  |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
| Mongolia National Preparations [Update: August 2001]Current Status of Preparations The Government of Mongolia has been actively preparing for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2002. As a first step, following a number of informal preparatory meetings, Mongolian representatives attended the stakeholders’ meeting for northeast Asia that was held in Beijing on 26 July 2001. The goal of the meeting was to identify issues and priorities in reporting to WSSD. The main issues identified during the meeting included public participation, education and awareness, freshwater supplies, nuclear energy, air pollution and climate change, patters of consumption, poverty eradication and land degradation and desertification. Second, the “National Report of Mongolia on Sustainable Development Achievements Since the Rio Summit of 1992” was drafted and widely circulated within the government and civil society for review and discussion. The National Report highlighted important achievements in Mongolia during the past ten years including (a) the establishment of a National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) chaired by the Prime Minister and (b) the development of a comprehensive Mongolian Action Program for the 21st Century (MAP-21). The report also noted shortcomings including limited implementation capacities, insufficient civil society participation, inadequate cross-sectoral integration, lack of financial resources, etc. Third, a national seminar was held on 3 August 2001 to finalize the draft report so that it could be presented at a more formal and broad-based National Forum. Finally, a “National Assessment Forum on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Approaches in Mongolia” was held on 21-23 August 2001 in the nation’s capital, Ulaanbaatar. The aim of the forum was to review and discuss the final draft of the National Report mentioned above. During the forum numerous stakeholders were able to express their opinions, comments and observations on the issues presented. These comments are presently being incorporated into the final National Report. The final report will be published by the end of September 2001, both in print and on a compact disk (which will include not only the report but a short documentary film on sustainable development in Mongolia). Actors Involved in the Process As the approach to sustainable development necessarily involves a wide range of stakeholders, preparations in Mongolia for the WSSD 2002 have involved representatives from central and local government, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. Government representatives have come from: the Ministries of Finance and Economy, Nature and Environment, Trade and Industry, Food and Agriculture, and Infrastructure; the provincial governments of Gobi Altai and Dund Gobi; the Mongolian State University and Mongolian Technical University; and Parliament. At least two former Prime Ministers and the ex-president participated in the process and provided presentations as well. These representatives – together with the civil society and private sector representatives listed below – were involved in the process of elaborating the National Report in compliance with the Earth Council Guidelines for the national assessments. They worked in a number of multi-stakeholder working groups under the direction of the Vice-Minister of Finance and Economics. The stakeholders submitted independent reports to the National Council for Sustainable Development. Based on these reports, the NCSD prepared the draft National Report, which was discussed during the national seminar and forum mentioned above. Extent of Non-Governmental and Civil Society Involvement In addition to the government representatives mentioned above, numerous Mongolia non-governmental and civil society organizations participated in the process of preparing the National Report. These organizations included the following:
From the very beginning, the UNDP Country Office in Mongolia and the Capacity 21 program have provided a wide range of assistance to the elaboration and implementation of Mongolia’s sustainable development agenda. Specifically the UNDP Country Office has supported implementation of UNDP’s global Capacity 21 program in Mongolia for more 6 years. This support resulted in the development of MAP-21 in the first place and has, in recent years, focused on implementation of MAP-21. Through its ongoing MAP-21 project, the UNDP Country Office has continued to support sustainable development initiatives in Mongolia in general, and preparations for WSSD in particular. This support has included financial and project support on the one hand, and substantive and technical support on the other. The UNDP Country Office intends to continue providing this support up to and including the WSSD in 2002. View presentation by the National Council for Sustainable Development of Mongolia, at the Regional Workshop for National Assessments, Bangkok, Thailand: 12 - 13 September 2001. Report on Mongolia's preparatory activities from the UNDP Sub - Regional Resource Facility (SURF) for Asia and the Pacific. SD Focal Point: Dr. B. Khuldorj Tel: 976-11-323189 Fax: 976-1-323189 E-mail: agenda21@mongol.net Mailing address Room # 218 United Nations Street 5/1 Government building II Ulaanbaatar 46, MONGOLIA __________________________________________________________________
Copyright © United
Nations |
|||||