In collaboration with the Government of Mongolia and other partner organisations, UNDP integrates the concept of human development into a range of programmes aimed at empowering local communities, fostering an environment of balanced socio-economic development, and contributing to achievement of national MDGs.

Poverty Reduction and MDGs

Poverty reduction is a key concern of all development actors in Mongolia. UNDP advocates pro-poor and inclusive economic growth through the integration of the MDGs as well as other human development goals into national and local development planning and programmes. In partnership with the Government of Korea, UNDP supports MDG consistent policies and programmes and their implementation and monitoring.

In order to build leadership and mobilise commitment across all sectors and levels of society, UNDP supports a Leadership for MDG Results Programme. The Programme aims to foster innovative thinking and leadership skills to bring about positive social changes for development. A particular focus is placed on dealing with such pressing issues as HIV/AIDS prevention, poverty reduction and human rights.

Local poverty-reduction initiatives support the empowerment of community-based self-help groups through learning by doing, reaching the most vulnerable and poorest households of the disadvantaged peri-urban ger (traditional tent) districts of Ulaanbaatar, trainings and small grants. UNDP supports communities to organise themselves, address their immediate development needs, develop partnership, and promote participatory local governance.

In order to reinforce the national MDG monitoring system, UNDP is supporting the expansion and upgrading of the current DevInfo (Devinfo is a database system to compile and disseminate data on human development) system to incorporate nationally defined MDG indicators and the establishment of a national integrated database for civil registration. Both systems will help improve primary data accuracy on civil registration and the situation of poverty and basic social services in aimag and soums. It is projected that these systems will be linked to sectoral ministries and specialized agencies in order for them to utilize the data for planning and monitoring purpose.

Human Development Advocacy

Human development is about creating an environment that expands the choices and opportunities of all men and women to develop their full potentials and lead productive and creative lives. The Human Development Index (HDI) has become an important alternative to the gross domestic product, a traditional measure of development.

In partnership with Sida, UNDP leads preparation and publication of National Human Development Reports (NHDR) to promote people-centred policies. The NHDRs are developed by an independent group of national experts, and are a key advocacy tool to analyse human development issues in the country’s unique context. Further, the HDIs are dissagregated by each aimag (province) to present aimag-specific challenges.

In order to build understanding of human development concept and its application, UNDP has partnered with academic institutions to introduce short and long-term courses on human development for students, professionals and policy-makers.

Trade and Human Development

Lack of territorial access to the seas and high transport and transit costs impose serious constraints on overall socio-economic development of Mongolia, including trade competitiveness. To address this, UNDP supports the efforts of the Government of Mongolia to maximise trade opportunities through strengthening analytical and negotiation capacity of trade officials, mainstreaming human development concerns into trade policies and agreements, and promoting transparency in trade policies.

UNDP’s assistance also covers global, regional and South-South networking, experience sharing and alliance-building among the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC).

Entrepreneurship development

Stagnation in rural employment and limited access to affordable microfinance and markets has widened inequalities among regions, within urban areas, between rural and urban areas, and between men and women.

In partnership with the Government of Japan, UNDP supports expansion of business opportunities for small sized entrepreneurs, especially among the rural poor, herders, youth, women and farmers. These beneficiaries are provided assistance in business start-ups, product development, access to micro-credit and marketing, both domestically and abroad.

The One Village One Product (OVOP) initiative through the Enterprise Mongolia Project aims to reduce poverty through
increased income generation and employment opportunities. OVOP supports branding and marketing of locally produced goods in four provinces and Ulaanbaatar city, which have a promising potential for exporting to the global market.

HIV/AIDS prevention

As part of the UN Joint Programme for HIV/ AIDS, UNDP/UNV, through the Japan Trust Fund of UNV, aims to reduce risky sexual behavior among youth (15 – 24 years old), including out-of-school youth. The HIV/AIDS awarenness and prevention programmes addresses issues of STIs and HIV/AIDS prevention and strenthening the capacity of the National AIDS committee to oversee coordination and monitoring of HIV/AIDS response. UN volunteers, both national and international, will be mobilised to facilitate the activities.