ONSITE INSIGHTS

SWISS AGENCY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION IN June 2008 - No. 27

SDC’s strategic objective is to contribute to improved and securer livelihoods of herders and ex-herders in rural areas focusing on impro- ving sustainable use and rehabilitation of natural resources and supporting ecologically-oriented social and economic development

Development Context The Ministry of Nature and Environment has circulated a draft report on Environmental A recent report on Food Security and Indicators of Mongolia. The Environmental Livelihoods in the small urban centers of Indicators of Mongolia will allow people: Mongolia published by Mercy Corps Mongolia To be informed about the actual condition of with support from USDA and SDC provides clear the environment and natural resources, empirical evidence of food insecurity among To be aware of critical changes affecting the aimag center residents in Mongolia. The most environment and human wellbeing, pressing issues relate to the access dimension To observe the effectiveness of natural of food security. One-third of households in protection and management measures; and the survey population were found to be food To assess the progress towards achieving insecure (and one-quarter moderately or environmental targets and commitments. severely). In addition, information collected on seasonal patterns of food security suggests that The Environmental Indicators are grouped into the situation worsens considerably during the the seven most important environmental factors. spring months when both food and employment The list contains the 42 main indicators which are scarce. (www.sdc.mn - Publications) provide basic information for a quick overview of the environmental conditions of Mongolia.

Strengthened resilience of herders to vulnerabilities in the livestock sector and improved disaster preparedness and environmental stewardship

SDC’s ‘Coping with Desertifi cation’ Project This initiative, which is supported by the Ministry started pilot actions in formal and informal eco- of Education, Culture and Science, is to be education, promoting ecological awareness and replicated in other schools in education among the public, especially children and Gobi-Altai aimags from next autumn, and and youth. The project introduced a training eventually in other aimags as well. The next step manual specially designed for teachers to will be to connect the Mongolian eco-schools to enable them to teach a range of environmental the global network of eco-schools. topics to selected secondary schools in The Ministry of Nature and Environment, aimag. The Mongolian Nature and Environment supported by the Swiss Government, organised Conservation NGO set up three Eco-schools an Inception Workshop within an Integrated in and fi ve in Khovd aimag. Eco- National Chemicals and Waste Management schools cooperate with the Project in creating Programme on May 26, 2008, in Ulaanbaatar. more environmentally and child-friendly schools. This was a signifi cant contribution towards the Some schools have established green spaces implementation and further development of the on their compounds and in their classrooms. Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Each eco-school has formed an Eco-Council, Management (SAICM). which mobilises children to make their schools greener by planting trees, growing green plants About 80 international scientists, and educating their schoolmates on ecology. policymakers in rangeland management and herders’ representatives gathered at a fi ve- day workshop to address the question of how community-based rangeland management will strengthen Mongolian herders’ resilience to climate changes. The workshop was aimed at developing a conceptual framework, methods and institutional relationships to launch research and a science capacity-building programme. The workshop was jointly organised by the Mongolian Society for Rangeland Management, Colorado State University, SDC, UNDP and the World Bank, in cooperation with the Mongolian Academy of Science and the Research Institute of Animal Husbandry and Swiss Federal Institute of Children plant trees in their school yard, Khovd aimag Technology in Zurich. ONSITE INSIGHTS

SWISS AGENCY FOR DEVELOPMENT AND COOPERATION IN MONGOLIA June 2008 - No. 27

SDC’s strategic objective is to contribute to improved and securer livelihoods of herders and ex-herders in rural areas focusing on impro- ving sustainable use and rehabilitation of natural resources and supporting ecologically-oriented social and economic development

Increased income of herders and ex-herders in targeted areas based on improved productivity of their livestock and income diversifi cation

The Mongolian Potato Programme, in co- seeds on 50 hectares in the central agricultural operation with the Ministry of Food and Agricul- region for multiplication. About 800 tonnes of ture (MoFA), imported 150 tonnes of high-quality potato seeds are expected to be harvested. This potato seeds of the “Sante” variety from Holland contribution from the MoFA accelerates the goal to expand the growing of potato seeds nation- of establishing sustainable high-quality potato- wide. The programme selected fi ve companies seed production systems across the country. engaged in growing potato seeds to plant the

Deepened Swiss-Mongolian relations, and improved governance and gender equality “Once medical stu- dents leave the Mon- 1998 marked the start of the Swiss Surgi- cal Team (SST) in Mongolia, which this year golian university there celebrates its 10th anniversary. Each year since is little training for then, the SST has grown, attracting an increas- them. Telemedicine ing number of volunteer surgeons and anaes- opens doors for ad- thetists, and recently nurses. Their main goal is to train their Mongolian counterparts in surgi- vanced training. Doc- cal techniques and patient management. The tors in any soum in training they provide is hands-on, with Swiss Mongolia with an in- and Mongolian surgeons working together as Swiss - Mongolian surgeons at consultation ternet connection can a team with patients from diagnosis through to programme. Not only do Swiss doctors come to post-operative care. Each year they treat more access new knowledge Mongolia, but Mongolian doctors are also given than 200 patients with a wide range of medical and exchange infor- a chance to work and learn in Swiss hospitals. conditions. In recent years, the SST has focused Through the support of the SST and the Swiss mation with medical its attention on the diffi culties facing medical Government, every year three to fi ve doctors professors and doctors practitioners in rural hospitals and is training lo- are given the opportunity to work for up to six cal doctors and surgeons. Many of these doctors from all over the world months in one of Switzerland’s prestigious hos- were left to their own devices and relied on the while working in their pitals. training and knowledge gained from their stud- hospitals.” ies during Soviet times, more than 20 years ago. In June 2008, Switzerland and Mongolia Dr. Beat Kehrer, Together with the Health Science University of signed an agreement on One-Stop-Shop Project Mongolia, the SST began to organise trainings Implementation, represented by Walter Meyer, SST Leader in the Regional Diagnostic Centres in the west- Head of the East Asia Division of SDC, and Kh. ern and eastern aimags, in , Khovd, Narankhuu, the Minister for Trade and Industry Altai and . To ensure the sustainability in Mongolia. Under the agreement, both parties of the SST’s work and to support further training will contribute to good governance by support- of local doctors, the SST’s most recent project is ing key government service providers in deliver- the establishment of “telemedicine” in Mongolia ing administrative services in a fair, transparent, non-discriminatory and effi cient manner to all - online communication between urban and ru- For more information: ral hospitals, linked to an international network citizens. of hospitals. The SST-project is a true partnership Programme Management Swiss Cooperation Offi ce in Mongolia We congratulate N. Batbayar for his nomination as head of the Mining Department in the MRPAM. PO Box 218 N. Batbayar was the Deputy Coordinator of the Ulaanbaatar 38 SAM project and the Head of the ASM Division of Mongolia MRPAM. We also congratulate B. Dashbal for his nomination in Batbayar’s place. Tel: 976 11 331422 We also extend our thanks to Ch. Enkhzaya, Fax: 976 11 331420 who worked as National Project Director for the [email protected] SAM Project. She stepped down from the position www.sdc.mn at the end of May 2008 to focus on different Swiss -Mongolian surgeons in operation challenges. www.swissconsulate.mn