december 2009 new horizons - unicef · 4 december 2009 new horizons the newsletter of the united...

December 2009

The newsleTTer of The uniTed naTions in mongolia

New Horizons

Delivering as - One un

On this Issue:

• UNSecretary-GeneralvisitsMongolia

• UNYouthAdvisoryPanelawardedbronzecup

• HerdersworktogethertoprotectwildlifeintheAltaiMountains

• Understandingchildren’sworkandyouthemploymentoutcomesinMongolia

• AcceleratingprogresstowardsCairoprogrammeofaction

• Ruraldoctors,librariansandlecturersaccesshealthjournalsonline

• IrinaBokovaelectedUNESCO’sfirstfemalehead

• Communitiesleadgerdistricts’upgradingproject

• “OneIdea”CommunityCenterhasbeenopenedtoprovideinformationonSTI/HIV/AIDSpreventionandawarenessforSexWorkers

• UNHCR-WorkingfortherightsofrefugeesinMongolia

• FAOinMongolia

• “Adecentwork”explainedbyafourteenyearoldgirl

1The Newsletter of the United Nations in Mongolia NEW HORIZONS 2009 December

This edition of the newsletter of the United Nations in Mongolia is presented during especially challenging times, as the world community faces multiple predicaments: the effects of the global financial crisis are still with us, food and energy prices continue to be a burden for the poorest nations and individuals, flu pandemics test the global health response capacity, and natural disasters provide mounting evidence that climate change is a reality we can no longer deny, but need to tackle with decisive and coordinated mitigation and adaptation efforts. We all share one planet, the home of all living beings, and we all share the responsibility to protect and preserve it.

This issue of New Horizons focuses on the latest contributions of UN agencies to the development of Mongolia by addressing environmental issues, promoting child rights and the rights of marginalized and excluded populations, advocating for decent work and food security, and responding to challenges in health care at the national and community levels.

UNITED NATIONS IN MONGOLIA

Sincerely,

Debora Comini UN Resident Coordinator

December 2009 NEW HORIZONS The Newsletter of the United Nations in Mongolia2

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid an official two-day visit to Mongolia in July, during which he praised the success of the country’s transition to democracy and a free market economy.

“Mongolia is a model country among the member states in achieving a successful transition to democracy and also in achieving a market economy with an empowered population. This is a very important example. I believe that many member states should emulate the Mongolian model,” he said.

Mr. Ban met with the President, the Prime Minister and other government officials during the visit, and delivered a lecture on climate change to relevant experts, development partners and the public that addressed the pressing issue of climate change and the challenges it presented to the people of Mongolia. “You have a problem of desertification,” he said. “You have also economic degradation problems. But these are all common challenges which we must address.”

Mr. Ban also visited the Tavan Tolgoi Peace Operations Support Training Centre, and met with the eighth contingent of peacekeepers preparing for deployment to Sierra Leone. “At the United Nations, we appreciate all Mongolian peacekeepers for your discipline, your international perspective and your commitment to bringing peace and stability to war-torn countries, no matter what difficult conditions you may face.” Mongolia is internationally recognised for its peacekeeping efforts through the deployment of troops, military advisors and trainers to Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Kosovo.

UN SeCReTARY-GeNeRAL vISITS MONGOLIA

“MONGOLIA IS A MODEL cOUNTry”UN SEcrETAry-GENErAL BAN KI-MOON


As a landlocked developing country (LLDC), Mongolia shares many of the same challenges as other developing nations in similar geographic situations. In order to share experiences with other LLDCs and explore ways to benefit from their positions, Mongolia recently established a Global Think Tank of LLDCs. Mr. Moon attended a ceremony marking the launch and praised Mongolia for undertaking the initiative and said he had instructed the UN Secretariat to provide it with full support.

During his visit, Mr. Ban had the opportunity to meet with members of the Bayansonginot herder community and stay overnight in a traditional ger while there learnt about the effects of desertification on their way of life. He was also able to visit Khustai National Park, 100km southwest of Ulaanbaatar, where he named a newly born Takhi horse “Peace”.

At the end of his stay, Mr. Ban was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the National University of Mongolia.

“This is not my last visit to Mongolia,” Mr. Ban said as he left the country.


UN youth Advisory Panel awarded bronze cup

In commemoration of the 370th anniversary of Ulaanbaatar, a national gardening campaign was launched this year. As part of the campaign, about 60 young Mongolians planted 50 aspen trees in a park on World Poverty Day on October 17. The Ulaanbaatar city government and the mayor’s office recognised the UN Youth Advisory Panel for its efforts in organising the event and presented panel coordinator Kh. Batsaikhan with a bronze cup inscribed with the words “National garden” in Mongolian traditional script.

roundtable discussions tackle pressing issues

Since Mongolian Youth Day on August 25, the UN Youth Advisory Panel has been organising a roundtable meeting every two months to discuss the challenges that young people face in society. Discussions were held to find answers to such questions such as “What can we or the young people do for our country?” and “What should be done to improve youth sexual and reproductive health education?”, which has resulted in the formulation of a number of significant ideas. Participants have been supporting initiatives to improve the information and communication channels promoting sexual and reproductive health among adolescents and youth, encouraging greater participation of peer educators in behaviour-change interventions, and ensuring proper monitoring of youth-related policies and activities.

UN YAP Mongolia aims to support young people’s pro-ductive and healthy development and to nurture them into becoming responsible citizens and leaders

On The International Day for the eradication of Poverty on October 17, a roundtable discussion on “Young people’s involvement in poverty reduction/youth employment” was held to discuss issues relating to the establishment of a part-time employment system for students and young people, the development of micro-credit programmes to support young entrepreneurs, and the organisation of on-the-job training for youth. During the discussion, participants also called on young people to ensure that the number of poor did not increase.

New members welcomed

According to the UN Youth Advisory Panel’s terms of reference, every year up to 50 percent of the panel is replaced with new members. In September 2009, B. Davaajargal, a student at the Institute of Finance and economics and a journalist for the TUNZA magazine issued by the UN environment Programme; B. Batmandakh, a student at the National University of Mongolia and a member of the MONFeMNeT NGO; B. Dolgion, a legal advisor for Summit Co. Ltd; N. Nyamsuren, a volunteer project coordinator for the Chingeltei District Health Centre; D. Odontuya, a student at the Institute of Trade and Industry and an Uyerkhel Love newspaper board member; and e. Tsogtgerel, a student at the “Shikhikhutag” Law Institute joined the panel. All expressed their commitment to address the challenges that young people faced by ensuring their voices would be heard.

LATEST NEWS FrOM UN AGENcIES:


capacity-building initiatives to aid proposal design

The development of successful proposals for result-oriented projects is a much-needed skill among young people. To aid capacity-building in this area, the UN Youth Advisory Panel translated and distributed the “Guide for Designing Results-oriented Projects and Writing Successful Proposals” published by the International Planned Parenthood Federation. With UNFPA support, 5000 copies of the manual - covering a range of issues, including designing, developing and evaluating successful project proposals in the area of youth reproductive health - were printed and distributed to youth organisations and young people.

Publication for youth

In October 2008, a “Mini UN” National Forum for Youth and Children was held in the State Palace. A brochure on the forum featuring reports about the Millennium Development Goals, UN agencies, UN interventions for

youth, recommendations and photos was published in both english and Mongolian and 500 copies were distributed to youth and to the general public, with support from the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Mongolia. The UN Youth Advisory Panel will organise “Mini UN” national forums every two years, and in 2010 it will be aimed at reviewing the recommendations endorsed by the previous forum and include participation from youth delegates from throughout the country.


Respect for the earth’s natural resources has always been an intrinsic part of Mongolians’ traditions. Indeed, many of the principles of sustainable natural-resource management are enshrined in the customs and practices of traditional nomadic culture. Through the promotion of both traditional and modern practices, UNDP is empowering herders to undertake grassroots initiatives to conserve the natural resources on which they depend.

The UNDP Biodiversity Conservation project being implemented in the Altai-Sayan Mountain region is working with 76 herder groups that have adopted a participatory management approach to the protection of natural resources. Through trainings, social mobilisation and advocacy initiatives, the UNDP project is helping herders to increase their knowledge and skills in community-based conservation and the participatory monitoring of many species of animals and plants in their area that are at risk of becoming endangered through illegal hunting, fishing and logging, and overgrazing as a result of increasing numbers of domestic livestock herds.

“The herders monitor the wildlife through their binoculars while they tend their livestock and do periodic rounds of the mountain to monitor the animals,” said project Monitoring and evaluation Officer A. Tumentugs. “Mongolian herders have the unique ability to recognise each individual animal by its colour and size, and can distinguish the gender and age. They then write the data into their monitoring log book.”

Mr. T. Altansukh is a volunteer ranger and the leader of a herder group that actively protects the region’s wide variety of rare species, including the argali, the world’s largest wild sheep, and the Siberian ibex goat. Together with other herder groups they have been successfully conducting community-based wildlife monitoring and conservation over an area of 30,000 hectares of land.

Members of the herder groups act as volunteer rangers and work closely with local conservation officers to keep a close eye on all animals within their area and to mitigate the threat from illegal hunting. They also practice collective pasture management to protect the natural habitats of the area’s wildlife from overgrazing by domestic livestock.

HErDErS WOrK TOGETHEr TO PrOTEcT WILDLIFEIN THE ALTAI MOUNTAINS

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PrOGrAMME

“When we started our activities in 2006, the population of argali sheep was estimated at about 240 and the ibex goat at about 250. After only a couple of years of our efforts to protect the herds and their habitats, the number of argali sheep and ibex had increased to more than 300 each,” a proud Altansukh said.


In order to promote alternative sources of income, the project has also provided training in the processing of milk and wool products, which has enabled many herder groups to increase their earnings. Their next goal is to establish community-based eco-tourism.

“Increasing income as a result of diversification lessens the need to make money by directly exploiting natural resources,” said Ms. Amangul, Social Mobiliser for four herder groups. “People used to cut trees in order to sell wood, but now they do not need to or do not wish to. By showing that tourists are willing to pay to see ibex, for example, a value has been demonstrated for ibex. As a result, herders are more willing to tolerate any perceived competition for food between wild and domestic ungulates.”

At present, the project is supporting the process of registering the herder groups as legal entities and transferring essential rights - wildlife management and hunting, pastureland management and grazing, and tourism and timber harvest management - from the government to community members.

By taking responsibility for the protection of the natural resources on which they depend, Mr. Altansukh and his fellow herders are achieving considerable success in protecting the precious biodiversity of this unique region – a region that has been designated a World Wildlife Fund Global 200 site: one of the earth’s most outstanding and diverse terrestrial, freshwater and marine habitats.


UNITED NATIONS cHILDrEN’S FUND

Article by Danielle Mario

When 13-year-old Uuganbayar grows up, he wants to be an architect, but that dream seems far away as he hoists a 20 kilogram bag of potatoes over his shoulder. It seems even bleaker when you realize he hasn’t been to school since he was 10 and has been work-ing at the Khar Khorin black market in West Ulaanbaatar since he was nine.

Uuganbayar is among thousands of Mongo-lian children who were the subject of a report entitled “Understanding children’s work and youth employment outcomes in Mongolia”. The report was developed as part of the Un-derstanding Children’s Work (UCW) program, which is an inter-agency research initiative by the International Labor Organization (ILO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICeF) and the World Bank (WB).

According to the report, an estimated 36,000 children aged 7-14 years were employed in 2006. This represents 10 percent of children within that age bracket, comparatively higher than the seven percent in 2002-2003.

“Children who start working at an early age are at risk of not being educated,” says N. Mongolmaa, National Programme Manager, ILO/IPeC. “The report indicates very clearly a linkage between children that are left behind in studies and working children.”

Like Uuganbayar, the ones who start work at an early age are more likely to drop out of school, or not attend at all. Sitting on a blue cart not far from the food market where he works is 17-year-old erdenebat, who labors for MNT 5,000 a day and has never gone to school.

“My job is to move supplies for the vendors here,” he said, shuffling his feet and looking to

the ground. “Now I rent a cart for MNT 4,600 a day and I make a little more money.”

The children seen selling items on the street or in the markets in Ulaanbaatar represent only a sliver of the total amount of children in the labor force. The report indicates that the phenomenon of child labor is primarily a rural phenomenon. Over 90 percent of the to-tal economically active 5-14 year-olds work in agriculture, against five percent in services and less than one percent in manufacturing.

“Agriculture is an important economic sector in the country,” said Mongolmaa. “It’s a cul-tural sector. It feeds and provides employment to the herding population in rural areas.”

“For anything to change with child labor in rural areas there needs to be political and economic support for it to become a profit-able enterprise and not just an activity that gets your family enough money to live.”

In this regard, it is 94.5% are unpaid fam-ily workers. Others – 5 percent are the self employed and less than 1 percent is in paid employment. All this applies to children in employment aged 5-14 years. And in most cases, the income level of the children’s’ par-ents also affects the decision to put them to work. The lower the parents’ education and income, the more likely the children are to be working.

The report also says that there are distinct re-gional differences, which show that geograph-ical targeting of the problem is necessary.

“Many children are working in the rural ar-eas as they are from herder families. There are limited opportunities to obtain education for them, because majority of high education institutions and vocational schools are locat-ed in Ulaanbaatar,” said B. Darikhand, Child

UNDErSTANDING cHILDrEN’S WOrK AND yOUTH EMPLOyMENT OUTcOMES IN MONGOLIA


Protection Officer at UNICeF. Along these lines, urban young people benefit greater from educational opportunities, stay in school longer and join the labor force at a later age. They are also more likely to be in school and to study full-time.

Local NGOs, ILO, UNICeF and other partners provide services and support programmers that encourage children to stay in school, or to prevent at-risk youth from entering the la-bor force too young. They provide basic so-cial and educational opportunities to help mitigate child labor.

“It can be very discouraging some days,” said J.Azjargal, an officer with the program who visits the black markets to recruit at-risk children. “When I first started, I was scared because the behavior of a lot of the kids is incredible. It was hard to think of them in a school setting when they can’t focus on you for more than a moment. It was frustrating.”

Despite this, in 2008, about 130 children were involved in the program with 90 finishing the year-long course, which involves basic edu-cation in reading and math. The remaining children returned to their jobs.

“A lot of it has to do with the wages of their parents, and that can pressure the children back to work,” said Azjargal.

The UCW report shows that children ages 7-13 who try to balance work and school are likely to stay in school two years fewer than their same-aged non-working peers. The aver-age grades of these students are also lower.

In most cases, the children of Mongolia are working without wage for their families. Of the others, 25 percent work for monetary gain and 21 percent are self-employed, living mostly in urban areas.

By age 15, Mongolian youth are permitted to work a certain amount of hours per week and are not allowed to engage in hazardous work, according to Labor law.

“It is a unique phenomenon in Mongolia in how this report has shown correlation be-

tween child labor and the low levels of youth employment,” said B. Darikhand. “Although the government does focus on each of these issues, it needs to start looking at the linkages between the two.”

The level of joblessness which captures both the unemployed and the discouraged workers is high. Some 11 percent of 15 to 24-year-old males and 14 percent of 15 to 24-year-old fe-males are jobless. More than 28 percent of unemployed youth have been seeking work for more than a year, and an additional 37 percent have been on the job hunt for more than three years. But these factors don’t only apply to youth – 77 percent of unemployed adults are also in long-term unemployment.

The report identifies several general strategies to combat child labor and help stimulate youth employment in Mongolia. Better schooling combined with mechanisms to reduce social risk, as well as preventing children already in work to move to worst forms and from quit-ting school is important. There is also a need for “second chance” learning opportunities to prevent the problem from becoming worst in the economic crisis and to prepare them for more gainful employment in the future.

“First, we need to create an effective edu-cation system in the country,” said N. Mon-golmaa. “There is also a need for skills de-velopment and entrepreneurship promotion programs – especially in the countryside and for the disadvantaged youth.”

It is important that youth policy should be considered in a more integrated manner, link-ing education concerns to macro-economic policies, issues of employment, social justice and democratic participation.

“It is essential that we address this duel prob-lem as part of the Millennium Development Goals and for the children of Mongolia. The government, NGOs and citizens need to un-derstand this problem and start looking at joint initiatives to create a brighter future for Mongolian youth.”


In 1994, industrialised and developing countries attended the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo, to discuss a wide range of population, development and human rights issues. At the conference, an inspiring and far-sighted Programme of Action (PoA) was adopted to serve as a road map for the next 20 years. The conference was historic in the sense that meeting the needs of men and women was seen as central to reducing poverty, achieving sustainable economic development and slowing population growth. 2009 marks the 15th anniversary of the ICPD, and it provides an opportunity to review the implementation of the PoA and to define activities and interventions to be undertaken for the remaining five years. Revolutionary shift At the conference, the world agreed that population was not about numbers, but about people. It means that every person counts and that the rights and needs of individuals should be met. Moreover, the conference made it clear that the empowerment of women is a step towards eradicating poverty and stabilising population growth. A milestone of the ICPD was the consensus that women and couples are entitled to the right to determine the number, timing and spacing of their children, and to make decisions regarding reproduction free of coercion, violence and discrimination.

ICPD and its links to the MDGs The ICPD consensus is closely linked to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and served as a baseline for the MDGs. Achieving universal access to reproductive health by 2015 has been included in the fifth MDG - improving maternal health. Reducing maternal mortality can only be ensured when women have full access to reproductive health services.

Mongolia - 15 years after the ICPD A delegation from the Mongolian government attended the ICPD in 1994 and signed the PoA. Since then, Mongolia has made significant progress in implementing the PoA. The ICPD principles and objectives are reflected in national and sectoral laws, programmes and strategies on poverty reduction, population development, gender and health. Following the ICPD, several policies have been designed and implemented, such as the State Policy on Population and Development (2004-2015), the Health Sector Strategic Master Plan (2005-2015), the Third National Reproductive Health Programme (1997-2011), the National Programme on Gender equality (2003-2015), and the Law against Domestic violence (2004). The government has been expanding its partnerships and close cooperation with NGOs, civil society organisations, the mass media, the UN, international development agencies to implement the policies and programmes. Multiple interventions aimed at ensuring women’s reproductive rights and universal access to quality reproductive health services have resulted in significant reduction in maternal and infant mortality rates in recent years. At the same time, progress has been made in

UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND

1 9 9 4 - 2 0 0 9

ICPD/15 International Conference onPopulation and Development

AccELErATING PrOGrESS TOWArDS cAIrO PrOGrAMME OF AcTION


reproductive health education and the provision of youth-friendly services for youth and adolescents.In celebration of the 15th anniversary of the ICPD, the Government of Mongolia in cooperation with the Parliament Standing Committee on Social Policy, education, Culture and Science, the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour and the Ministry of Health organised a national forum entitled “Mongolia - 15 years after the ICPD” in September 2009. During the forum, participants from various sectors reviewed the progress made and the challenges faced by the government since 1994 and agreed to increase the participation of decision-makers, international communities and relevant national bodies in order to accelerate those activities aimed at achieving the MDGs by 2015.

At the forum, Deputy Prime Minister M. enkhbold stressed that the Millennium Development Goals of Mongolia and the MDG-based Comprehensive National Development Strategy were aimed at reducing poverty, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality, improving maternal and child health, and combating HIv/AIDS. The ICPD goals and the PoA have been incorporated into these strategies to ensure a better enabling environment for their successful achievement.

The Government of Mongolia recognises the importance of maintaining the progress made in the past and of sustaining its investment, particularly during the economic crisis. even though significant progress was made in the past, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. Greater investment and interventions are needed for poverty reduction, finding solutions

to the difficulties caused by migration, increasing women’s participation in decision-making, and preventing gender-based violence. The UNFPA and the Government jointly prepared a country review on “Mongolia: 15 years after the ICPD” in both english and Mongolian and produced a documentary that was broadcast on national television.

Global community commemorates ICPD’s 15th anniversary Given the current global financial, food, energy and climate crises, the implementation of the ICPD PoA is becoming increasingly more important. Therefore, UNFPA in conjunction with regional and global partners has organised a series of events at international and regional levels to remind the world of the importance of women’s rights and sexual reproductive health for development. In September 2009, the “Asia and the Pacific High-Level Regional Forum on ICPD at 15” was held in Bangkok, Thailand, during which a declaration was adopted. In the same month, the “NGO Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Development” took place in Berlin and endorsed the Berlin Call to Action. In October, the “High-Level Meeting on Maternal Health - MDG 5” was held in Addis Ababa, ethiopia, during which recommendations for reaching the maternal health goal by 2015 were adopted. A commemoration event also took place during the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The implementation of the declaration and the Call to Action endorsed by the forums and high-level meetings provide an opportunity for governments to complete their implementation of the ICPD PoA.

For more information on the ICPD programme and activities, please visit our website at http://www.unfpa.org/public/News/events/icpd15events.

Box 1: Since 2001, the maternal mortality rate has been steadily declining, and in 2008 it reached an historic 49 per 100,000 live births, which implies the achievement of MDG 5. This is considered a significant success.

Box 2: As a result of the economic crisis in the 1990s, the number of maternity rest homes dropped to 52 at the national level. However, in the past few years they have been revived and they now number 343. In 2008, maternity rest homes provided services to 62.5 percent of expecting women.


After more than nine hours travelling in an old Russian train, in early October 2009 we arrived at Sainshand, a small sandy town in the middle of the Gobi Desert in the eastern part of Mongolia, 500km from the capital, Ulaanbaatar. The town boasts a medical college that attracts students from neighbouring provinces and from as far away as the capital who want to pursue studies in the field of health science.

Our team, which was comprised of a retired librarian from the US, a WHO library staff member from the Philippines and a Mongolian interpreter, was on a five-day mission to teach the college’s librarians and lecturers and health personnel from other aimags how to use the internet, and in particular the HINARI Access to Research Initiative (http://www.who.int/hinari/) which provides free or low-cost online access to 6500 biomedical and related social-science journals for locally based nonprofit institutions in developing countries.

There were 25 participants at the training, who worked in pairs on the 12 desktop computers in the college’s computer laboratory. Some brought their own laptops to access HINARI using the Wi-Fi connection recently installed by the college.

WOrLD HEALTH OrGANIZATION

It was a pleasant surprise for us to find there was a Wi-Fi connection in such a remote town as there are few places in Ulaanbaatar that have such sophisticated internet access. Despite a slowing down of the connection speed on the second day of the training, which was promptly fixed with help from the college’s computer lecturer, there were no problems with internet access.

The training course proved successful as the participants already had good baseline computer skills, and several essential documents and all training exercises had been translated into Mongolian, enhancing the learning experience. The limited english language skills may have been a handicap for participants, however there were some who understood more than was initially acknowledged. One such person was second-year student Khosbayar Anu-Ujin, who learned english on her own initiative and through membership at the college’s english club. eventually it was time to return to Ulaanbaatar, and we took back with us fond memories of the participants’ eagerness to learn and their happiness at being able to access the latest health information through the internet.

rUrAL DOcTOrS, LIBrArIANS AND LEcTUrErS AccESS HEALTH jOUrNALS ONLINE


UNITED NATIONS EDUcATIONAL, ScIENTIFIc AND cULTUrAL OrGANIZATION

Four UN Agencies in Mongolia - UNeSCO, UNDP, UNICeF and the WHO - are implementing the joint UN project “Comprehensive Community Services to Improve Human Security for the Rural Disad-vantaged Populations in Mongolia”, which began in June 2009. The project is aimed at improving the accessibility and quality of public services, in-cluding health and education, and providing sup-port for the livelihoods of rural ethnic minorities in selected aimags and soums.

current situation for Mongolia’s minorities

Mongolia has a small population spread over a vast area, and most of its many cultures are deep-ly rooted in nomadic or semi-pastoral traditions. Khalkh Mongols are the dominant ethnic group, although there are numerous ethnic minorities, including the Barga, Bayad, Buryat, Durbet and Tsaatan. Non-Mongolian communities, such as the Muslim Kazakhs inhabiting the western regions of

Bulgaria’s Irina Bokova © UNESCO/Michel Ravassard

Irina Bokova of Bulgaria was elected the 10th Director-General of UNeSCO at the 35th Session of the General Conference. She is the first woman to hold the post since the organisation’s foundation in 1945.

Prior to her appointment, Ms Bokova, who will serve a four-year term, was the Bulgarian Ambassador to France and Monaco, was the Bulgarian President’s personal representative to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, and has been a permanent delegate to UNeSCO since 2005. Born in 1952, Ms Bokova has an MBA from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and has studied at the University of Maryland and Harvard University in the US.

She has more than three decades of experience in the international arena, which includes serving as a representative to the United Nations and as Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister and Secretary of State for european Integration. As founder and chairperson of the european Policy Forum, she worked to overcome divisions in europe and to promote the principles of dialogue, diversity, human dignity and human rights.

MS Bokova has called for new humanism in the 21st century, saying: “The greatest challenge is to lead the world into a new era of peace and humanism, to create more inclusive, just and equitable societies through sustainable economic and social development based on science, innovation and new technologies that will serve mankind and will preserve the environment.”

IrINA BOKOVA ELEcTED UNEScO’S FIrST FEMALE HEAD

jOINT UN PrOjEcT TArGETS MONGOLIA’S ETHNIc MINOrITIES


the country, are comprised of a number of ethnic divisions, such as the Dukha, evenk, Tuvan and Urianhai, all of which have distinct languages and dialects.

In January 2008, the Government of Mongolia’s legislative arm approved the ”Comprehensive National Development Strategy based on the Mil-lennium Development Goals”, in which a plan to assess minorities’ needs and enable better imple-mentation of cultural rights’ reforms was reflected. The government requested UN support in its efforts to improve the living conditions of the country’s remote rural populations, in particular ethnic/lin-guistic minorities, which culminated in the sign-ing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UNeSCO and the government in 2006. It also prompted the UN to focus its efforts on the western region of Mongolia, where a majority of the ethnic/linguistic minorities reside, which became one of the key factors underpinning the implementation of this project.

Project goal and scope

The main goal of the project is to reduce poverty and improve the security of Mongolia’s remote rural population through the provision of compre-hensive social services. These services will be pro-vided through related ministries, with an emphasis on the following areas:

Providing the public with access to information;Improving skills and knowledge through non-for-mal education; Providing access to health services;Providing access to business services that improve household living conditions; andDeveloping a strategy recommendation concern-ing the sustainable development of the remote ru-ral population.

The project covers 20 soums in Bayan-Ulgii, Khu-vsgul, Khovd, Uvs and Dornod aimags, where a large percentage of the ethnic/linguistic minorities reside. In March 2009, the UN Human Security Trust Fund in New York officially approved the project, which will run for three years and cost USD $2,989,000.

Project approval and launch

Thirty people from relevant government ministries and agencies and local governments, UNICeF, UNDP, WHO, the UNeSCO Office in Beijing and the embassy of Japan in Mongolia attended the official launch of the project in August 2009 at a signing ceremony in Ulaanbaatar. The government delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister M. enkhbold and vice-Minister for education, Culture and Science Ms. Kulanda; the UN Mongolia Of-fice was represented by UN Resident Coordinator Debora Comini.

In a speech to mark the occasion, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that since their establish-ment, UN agencies had focused attention on the development of education and health and the improvement of living standards for diverse soci-eties in member states throughout the world. He highlighted the importance of the joint project in providing comprehensive social services to the re-mote rural populations within Mongolia, particu-larly ethnic minorities, and expressed his gratitude to the UN, the UN Human Security Trust Fund, the Government of Japan and the UNeSCO Office in Beijing for their efforts.

The Government of Mongolia and the UN cooperate for the betterment of the country’s ethnic minorities


UN-HABITAT UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PrOGrAMME

In recent years, a high rate of rural to urban migration has seen Ulaanbaatar undergo a rapid expansion, with newly arrived migrants settling in the capital’s now sprawling ger areas - areas that lack basic infrastructure and services. The increase in the number of people emigrating from the countryside is largely a result of the 1990-2001 dzuds that caused a devastating loss of livestock, a lack of job opportunities in rural areas and rising levels of rural poverty, and the 2003 Supreme Court decision that granted citizens the right to “freedom of movement” within Mongolia.

As a result, in the past 10 years the population of Ulaanbaatar has more than doubled to in excess of a million people, and of that number 62.24 percent reside in ger areas, of which an estimated 45 percent are poor. The total number of households in ger areas was 154,644 at the end of 2008, which is increasing on a daily basis. This high rate of rural to urban migration, coupled with a lack of effective policies, has led to the haphazard expansion of ger areas.

Ger districts have not received adequate attention with regard to their planning, upgrading and development. In response,

in the past three years UN-HABITAT - a UN organization mandated to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements and the achievement of adequate shelter for all - has been providing technical support to the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar in order to address issues related to the planning and upgrading of ger districts under the “Ger-area Upgrading Strategy and Investment Plan” funded by the Cities Alliance.

The Citywide Pro-poor Ger-area Upgrading Strategy, approved by the Citizens’ Council in July 2007, identified three types of ger areas - central, middle and peri-urban – which each require different approaches and guidelines for development.

Central ger areas are located around the city’s core, where relatively high access to water, roads and solid waste collection services is at its highest and more modern-style buildings are gradually replacing traditional gers. The strategy recommends “redevelopment” of central ger areas. Middle ger areas are located around central ger areas but are less organised. The streets are not properly laid out, making access difficult. The key approach to middle ger areas is the “comprehensive upgrading

Middle ger area

cOMMUNITIES LEAD GEr DISTrIcTS’ UPGrADING PrOjEcT


five project areas

and development of the area in partnership with local communities”. Peri-urban ger areas are located around middle ger areas and are expanding at an accelerating rate but lack any subdivision guidance or layouts. They are farthest from primary infrastructure services, are the most seriously lacking in service provision, and pose a threat to natural resources. The development strategy for peri-urban ger areas is “incremental upgrading”.

As part of the implementation of the strategy, UN-HABITAT launched the two-year “Community-Led Ger Area Upgrading in Ulaanbaatar City” project in September 2009, with USD $5.6 million funding from the Government of Japan. The project aims to assist about 50,000 people in five project areas: Dambadarjaa in Sukhbaatar district, Unur and Bayankhoshu in Songinokhairkhan district, Sharkhad in Bayanzurkh district, and the Chingeltei area of Chingeltei district (see map). The site selections for the project were made in consultation with the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar and the Ministry of Road Transportation, Construction, and Urban Development.

The project will be implemented according to a “People’s Process” concept, which is founded on the belief that communities themselves are in the best position to improve their living conditions. The “People’s Process” methodology has been developed by the UN-HABITAT Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific and is used for urban upgrading and development across the Asia-Pacific region. Through the use of People’s Process methodology in project implementation, local communities will be overseeing project implementation on the ground, with “social mobilisation and organisation” as the key prerequisites.

As the name implies, the “Community-Led Ger Area Upgrading” project is aimed at improving the quality of lives of the people living in the project areas via a community-led process. Households in the selected areas will be mobilised and organised to form representative Community Development

Councils (CDCs), which will help ensure broad-based representation. The CDCs will prepare Community Action Plans in accordance with the “Community Action Planning” process. The process will be adapted to suit Mongolian conditions.

Priority infrastructure needs will be supported and funded by the project within its budgetary framework. This may include such initiatives as the establishment of community service centres, water kiosks, and the availability of access to different infrastructure as identified in Community Action Plans. The project will also assist communities in establishing networks with line departments and with other relevant projects designed to support them in addressing their needs. The project implementation process will be carefully documented, monitored and evaluated in order to guide future upgrading initiatives throughout the country.

New appointment, new location

In October 2009, Bijay Karmacharya of Nepal took up the position of Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) for UN-HABITAT in Mongolia. Mr. Karmacharya joins the UN-HABITAT Mongolia Office after serving as CTA and Deputy Country Programme Manager a.i. in Afghanistan for more than four years. UN-HABITAT has set up its new Ulaanbaatar headquarters on the 7th floor of Max Tower in the city centre.


The Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS), a National Non-governmental Organization (NGO), has been implementing the Sex Worker component of the two-year UNDP/UNv project on HIv/AIDS and STI Prevention among vulnerable Groups in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia since December 2008. The main goal of this component is to reduce risky sexual behavior among Sex Workers (SWs) through developing programs that address issues of HIv/AIDS and STI prevention and awareness. The project uses the following interventions and approaches within SWs community:

Training of SWs as peer education and outreach •workers

Conducting of outreach work among SWs•

establishing of community center for SWs•

Development and distribution of Information, •education and Communication materials

Referral to voluntary Counseling and Treatment •Center and other health centers for medical care and counseling

Capacity strengthening for target group and •staff of MRCS

Partnership with relevant government and non-•government organizations

In the framework of this project, peer educators and outreach workers composed of Sex Workers

together with two National UN volunteers are providing information, education and communication activities among Sex Workers in Bayngol, Bayanzurkh and Songinokhairkhan and Sukhbaatar districts.

A community center called “One Idea” was established for Sex Workers on their initiative at the Ulaanbaatar City Red Cross Branch with the principles of collaboration with SWs on the same level and considering their voices first, and the focus on promotion of human rights and confidentiality of information. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on working days and provides a venue for educational and information activities on sexual life, human development, Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) including HIv/AIDS prevention, peer education trainings, health and life skills trainings, advocacy activities on voluntary Counseling and Treatment Centers (vCTC) and referral to vCTC. In addition, individual and group counseling, information on legal environment, trainings on computer use, writing project proposals, communication skills, alcohol abuse, and beauty tips are conducted on a routine basis. The training was participant-directed and facilitated by UNvs, addressing the community’s wishes and initiatives. This planning method proved very effective, achieving good results and high levels of participation.

With the active participation of Sex Workers, Information, education and Communication (IeC) materials on safe sex practices and STI/ HIv/AIDS prevention were developed and distributed to the entertainment settings (bars, saunas and restaurants) of target districts where many young people gather.

Moreover a community-initiated condom exhibit was held in the Sex Worker Community Center. The exhibit included different types of condoms, and advertising and promotion of usage of female and male condoms and lubricant are frequently

“ONE IDEA” cOMMUNITy cENTEr HAS BEEN OPENED TO PrOVIDE INFOrMATION ON STI/HIV/AIDS PrEVENTION AND AWArENESS FOr SEx WOrKErS


conducted at the center. (Insert file SDC 11680)Based on the partnership with the UB Metropolitan Police Department, NUNvs and peer educators are providing weekly sessions on legal issues, crime prevention and STI/HIv/AIDS awareness for SWs at the Detainment Center. These activities help to maintain a community-friendly relationship with SW community and improve utilization of “One idea” Community Center services.every activity is conducted with a high level of attention to the voice of the SW community, and well-established communication with the target community lead to successful implementation of the project.

As a result, a number of examples are showing us that being involved in project activities raised self-esteem and helped Sex Workers gain increased control over their own health. The project team received glowing feedback from the Sex Worker community on the activities.

Main achievements gained during project implementation:

During project implementation, MRCS has •developed their communication model on how to work with vulnerable, marginalized groups of the population, namely SWs. The project contributed to capacity strengthening of MRCS as a NGO, especially its UB city Branch. The capacity, enthusiasm and involvement of National UNvs, peer educators and outreach workers have been improved substantially.

Through the activities of this project the •partnership among National AIDS Committee, National Police Agency, Metropolitan Police Office, Detainment Center by the Metropolitan Police Office, National AIDS Foundation, Mongolian Gender equality Center, “Setgel

amar” centers by district health departments and other relevant organizations and programs have been improved.

Within the framework of partnership with the •Australian Association “Scarlet Alliance,” the leading non-governmental organization in Southeast Asia working with SWs, a capacity building training was organized by the technical advisor for the project team including NUNvs and SWs community. Technical advisors share their experience on important topics raised from the community such as human rights, condom negotiation, communication skills, sexual health, self-security, international legal environment of the sex industry as well as HIv prevention activities of Scarlet Alliance Australian SW association. The issue of the possibility of representatives of Mongolian SWs Association applying to the Asia Pacific Sex worker network was discussed.

One of the remarkable events during project •implementation was participation of one National UNv as representative of the target group in the International Conference on AIDS in Asia and Pacific (ICAAP) in August 2009 in Bali, Indonesia with financial support from the UNv. Through her attendance, she shared experiences and best practices with representatives from multiple countries around work with Sex Workers. Additionally, she was given a voice and shared her experiences about the Mongolian legal environment and issues of HIv/AIDS for Sex Workers in Mongolia.

Despite relatively short duration the UNv, National UN volunteers and staff of MRCS are working thoroughly towards establishing of a non-governmental organization based on initiatives of SWs and responsible for promoting HIv/AIDS and STI prevention and awareness within the SW community.

Before we were always despised like garbage. We felt guilty for working to feed our children, and would hear bad words from others. Today I am so glad to attend this project and doing good jobs for us and always give prevention information and organize many nice activities. I would like to say “Thank you, MRCS.” I like to visit the community center and talk with the people here. Also if I have a chance for being with them I liked to make decision with them. Thank you, Representative of community B.A.

2009.06.01


The organisation at a glance

When people hear “UN Refugee Agency”, they invariably think of actor Angelina Jolie, who is admirably fulfilling her duties as UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. However, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, is much more than that. The UNHCR was established on December 14, 1950, by the UN General Assembly and is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and wellbeing of refugees. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.

The dawn of the 21st century has seen UNHCR helping with major refugee crises in Africa (the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia), and in Asia, particularly with the 30-year-old Afghan refugee problem. At the same time, UNHCR has been helping many of those who have been internally displaced by conflict. Less visibly, it has expanded its role in helping stateless people, a largely overlooked group totalling millions throughout the world who are in danger of being denied their basic rights because they do not have any citizenship.

In 1954, the organisation won the Nobel Peace Prize for its groundbreaking work in helping european refugees, and another one in 1981 for its worldwide assistance to refugees. From having only 34 staff members when it was founded, UNHCR now has 6650 national and international staff working in 118 countries.

Activities on the ground

Although Mongolia is not a signatory to international refugee instruments, it invited UNHCR to open its Liaison Office in Ulaanbaatar in 2003 with a view to cooperating with the organisation on the process of Mongolia’s accession to the 1951 Convention Relating to

UNITED NATIONS HIGH cOMMISSIONEr FOr rEFUGEE

the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. As part of the overall effort to promote Mongolia’s accession to the Refugee Convention, UNHCR has continued to provide technical support and training on the principles of refugee protection and the development of a legal and operational asylum framework.

The Government of Mongolia established an Inter-Ministerial Task Force, made up of several ministries and specialised government institutions, in order to review Mongolia’s possible accession to the 1951 Convention. In 2007, the Interim Procedure for the Treatment of Asylum-seekers and Refugees was developed and implemented, under which UNHCR is guaranteed full access to asylum-seekers and other persons of concern in Mongolia. In the absence of domestic asylum legislation, UNHCR, acting under its mandate, remains responsible for refugee status determination and identifying solutions for recognised refugees (namely resettlement to a third country) until Mongolia adopts its own asylum system.

In relation to capacity-building, in 2009 UNHCR provided technical support to the Government of Mongolia through: a two-day training event on the principles of international protection in June 2009; an asylum-procedures study tour to New Zealand in August 2009; and support for the training of one civil servant at a refugee law course at the San Remo International Institute of Humanitarian Law in November 2009.

The Government of Mongolia is also faced with the issue of stateless ethnic Kazakhs in the country. In order to identify the exact areas of capacity-building needed and the magnitude of the statelessness issue, a research survey is being funded by UNHCR and undertaken by the Kazakh Development Association and Sociological education Centre NGOs in late 2009 and early 2010.

UNHcr - WOrKING FOr THE rIGHTS OF rEFUGEES IN MONGOLIA


FOOD AND AGrIcULTUrE OrGANISATION

FAO Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for Asia and Pacific, Mr. He Changchui, accompanied by FAO Resident Representative for Mongolia, P.R.China and D.P.R.K, Mrs. victoria Sekitoleko, visited Mongolia from 5-9 October 2009 on the oc-casion of the High Level Consultative Meeting on the National Programme for Food Security of Mongolia.

Mr. He Changchui thanked the Government for its cooperation, especially its funding sup-port for establishing the new FAO Mongolia Office in Ulaanbaatar. He recalled the steady progress and achievements made through FAO and Mongolia cooperation since Mon-golia became an FAO member some 35 years ago. He referred to the successful implemen-tation and impacts of several FAO projects, especially in livestock and dairy production, participatory forestry management and the Initiative on Soaring Food Prices project. FAO will continue its support to the food and agri-culture sector to implement the National Pro-gramme for Food Security (NPFS) by helping to mobilize funds and technical expertise.

NPFS was formulated with technical assis-tance from FAO through broad participation from the government agencies and intensive consultations among stakeholders, includ-ing the private sector. NPFS (2009-2016) has the overall goal to provide the entire nation with secure supplies of accessible, nutritious and safe food to enable healthy livelihoods and high labour productivity. It was approved by the Government of Mongolia Resolution No.32 on 4 February 2009.

HLC Meeting was organized by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry of Mon-golia to discuss and consider implementation of NPFS by all stakeholders. Over 200 partici-pants from various government agencies, aca-demia, NGOs and private sector attended, 18 countries (at the ambassador level) and over a dozen of international organizations were represented at the meeting, including UNDP, UNICeF, UNIDO, FAO, WB, ADB and eU.

FAO Mongolia Office is operative since 1 July 2009 in Ulaanbaatar. It is led by Assis-tant FAO Representative for Mongolia Ms. N.Oyundelger on behalf of FAO Resident Rep-resentation in Beijing. AFAOR is assisted by Mr. Ch.Buyannemekh, Admin/Programme Of-ficer and accountant Ms. B.Ariunbileg. FAO Mongolia Office is located in the UN House.

FAO is implementing five technical coopera-tion programme (TCP) projects at the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry and a Trust Fund with the Kingdom of the Neth-erlands project “Capacity Building and Insti-tutional Development for Participatory Man-agement and Conservation in Forest Areas of Mongolia” at the Ministry of environment and Tourism.

In this edition we are highlighting on the im-plementation of TCP/MON/3103 – Improving fodder production, conservation and proces-sion for intensified milk and meat production in the central region of Mongolia.

FAO IN MONGOLIA


From Inception in November 2007 the project has worked with clusters of lead and support integrated crop and livestock farmers, herd-ers with winter camps near these farmers, and settled peri-urban “intensified” milk and meat producers. The project involves four aimags (provinces) in Central region, and three - four soums (counties) in each aimag. The three main components are fodder production, fod-der conservation, and feed rationing with the development of animal feeds.

Fodder production: On-farm demonstrations of locally available annual fodder crops in-cluding fodder oats, rye, maize, Sudan grass and sorghum hybrids, and sunflowers with lead and support farmers and herders; plus limited demonstrations of perennial fodders - yellow alfalfa and brome grass. excellent on-station introduction and evaluation under rainfed and irrigated conditions of collections of annual and perennial fodder crops from NZ (including 66 lines of fodder oats and released varieties of oats, barley, rye, forage peas, faba beans, white lupins (very good), and root and leafy brassicas (very good)) and cereals from CIMMYT (including barley, triticale, sorghum, and maize (very good).

Fodder conservation: Pastures and fodder crops are ready for harvest in mid-August - at a time when it often rains. Modern machinery for “quick” hay making was introduced in the form of drum mower-conditioners and univer-sal rotary tedder/rakes (4 sets) from Slovenia, and for silage making in the form of “baby” double-chop flail forage harvesters (4 sets) from Brazil. Although hay and silage machin-

ery was distributed to different soums, they were brought together for four aimag level working demonstrations in which the recipi-ent farmers mounted the machinery and dem-onstrated it to fellow farmers. For most farm-ers and herders attending the demos this was the first time they had seen forage harvesters working, and there is major interest to make silage within the project area.

Feed rationing and animal feeds. In winter - which lasts a long time in Mongolia - cows are sad! enter the cowshed and you find sad cows with no food in front of them. So the first thing in improving feed rationing is to feed cows to appetite - with the basic fod-der available which is range hay. These cows then need their fodder supplemented with minerals - as blocks and/or as trace element long release bolusses placed into the rumen. Then poor quality fodder needs supplement-ing with rumen degradable protein, such as from urea/molasses feed blocks; with high quality fodder such as hay or silage from fod-der crops as a supplement to give the rumen bacteria somewhere to multiply freely; and with high quality protein directly available to the animal in the form of oil seed cakes which because of heat treatment during processing are less degradable in the rumen. Then you should have happy cows that survive the win-ter and produce lots of high value milk. These topics are being demonstrated with 24 clus-ters of farmers, herders and livestock produc-ers with a total of around 250 households in central region – though many more are hear-ing the message.

Demo of annual fodder

Demo of silage making

IMPrOVING FODDEr PrODUcTION, cONSErVATION AND FEEDING FOr INTENSIFIED MILK AND MEAT PrODUcTION IN THE cENTrAL rEGION OF MONGOLIA

TcP/MON/3103 (D) - FODDEr


On November 5, 14-year-old Dominika Koflerova from the Czech Republic was named the winner of the International Labour Organization and the Universal Postal Union’s International Letter Writing Competition for Young People 2009, which was themed “Decent Work”. Dominika’s letter - which highlighted fair trade in the manufacture of chocolate in Zambia and how decent work

and decent wages could help people break out of poverty - was selected from more than two-million entries submitted by children from 60 countries throughout the world. The award ceremony was held at ILO headquarters in Geneva in the presence of ILO Director-General Juan Somavia and UPU Director-General edouard Dayan.

INTErNATIONAL LABOUr OrGANIZATION

Dominika’s letter touched the hearts and minds of many:

“A DEcENT WOrK” ExPLAINED By A FOUrTEEN yEAr OLD GIrL

Dear Markéta,

How are you? How is school going this year? And tell me about London. You haven’t been back home to Frýdek for ages. All the family would love to see you. I know you are in the middle of your exams - fingers crossed - and I hope that once they are over you will come home for a while. Maybe you’ll fly back (I still can’t get used to you living so far away). I haven’t written to you for a long time, and as I am your sister I decided to remedy that now. I had a very interesting experience - something that got me thinking. And I wanted to tell you all about it.

It all began last Tuesday. I really wanted to eat some chocolate and I came across the bar you gave me not so long ago. There was nothing unusual about it apart from the fact it was not made in the Czech Republic. You reassured me that there was nothing special about it. But you did tell me something about this chocolate and, as a rule, I listen to what you say – but, sorry, this time I didn’t think it was very interesting and I didn’t pay any attention. At the time I didn’t get what you were telling me. But then I looked at the wrapper to see if there was any information on it. I was surprised to see some words in english which meant something like: “Do your bit - Buy free-trade goods”. I thought it was a bit weird to find that slogan on some chocolate. But that was all I could find out, apart from the ingredients and the country of origin: Zambia. By then I was hungry for information rather than chocolate so I left the bar to one side and went on to the internet to satisfy my curiosity.

To my great surprise I found an internet page on the same subject in Czech – it was a translation from english, which made it easier for me. I started reading and before long I had learned all kinds of interesting stuff. The chocolate I had just been eating was no ordinary chocolate. The Zambian producer who made it received enough money to give him and his family a decent living. It didn’t seem that strange, but then I read that lots of people all over Africa - including children - work in inhuman conditions and their wages are really low. Hardly anyone earns a decent wage. This fact grabbed my attention – I was happy to find out that there are organisations that look after people, buying up their produce and selling it in europe at a higher price and making sure the workers get a proper wage for their hard


work. I tried to imagine how those people live. They work really hard all day long and yet they are paid so little that they are still hungry. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for them. Then I thought about it and told myself that most people here just don’t appreciate the good working conditions that we have in our country.

I read another interesting story on the internet. It was about a family in Kenya living in a hut that was falling apart. The father used to work and so did six of his seven children. The youngest was seven years old. They worked from morning to night and yet they hardly earned enough to eat. The children were undernourished. They worked on cocoa plantations, and their lives were turned around once they joined the international fair-trade market. Their new employer introduced far better working conditions, and thanks to him the family’s lives got much, much better. Only the father and the eldest son had to work. With their earnings they could not only repair their home but they could also afford to pay for the other children to go to school. Living in those conditions is really unusual. These children got the chance to build a better future.

I don’t know if you find this story gripping – in any case, I did. I am happy to know that better working conditions can lead to a much better life. Yet I am sad to know that so few people have that chance. I think that in europe the situation is not so critical. But in Africa, for example, it is really obvious that just improving working conditions gives people’s lives a new meaning. Thank you for buying me that chocolate. It was not just any bar of chocolate. I learned lots of interesting things from it. I was so happy to know that there are people in this world who help others with their fair trade. That way people’s living conditions are made better. It is only right that people’s lives can be improved by improving their working conditions. I am sure that you must have already known what I have said in my letter – otherwise, why would you have bought me that chocolate? But I felt I needed to tell someone about it and you were the right person.

I hope to see you soon. Call me when you get a moment!

Dominika


Office of the United Nations resident coordinatorUN Resident Coordinator P.O. Box 46/1009Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,United Nations Street-12Sukhbaatar DistrictUlaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-327585 873 3824/20352/via satellitesFax: 976-11-326221 873 3824/20352/via satellitese-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Website: www.un-mongolia.mn

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)P.O. Box 46/1009Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia,United Nations Street-12UN House, Building I, Sukhbaatar DistrictUlaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-327585 873 3824/20352/via satellitesFax: 976-11-326221 873 3824/20352/via satellitese-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Website: www.undp.mn

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)P.O. Box 46Ulaanbaatar-210646, MongoliaUnited Nations Street-12UN House, Building I, Sukhbaatar DistrictUlaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-323365, 353503, 353504, 353505Fax: 976-11-353502e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://unfpa.org.mn/

United Nations children’s Fund (UNIcEF)P.O. Box 46Ulaanbaatar-210646, MongoliaUN House, Building II, United Nations Street-12Sukhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-312183, 312185 318904, 312217 Fax: 976-11-327313e-mail: [email protected]: http://www.unicef.org/mongolia

United Nations High commissioner for refugee (UNHcr)UNHCR Liaison Office, P.O. Box 46/1009Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaRoom No. 6, 1st FloorUN House, Building II, United Nations Street-12Sukhbaatar DistrictUlaanbaatar, Mongolia

UN cOUNTry TEAM IN MONGOLIA

Phone: 976-11-319624Fax: 976-11-353390e-mail : [email protected] Website : http://www.unhcr.org

The World Health Organization (WHO)WHO representative OfficeP.O. Box 663Ulaanbaatar-13, MongoliaRoom No. 301, 3rd Floor Building of Ministry of HealthOlympics Street–2Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-327870, 322430 320183, 322914Fax: 976-11-324683 e-mail: [email protected] Web site: http ://www.un-mongolia.mn/who

United Nations Volunteers (UNV)P.O. Box 46/1009Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaRoom No. 3, 1st FloorUN House, Building I,United Nations Street-12Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-325911, 327585 Fax: 976-11-326221e-mail: [email protected],Website: http ://www.un-mongolia.mn/unv

ILO Project OfficeP.O. Box 46/1009Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaUN House, Building II,United Nations Street-12Sukhbaatar DistrictUlaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-327585 ext # 161Fax: 976-11-326221e-mail: [email protected]

UNEScO Project OfficeP.O. Box 46/1009Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaRoom No. 5, 1st Floor, UN House, Building II, United Nations Street-12, Sukhbaatar District, Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-327585 (ext. # 156)Fax: 976-11-326221e-Mail: [email protected]

FAO Projects OfficeP.O. Box 46/1009Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaRoom No. 71AMinistry of Food, Agriculture & Light IndustryGovernment Building IXUlaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-262787Fax: 976-11-453121e-mail: [email protected]

UNOPS – United Nations Office for Project ServicesRoom No. 304, 3rd FloorGeo-ecology InstituteChingiltei DistrictUlaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-321862Fax: 976-11-321862e-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT)Room # 701, 7th floor, MAX townUlaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-322711Fax: 976-11-322711e-mail: [email protected]

UNAIDS - joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDSP.O. Box 46/1009Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaRoom No. 27, 2nd FloorUN House, Building I,United Nations Street-12Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-325911, 327585 Fax: 976-11-326221e-mail: [email protected]: http://www.unaids.org/

The World Bank (WB)World Bank Resident MissionMCS Plaza, 5th FloorSeoul Street-4Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-312647, 312654Fax: 976-11-312645e-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Website: http ://www.worldbank.org.mn

The Asian Development Bank (ADB)ADB Mongolia Resident MissionP.O. Box 1083Central Post OfficeUlaanbaatar-13, MongoliaMCS Plaza, 2nd Floor,Seoul Street-4,Ulaanbaatar, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-329836, 323507Fax: 976-11-311795e-mail: [email protected] Website: http ://www.adb.org/mnrm

International Monetary Fund (IMF)MCS Plaza, 3rd Floor,Seoul Street-4, Sukhbaatar District,Ulaanbaatar-210644, MongoliaPhone: 976-11-313518, 320194Fax: 976-11-312181e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.imf.org

december 2009 new horizons - unicef · 4 december 2009 new horizons the newsletter of the united...

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