Mongolia
Context
The mining sector plays a major role in the Mongolian economy. Out of 306 mining exploitation plans submitted in 2017, 86 were approved as of February 2018. The number of mining licenses (3,369) and the ratio of licensed land to the total land area (1%) remained relatively constant throughout 2017 compared to 2016.
However, the environmental and social harms related to mining remain a major challenge to local communities. Civil society and environmental organizations continue to advocate for the restriction and regulation of small, medium, and large-scale mining activities and illegal mining, which has become widespread in some regions.
In Mongolia, the EGP supports the government and civil society in improving environmental and social outcomes of the mining sector. The EGP is also working with national partners to reduce the scale of land degradation and prevent future cases of degraded and abandoned land caused by large-scale and illegal mining.
Capacity development
Assessing the Rule of Law in the Public Administration of the Mining Sector
The EGP has supported Mongolia in conducting a Rule of Law in Public Administration of the Mining Sector (ROLPAM) assessment, measuring the adherence to rule of law principles and environmental procedural rights. The Mongolian ROLPAM and a complementary analysis on legality aspects has uncovered challenging issues in the legal and regulatory framework for mining and environmental protection and gaps between laws, policies, and practice.
The ROLPAM and the legality analysis have successfully informed the drafting of stronger mining laws and regulations, namely: the Law of Offences, the Mineral Law, the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation, and the Environmental Monitoring Plan Regulation.
This new legal framework is expected to strengthen environmental protection in the mining sector for affected communities across the country. The Law of Offences, for example, now incorporates aspects of the ’Law on Mining’ and the ‘Law on Environmental Impact Assessment’ under one single harmonized act.
Interagency coordination mechanism
The EGP convened Mongolia’s first environmental governance inter-agency coordination meeting, bringing together the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the General Agency for Specialized Inspection, the Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority, the National Human Rights Commission, and the National Police Division in charge of environmental crimes. This inter-agency mechanism was subsequently formalized for regular consultation among agencies involved in environmental governance of the mining sector.
Information sharing and advocacy
With EGPs support, the National Human Rights Commission organized a media competition to raise awareness around human rights issues and mining from December 2016 to November 2017. The winner was a TV programme entitled “Sorrow that Accompany Gold”. The competition fostered the publication of 49 articles in the press and the production of three television programmes and six radio broadcasts.
Monitoring and enforcement
- Three drones were procured by the EGP for the General Agency for Specialized Inspection and the line ministries to support data collection and monitoring of land degradation in mining areas.
- The EGP is piloting a methodology on setting benchmarks for responsible mining for mining companies jointly with the General Agency for Specialized Inspection. This methodology is expected to contribute to improving industry self-monitoring and compliance with international standards.
- With EGP support, the National Human Rights Commission has engaged in field trips to monitor mining activities. As a result, 38 notices were applied to eighteen mining companies in 2017.
Training workshops
Workshops on the Application of the Law of Offences
The EGP supported the General Agency for Specialized Inspection in the organization of two workshops in Ulaanbaatar and in the province of Bayankhongor on the application of the Law of Offences. Under this new law, mining inspectors are assigned new roles and responsibilities which prompted the request for training. More than 320 environmental, geology and mining inspectors participated in the workshops, including 205 inspectors from provincial and local governments.
Workshops on the Census of Degraded Land
The EGP, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the General Agency for Specialized Inspection, organized a workshop on degraded land census for inspectors and local environmental officers. The workshop was designed to introduce and validate a new census methodology to provide up-to-date official data on land degradation by provinces and sub-provinces, as a basis for designing rehabilitation measures.
Our partners
General Agency for Specialized Inspection (GASI)
Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET)
Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry (MMHI)
Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority (MRPA)
National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia (NHRC)
National Police Department (NDP), Environmental Crimes Division
Focal Point
The EGP focal point at UNDP Mongolia is Barkhas Losolsuren.
