Mongolia

Country Overview

Mongolia currently faces huge economic, social and environmental issues with high public debts, a high employment rate, a large portion of the population living below the national poverty line and  increasing levels of air and water pollution as well as land degradation.  PAGE continues to support Mongolia in advancing its green development agenda to help address some of these issues, with a particular focus on specific and targeted sectors.

Progress in 2016

The new government of Mongolia, elected in July 2016, has prioritized environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive development. The Mongolian parliament also adopted the Sustainable development Vision 2030, which includes the commitment to reducing national greenhouse gas emissions by 14% by 2030.

There is a renewed commitment by the government and PAGE to achieve the objectives set out in the country's:

Mongolia is achieving this through:

Number 1

Evidence-based policy appraisal and economic modelling

Number 2

Sectoral policy support and reform in finance, construction, jobs, public procurement and education

Number 3

Sectoral policy support and reform in finance, construction, jobs, public procurement and education

Key challenge: Financing the green economy in Mongolia

In 2016, PAGE continued its work with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Mongolian Bankers Association to establish a green credit fund. PAGE is working with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and UN Environment Finance Initiative to mobilize private finance.

A market study to assess the demand for green financing was completed in 2016. PAGE also supported the Mongolian Sustainable Finance Forum, where the findings of this study were presented.

Establishing a green credit working group

Analyzing market demand for green finance

Number 3

Securing commitment from key ministries, financial institutions and private sector stakeholders

These activities culminated in a National Forum held in November 2016 “Sustainable Development: From Planning to Implementation". The forum brought together stakeholders from the public and private sectors and industry groups to build upon existing green finance mechanisms. So that an enabling policy environment for green finance is created, PAGE is collaborating with UN Environment Inquiry to reform financial regulations.

The establishment of a Green Credit Fund and other innovative green financial products will provide leverage to enable businesses to introduce clean technology and production and create green jobs.

Ms. Bulgan Tumendemberel, Green Development Policy and Planning Ministry of Environment & Tourism, Mongolia

SDG logo

How green economy actions contribute to Sustainable Development Goals

Green schools design completed and construction is being scaled-up through external funding

SDG 4: Quality education

SDG 13: Climate Action

National Statistics Office recording data on green jobs

Results of green economy macro-economic assessment informing policymaking (see below)

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth

Sustainability is being integrated into public procurement laws, public buildings, including schools

Inclusive green economy concepts and approaches are being integrated into university education

SDG 4: Quality education

Key findings of macro-economic analysis

With a 4% of GDP investment per year into greening the economy:

Economic growth: 0.43 percentage points higher by 2030 compared to business-asusual conditions

Job creation: 3.3 percentage points higher than the business-as-usual scenario by 2030

Number 3

Emission intensity: 46.6% decrease compared to 7.2% increase under business-as-usual conditions by 2030

Greening schools

In 2016, the local firm NAP LLC, with guidance from UN Environment, completed the design for a green school building for a secondary school located in the district of Ulaanbaatar. The design work can be applied to over 220 schools that need to be built over the next 3-4 years in Mongolia (of which 85 need to be built in Ulaanbaatar).

 

How does PAGE's work in Mongolia meet its objectives?