted that “The fact that the Technical procedures of the EU funded project based on the European standards included in the Mongolia’s Construction Norms and Regulations is a major achievement.”

The French Ambassador to Mongolia, Mr. Philippe Merlin, stated that his visits to the beneficiaries of the project had been an opportunity to witness the significance of this project. He underlined his will to pursue the cooperation between France and GERES.

The activities of the External Advisory Committee of the “Switch Off Air Pollution” project is to provide support, guidance and oversight of progress advice, ensure delivery of the project outputs and the achievement of project outcomes; to deliver collective and professional advice and inputs on the project delivering products; to consult identifying key stakeholders and national policy makers in the decision-making process, who can then be engaged in advocacy towards systemic changes enabling better access to promoted materials and EE measures for potential customers, MSMEs, and suppliers.

During the meeting, leading partner, Geres updated about milestones the project has reached in 2020, such as: Insulation market creation in Ulaanbaatar, its Technical Assessment being approved in the Building codes and norms and so forth. COVID-19 impact report that was carried out by the project was introduced as well as the future planning and the starting of a scale-up study. One of the main topics that attracted the participants was the results of the Mid-Evaluation result highlighting the success of the project in terms of its technical procedures as well as the business model set-up.

The project is forming a market mechanism with a demand and supply chain. It does not only benefit the public, but it also aims to guarantee fair and attractive revenue to all the actors involved to ensure sustainability. Based on the needs and financial availability of the customers, the project offers different insulation options. If insulated fully by the project, the house can be 70% energy efficient decreasing heat loss in the house by the same amount. The engineering behind this innovative service began with an well-structured baseline study to understand the market incentive and continuous research and adaptation based on arising needs.

About Switch Off Air Pollution:

Co-financed by the European Union under the Switch Asia programme, with additional support from Abbe Pierre Foundation, Czech Development Agency and the French Development Agency; the Switch Off Air Pollution project is being implemented by Geres Mongolia, in collaboration with Building Energy Efficiency Center of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Mongolian National Construction Association and People in Need INGO during the 2018-2021 period.

Project website - www.dulaalga.mn

About Geres Mongolia:

Geres is an international NGO with expertise in energy and development, with over 40 years of experience in Europe, Africa, and Asia improving living condition