MCC Board members Visit Mongolia compact implementation sites

Ulaanbaatar - Members of the MCC Board of Directors, Lorne W. Craner and Morton H. Halperin, from Washington DC visited MCA-Mongolia project implementation sites on April 26, 2013, while their stay in UB to attend annual Community of Democracies Ministerial being held between April 27 and April 29, 2013.

With MCC funding MCA-Mongolia implements six projects to achieve the objectives of the Compact agreement which was signed between the Mongolian and US governments on October 2007.

The Board member started their visit from Vocational Education and Training Project (TVET) of MCA-Mongolia by touring Art and Production Polytechnic College named after Rajiv Ghandi. As part of TVET project investments, MCC has funded equipment and materials including the following:


Core technology labs in hydraulics, auto mechanics, mechatronics, and electronics. Core technology labs were provided to 5 schools in total.
Multimedia labs including audio recording studio, video recording studio, video conference room, and multimedia computer lab. Multimedia labs were provided to 10 schools including the Art and Production Polytechnic College being visited.
Sewing practical training lab including different types of sewing training equipment. Two schools received this kind of equipment.
Library equipment, software, furniture and e-learning rooms. Library equipment and software were provided to 3 schools in total.
Computer lab for 20 students with state-of-the-art computers and furniture. In total 2 schools received computer labs.
Training materials, reference books, learner guides in line with 28 Competency based training curricula developed by the TVET project.
In addition to the above investments, around 85 teachers, management and administrative staff of the Art and Production Polytechnic College have participated in various capacity building activities organized by the TVET project.

Energy and Environment Project (EEP) of MCA-Mongolia helped nearly 100,000 families inUlaanbaatar by subsidizing various energy-efficient products. Members of the Board visited abeneficiary family in Chingeltei district and had an opportunity to experience the Mongolian traditional housing called “Ger.” The family owns energy efficient stove subsidized by EEP.

The project implemented its subsidy delivery activity of energy efficient products in 2011-2012 by covering 72 sub-districts of 6 districts. As of November 2012, around 98’000 energy efficient stoves, 21’000 ger insulations, 5’000 vestibules, 100 energy efficient homes were sold under the subsidy delivery activity of the project.

Property Rights Project (PRP) has been implementing khashaa plot privatization and registration activity in three districts of Ulaanbaatar city in order to help khashaa plot (ger area) residents to privatize their land plot and get fully marketable land titles until late July, 2013.

As closing remark of the campaign, PRP organized an open day on land relations during which relative government bodies of land relations and privatization of capital city gave and clarified in-depth information to citizens. During the event, representatives of beneficiaries from each district where PRP was carried out (Songinokhairkhan, Bayanzurkh, Chingeltei districts) received their land ownership certificates and handed by Her Excellency Ambassador Piper Campbell, members of MCC Board, His Honorable Mayor of Ulaanbaatar city, and other respected officials.

The Road Project of MCA-Mongolia is constructing Choir-Sainshand 176.4 km road of AH-3 of Altanbulag-Zamiin-Uud corridor. By the end of summer, the road construction will be successfully completed and Mongolia will have its first fully paved road corridor connecting north and south border ports. Accordingly, the Road Project showcased its road construction progress and highlighted the importance of the Choir-Sainshand 176.4 km road to overall Mongolian economy during the working lunch with Her Excellency Ambassador Piper Campbell and MCC Board.

In afternoon, the group toured Health Project’s implementation site - a family clinic in Sukhbaatar district. The Health Project Director made a presentation highlighting the project’s activites, introduced the practitioners in the clinic, and showcased the donated equipments. The Project’s focuses on extending the productive years and productivity of the labor force by reducing the incidence and severity of non-communicable diseases and injuries such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and preventable accidents and trauma, and reducing and refocusing total health expenditure.

The last scheduled event took place in the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture, where herder groups’ (HG) representatives and senior officials from the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture had a brief meeting with Her Excellency Ambassador Piper Campbell and MCC Board members. The Peri-Urban Rangeland Project is conducting rangeland management training for farmers alongside the provision of fencing/winter shelter materials provided on the base of 15-year loan. Most importantly, the herder groups are receiving leases to the plots of land that they use to herd their animals, which will allow them a venue to take loans out and improve upon their herding business.

The Mongolia Compact’s close-out date is September 17th, 2013. Currently, the implementation is progressing according to the plan and MCA-Mongolia officials are confident that they will meet the deadline on time with achieved objectives of the Compact.

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