First Mongolian female representative at UNESCO receives State Labour Honour
The following is an interview with the senior diplomat L.Ider. She is the first Mongolian female diplomat, with the title of Official Ambassador, to be a representative at UNESCO.
-I heard that you live abroad. Which country do you live in and when did you come back to Mongolia?
-I have lived in New Zealand with my daughter for four years now. I haven’t had the chance to come back to Mongolia in recent years. I came back four days (a week) ago to see to some personal matters.
-When we looked at your autobiography, we found that you were born in Moscow in 1937. What is you heritage?
-My father is from Luvsanddanzan, he went to Moscow when he was 15 to study medicine and later met my mother in Moscow and had me. Later, my father came back to Mongolia and I was with my mother until I was four years old in Moscow. She came to Mongolia and I was raised with my grandparents. My mother is of Kavkaz heritage. My mother’s relatives live in Kyrgyzstan and they are regular farmers, I met them a couple of times.
-Have you seen your mother since then?
-I met with her when I was a student in Moscow. Though my mother married again she didn’t have any more children. We were very close. I think my mother had a difficult life, she used to be a doctor at Dornod’s hospital and passed away of cancer in 1975. My father remarried too and had children. I was raised with my grandparents because he was always commissioned at provincial hospitals. My grandfather was a monk before he became a bookkeeper in an institute and my grandmother was a housewife.
-Where did you spend your childhood? Did you attend a Russian school?
-Since my grandparents lived in Selenge, I came to the city to attend schools and I stayed with my relatives.
-What did you major in?
-After finishing high school I went to Russia to study international relations. I specialised in India. Though I studied India, I never had the chance to work there. But I did visit India a few times. When I was a student I visited India to take a four month course on Indian language and travelled and met many people. During my travel I gave lectures in Indian language.
-You were awarded the State Labour Honour. As an ambassador and official representative in UNESCO, how do you think you contributed to your country?
-I think I contributed by working for international organisations. I worked in the department of foreign relations in a foreign ministry after my graduation in 1963. I was meant to graduate in 1962 but in 1961 Mongolia joined the UN and I was asked to work in New York City in 1962. I was one of the two students who worked there, and after working for a year, I finished school. Ever since my graduation I have worked for international organisations. I have participated in UN conferences 26 times. I have always worked in the Social and Human rights division and I even became the division’s deputy head. I was chosen to monitor the international women’s right’s convention for four years. I have also worked as the head of the UN’s Social Development Commission and as a secretary for the Mongolian Embassy residing in England: I was in charge of market and political relations.
-How long have you worked in Mongolia? And tell us about the places you’ve worked in.
-I worked here for many years. My participation in the UN assemblies were for around three month periods but I was mostly here. During that time very few women were commissioned to work like this. I worked in England for three years and in France in an organisation under UNESCO. Since there wasn’t an embassy in France I also worked as a representative.
-It is said that, while you were working in the UN, you helped greatly with the International Mongol Studies Union to help find support during the 750th anniversary of the Secret History of Mongolia.
-The decree was formulated; I managed to persuade the representatives to approve it. It is important for the members to work hard if they wish for something to be approved by an authority. It is important to get approval from influential nations.
-When did you retire?
-I retired from the international ministries in 1992 to work for the Supreme Court. I worked as an advisor to the General Judge of the Supreme Court for twelve years. I worked for the government for 42 years in total.
-What do you do in New Zealand now, and when will you go back?
-I had a surgery four years ago. I am under hospital supervision and living with my daughter. My daughter graduated from the School of Law of the National University of Mongolia and she has worked for the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs and even in banks. Now she does all sorts of work in New Zealand.
I will return to New Zealand tomorrow.
-I heard that you live abroad. Which country do you live in and when did you come back to Mongolia?
-I have lived in New Zealand with my daughter for four years now. I haven’t had the chance to come back to Mongolia in recent years. I came back four days (a week) ago to see to some personal matters.
Whenever I come back, I can’t help but visit my office and this time when I visited I was given an award.
My colleagues gave me the State Labour Honour.
-When we looked at your autobiography, we found that you were born in Moscow in 1937. What is you heritage?
-My father is from Luvsanddanzan, he went to Moscow when he was 15 to study medicine and later met my mother in Moscow and had me. Later, my father came back to Mongolia and I was with my mother until I was four years old in Moscow. She came to Mongolia and I was raised with my grandparents. My mother is of Kavkaz heritage. My mother’s relatives live in Kyrgyzstan and they are regular farmers, I met them a couple of times.
-Have you seen your mother since then?
-I met with her when I was a student in Moscow. Though my mother married again she didn’t have any more children. We were very close. I think my mother had a difficult life, she used to be a doctor at Dornod’s hospital and passed away of cancer in 1975. My father remarried too and had children. I was raised with my grandparents because he was always commissioned at provincial hospitals. My grandfather was a monk before he became a bookkeeper in an institute and my grandmother was a housewife.
-Where did you spend your childhood? Did you attend a Russian school?
-Since my grandparents lived in Selenge, I came to the city to attend schools and I stayed with my relatives.
When I was in tenth grade, my grandparents moved to the city. My grandfather was a wise man and he made me attend a Russian school and took care of my education. During that time, there was only one Russian school in Ulaanbaatar and I was the only student who wasn’t Russian.
-What did you major in?
-After finishing high school I went to Russia to study international relations. I specialised in India. Though I studied India, I never had the chance to work there. But I did visit India a few times. When I was a student I visited India to take a four month course on Indian language and travelled and met many people. During my travel I gave lectures in Indian language.
-You were awarded the State Labour Honour. As an ambassador and official representative in UNESCO, how do you think you contributed to your country?
-I think I contributed by working for international organisations. I worked in the department of foreign relations in a foreign ministry after my graduation in 1963. I was meant to graduate in 1962 but in 1961 Mongolia joined the UN and I was asked to work in New York City in 1962. I was one of the two students who worked there, and after working for a year, I finished school. Ever since my graduation I have worked for international organisations. I have participated in UN conferences 26 times. I have always worked in the Social and Human rights division and I even became the division’s deputy head. I was chosen to monitor the international women’s right’s convention for four years. I have also worked as the head of the UN’s Social Development Commission and as a secretary for the Mongolian Embassy residing in England: I was in charge of market and political relations.
-How long have you worked in Mongolia? And tell us about the places you’ve worked in.
-I worked here for many years. My participation in the UN assemblies were for around three month periods but I was mostly here. During that time very few women were commissioned to work like this. I worked in England for three years and in France in an organisation under UNESCO. Since there wasn’t an embassy in France I also worked as a representative.
-It is said that, while you were working in the UN, you helped greatly with the International Mongol Studies Union to help find support during the 750th anniversary of the Secret History of Mongolia.
-The decree was formulated; I managed to persuade the representatives to approve it. It is important for the members to work hard if they wish for something to be approved by an authority. It is important to get approval from influential nations.
-When did you retire?
-I retired from the international ministries in 1992 to work for the Supreme Court. I worked as an advisor to the General Judge of the Supreme Court for twelve years. I worked for the government for 42 years in total.
-What do you do in New Zealand now, and when will you go back?
-I had a surgery four years ago. I am under hospital supervision and living with my daughter. My daughter graduated from the School of Law of the National University of Mongolia and she has worked for the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs and even in banks. Now she does all sorts of work in New Zealand.
My granddaughter also studies there and works. What could I do there, just go on a casual stroll or sightseeing or read history.
I will return to New Zealand tomorrow.
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