Today, Minister for Foreign Affairs B.Battsetseg has received UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who is visiting Mongolia on 8-11.

Following the meeting, they held press briefing.

At the press briefing, Minister B.Battsetseg said, “This visit of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the first deployment of Mongolian peacekeepers to UN peacekeeping operations and the 30th anniversary of Mongolia’s declaration of its territory a nuclear-weapon-free zone, is a sign of appreciation for the contribution of our country to strengthening international peace and security.

Mongolia is a democratic country that respects human rights and considers that women should have equal rights without discrimination. In this sense, our country supports the call to increase the number of female personnel participating in peacekeeping operations to 15 percent in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and is pursuing a policy to achieve this goal by 2027.

In 1992, Mongolia declared its territory a nuclear weapon-free zone. I would like to emphasize that the significance of Mongolia’s nuclear-weapon-free status is growing more at a time that international peace and security are strained.

In December, 2021 Mongolia acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Our country aspires to continue its contribution to the efforts of the international community to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.”

“…Mongolia considers that the goals and activities put forward by António Guterres in his speech ‘Our Common Goals’ are timely and crucial for strengthening multilateral cooperation aimed at intensifying the implementation of development goals and programs.

Mongolia will continue to cooperate with the United Nations to strengthen and develop the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries, which was initiated and established by our country, as a knowledge and innovation center, which will give effective support to the implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.”

“Mongolia will closely cooperate with the UN in the areas of key priorities: human development and well-being; green, inclusive and sustainable growth; and people-centred governance, the rule of law, and human rights within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for Mongolia 2023-2027 signed by the Government of Mongolia and the United Nations in May, 2022.

Particularly, we believe that the UN’s support will play an important role to achieve the goals of our country to reform education, become a ‘digital nation’, and make renewable energy the main energy supply.”

At the press briefing, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his sincere gratitude to all the peacekeepers of Mongolia for their service in the most difficult field of UN Peacekeeping operations. He also thanked Mongolia for playing a leading role in the implementation of the ‘Women, Peace and Security’ initiative, which shows Mongolia’s contribution, leadership, solidarity and consistent efforts to ensure gender equality—a common global goal.

He said, “Mongolia's support to the multilateral mechanisms is not limited by its contribution to UN Peacekeeping. Mongolia’s declaration of its territory as a nuclear-weapon-free zone demonstrates its policy of non-proliferation and disarmament to the international community. I believe that other countries will follow Mongolia’s example in order to make the world free from nuclear weapons.

Mongolia plays an important role in ensuring peace and security in the region, which is clearly proven by its Ulaanbaatar Dialogue Initiative on North-East Asian Security.”

“…Mongolia’s food security has been affected by many years of drought, and about 77 percent of its total territory has been affected by desertification. To cope with these challenges, the Government of Mongolia is working hard to combat climate change and desertification. In this frame, the country is implementing initiatives including ‘One Billion Trees’. We praise Mongolia's example in adapting to climate change through the implementation of sustainable management of natural resources. As Mongolia has large renewable energy resource that can supply not only itself but also other countries, it can become a leader in the field of renewable energy. I hope that Mongolia is able to create economic opportunities aside of ensuring energy security.”

“Despite being landlocked, Mongolia's creative foreign policy that prioritizes dialogue and cooperation serves as a bridge between countries and supports to forward sustainable development.”

In the conclusion of his speech, Mr. António Guterres expressed gratitude to Mongolia for its contribution to the activities of the United Nations, and said that even further the country can count on the UN’s support in the areas of peace, human rights and sustainable development.