Mongolia Kicks off National Green Economy Week
16 June 2015, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - D. Oyunkhorol, Minister of Environment, Green Development and Tourism highlighted the importance of green development for wealth and job creation as she opened the 2015 National PAGE Week in Mongolia. “The transformation to sustainable development in Mongolia creates opportunities for environmentally friendly, low carbon and low waste production and service” said Minister Oyunkhorol. She pointed out that green development can support creation of wealth and green jobs as well as an inclusive, equal and safe democratic society which places a central focus on citizens and their livelihood.
Speaking in front of more than 170 representatives from national ministries, industry, civil society and development partners, Minister Oyunkhorol highlighted the importance of Mongolia’s Green Development Policy in meeting the goals and targets of the post 2015 development framework. UNITAR is co-organizing the event and assists Mongolia’s government in the development of economic modelling capacities.
Minister Oyunkhorol also emphasized that PAGE WEEK in Mongolia contributes to increasing public awareness about green development, ensuring integration of green development policy with the country’s socio-economic development policy and planning, sectoral coordination, and mobilizing resources and partnerships for creating green lifestyle.
The opening remarks of the Minister kicked off a three-day national workshop which takes stock of policy developments and processes in Mongolia to advance green development. Organized by the Ministry of Environment, Green development and Tourism, the Ministry of Finance and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), the PAGE Week in Mongolia provides an opportunity to review progress on workstreams and actions supported by PAGE, agree on further actions and medium-term results under PAGE, and mobilize commitment and partnerships for implementation. PAGE is a global partnership created to support countries in their transition to a green economy and draws on the expertise of ILO, UNDP, UNEP, UNIDO and UNITAR.
During the introductory session of the workshop, a multi-sectoral panel of national decision makers discussed the implementation of the 2014 Mongolia’s Green Development Policy and linkages to other important policy processes and developments. Panel participants originated from key ministries and other stakeholders including Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Population Development and Social Welfare, the Mongolian Banking Association, and the Mongolian Environmental and Civic Association.
Other events during PAGE week in Mongolia include, inter alia, the following:
- High Level Meeting on Green Development in the Post 2015 Development Framework, 18 June 2015
- Meeting of Government with Development Partners, 18 June2015
- Session with PAGE Interagency Committee and UN Coordinating Meeting, 19 June 2015
The opening of PAGE week attracted more than 170 participants including 22 from ministries, 38 from other government agencies, 14 from international development agencies, 14 universities and scientific organizations, and 15 from civil society.
Related links
Presentations Opening Session
PAGE Implementation and Progress in Mongolia, S. Altantsetseg, PAGE Coordinator, Mongolia (PDF, 1 MB)
Photo 1: D. Oyunkhorol, Minister of Environment, Green Development and Tourism of Mongolia
Photo 2: Panel members at the event
About PAGE in Mongolia
Mongolia was the first country to join PAGE in 2013. With support of PAGE and other development partners, Mongolia is seeking opportunities for economic growth that drives sustainability through building a more inclusive green economy. A milestone in Mongolia’s transition towards an inclusive green economy was the adoption of the National Green Development Policy by the Mongolian Parliament in June 2014. PAGE supported the momentum to develop and adopt the National Policy through a High Level Forum, technical analysis, inter-sectoral dialogues, and stakeholder mobilization.
PAGE is currently supporting Mongolia through:
- Green Economy Modelling and Policy Assessment: Working with MEGT and the Ministry of Finance UNDP, UNITAR and UNEP are supporting capacity building for long-term macro-economic planning and forecasting through system dynamics modelling linked to the GDP.
- Green Development Indicators: The National Statistics Office of Mongolia and MEDGT, together with ILO, UNEP and UNITAR are developing and supporting the adoption of green economy indicators and measurements, taking into account the emerging Sustainable Development Goals.
- Sustainable Public Procurement: Led by the Ministry of Finance and with support from UNEP, this work stream focuses on the inclusion of sustainability in the national legal framework for public procurement.
- Green Schools and Kindergarten: In collaboration with the Ministry of Construction, UNEP is supporting the development of green building codes and policies in Mongolia starting with new education building constructed with public funds.
- National Waste Management Strategy: PAGE partners, through UNEP and UNIDO, are supporting applied research to explore recycling opportunities under the National Waste Strategy Development Process led by MEDGT.
- Green Economy Learning Strategy: MEDGT, the National University of Mongolia and UNITAR are working together to develop a National Green Learning Strategy and deliver green economy learning through national institutions.