Mongolia Brief August 19, 2014 Part I

Mayor Meets Deputy Governor of Niigata City
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar, August 19 (MONTSAME) The Mayor of Ulaanbaatar city Mr E.Bat-Uul Tuesday received a delegation led by Mr Hamada Eiji, a deputy governor of Japan’s Niigata city, who is taking part in the first Northeast Asian Mayors’ Forum running here.

Mr Hamada thanked the Mayor for inviting him and his delegation to the forum and mentioned that it is infrequent for leaders of Northeast Asian countries to attend events together. Then he highlighted that organizing the forum for cities' authorities is a sign of good reputation of the Mongolian capital city and its friendly ties with others.
Expressing gratitude to the Japanese delegation for visiting Ulaanbaatar, the UB Mayor said the General Plan for Developing the UB city until 2020 and the Conceptual Programme until 2030 have been formulated with a support from Japan’s government, and that these documents already have been adopted by parliament.
“I think these programmes have been worked out on good feasibility studies, and to realize them we  consider as necessity to develop the collaboration of regional cities and to learn each other experiences during this forum," Mr Bat-Uul underlined.
He also added that our city is open for all the participants to cooperate.

Ulaanbaatar and Beijing Establish Sister-City Relations
August 19 (infomongolia.com) In the scope of the Northeast Asian Mayors' Forum being organized in Ulaanbaatar, Deputy Mayors of China’s Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Hohhot and Hailar cities accompanied with over 20 representatives are participating in this Forum.
In the frameworks, Ulaanbaatar and Beijing have established sister-city relations and the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding was held at the Capital City Administration on August 18, 2014.
The Memorandum was signed by Mayor of Ulaanbaatar Mr. E.Bat-Uul and Vice-Mayor of Beijing Mr. Chen Gang, where parties noted that the two municipalities will be developing economical and business cooperation by establishing the sister-city relations. As start of this partnership, Ulaanbaatar Administration will organize trade fair in Beijing in upcoming September to promote Mongolian products and goods.
As of today, Ulaanbaatar city is collaborating with over 40 cities of the world in the frames of sister-city and friendship relations.
Related:

French Government to Grant Scholarships
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar, August 19 (MONTSAME) Mongolian students will receive scholarships of the government of France in frames of the Mongolia-France education and cultural ties expansion.
The decision was made during a visit of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius to Mongolia in 2013. Accordingly, the scholarships of the French government will be given to four students for PhD degree, to four for master degree, and to two undergraduate students in the academic years of 2014-2015.
They will major in archeology, hydrology, engineering, economics, management, law, agriculture, communications, tourism and foreign languages in use--the prior spheres of the bilateral ties.

III Asian Forum on Rights of Child to Be Held in Ulaanbaatar
August 19 (infomongolia.com) The National Authority for Children of Mongolia in association with National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia, UNICEF Mongolia Office and General Research Institute on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Japan are organizing the III Asian Forum on the Rights of the Child in Ulaanbaatar on August 23-24, 2014.
The Forum is aimed to discuss abolition of the child labor and the role of the government and NGOs to monitor the implementation of the rights of children as well as safety media for children and education programs, and during the second day session to discuss issues related to the support for children and the development of child-friendly city, where over 50 delegates from East Asian countries are to attend.
Speeches will be presented by representatives from Cambodia, Japan, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Mongolia and to share their experiences.
Afterwards, “Asian Children Rights Forum 2014” Declaration will be approved.
Related:
Asian Forum on Children’s RightsMontsame, August 19

Monument to the victory of the Battles of Khalkh Gol built in Moscow
August 19 (news.mn) The first-ever monument dedicated to the victory of the Battles of Khalkh Gol was built in Moscow, Russia. Mongolia marks the 75th anniversary of the WWII victory this August. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Russian Federation Sh.Altangerel visited the monument dedicated to the victory by Mongolian and Russian troops. 
The Museum of Nomadic Culture in Eastern Moscow and Konstantin Kuksin built the monument.

Mongolian boxers grab four medals at Taipei City Cup
August 19 (news.mn) Mongolian boxers won three silver and one bronze medal at the fourth Taipei City Cup International Boxing Tournament in Taiwan.
Over 80 athletes from 18 countries and cities were invited to participate in the tournament, including competitors from Italy and Russia.  The participating countries and cities include Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Italy, Russia, Hong Kong, and Macau. 
Mongolian boxer from Khangarid Sport Club, B.Javkhlan won a silver medal in the 60 kg class, a silver medal was earned in the 64 kg class by young master A.Badar-Uugan, and Asian champion E.Uyanga won silver in the 75 kg event.
Selenge Sport Committee boxer E.Enkhtur won bronze in 52 kg event.
The Mongolian national boxing team was trained by State Merit Athlete of Mongolia T.Uitumen.

Case file on consular officer's death in HK closed
August 19 (news.mn) Mongolian Consular Officer in Mongolia's Consulate General in Hong Kong, Oyun-Erdene, was found dead on August 8th.
Hong Kong's local media reported details about the case under investigation by Hong Kong police.
The consular officer was recently divorced from her husband, a U.S. national, and the two were engaged in arguments over the custody and care of their children.  She had reportedly been depressed about her family issues. Prior to her death, she told colleagues that it seemed like someone was following her.  Local police found her dead from a fall from the hotel where she was living.  The case file has been closed and the police have ruled the death a suicide.

Kholch Kharvaa, Archery Competition for Longest Distance Shooting to Be Organized
August 19 (infomongolia.com) Under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Mongolia, "Central Region Meeting" archery competition will be organized at Khui Doloon Khudag on August 22-23, 2014.
The competition is aimed to promote and develop one of the Mongolian national archery styles - the Kholch Kharvaa (longest distance shooting) and winner of this category will be determined as not hitting the target but whose arrow reaches the longest distance.
Also, “Hitting the Sarampai” and contest for amateurs will be organized during the competition. Sarampai is a target made of sheepskin stretched over wooden frames.

Monuments to Soviet Heroes of Battle of Khalkhyn Gol Brought from Russia
August 19 (infomongolia.com) Celebrating the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Battles at the Khalkh River (The Battles of Khalkhyn Gol) several events are being organized such as exhibition, conference and tour to countryside by Russian-Mongolian youths.
In the scope of commemorating the anniversary, monuments of Major Sergey Ivanovich Gritsevets and Lieutenant-general Grigoriy Panteleyevich Kravchenko, Soviet pilots and the first two-time recipients of the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union, who performed heroic actions during the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol were delivered from Russia and given to Mongolian Military Museum on August 18, 2014.
These two monuments including transportation costs were created of 30 million MNT (Tugrug), where Ulaanbaatar Railway JSC, Mongolian-Russian joint venture allocated the fund.
On August 20, 2014, an opening of “Victory at Khalkh River - 75” Exhibition will be held in Mongolian Military Museum at 12:00 pm.

Sub-Training on Reactor Engineering Launches
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar, August 19 (MONTSAME) In frames of the cooperation between our Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and Japan’s Authority of Nuclear Energy, a sub-training on reactor engineering has started in Ulaanbaatar.
The training is being co-organized by the above states organizations and the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) with a participation of over ten engineers and experts from the NEA, MUST, the Nuclear Research Center at the Mongolian State University (MSU), “MonAtom” state-owned company, “Linux” LLC and the Institute of Physics and Technology at the Academy of Sciences.
The training is being participated by Mongolian alumni of the Japanese universities to share experiences.

10 day-traffic regulations in place
August 19 (news.mn) With the start of the new academic year, 10 day-traffic regulations (first launched last year) will be enforced in Ulaanbaatar to reduce heavy traffic. Under the new traffic regulations, vehicles with license plate numbers ending in even numbers will be allowed to drive on even days, and vehicles with license plate numbers ending in odd numbers will be allowed to drive on odd days between August 22 and 31.
If your vehicle license plate numbers ends in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8 you will be allowed to drive on city streets on August 22, 24, 26, 28 and 30. Vehicles with license plate numbers ending in 1,3,5,7, or 9 will be allowed drive on August 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. During these days, barred vehicles will not be allowed to drive between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

City Mayors Seek Opportunities Based on Good Economic models
August 19 (Mongolian Economy) Today is the last day of the North-East Asian Mayor’s Forum that is taking place in Ulaanbaatar, hosted by the City Government. This forum aims to initiate discussions revolving around sustainable and inclusive cities. The event is attended by many mayors from Northeastern Asian cities in addition to the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia. Around 120 representatives came from 20 cities from five different countries. 
Urbanization has increased rapidly throughout the northeastern region of Asia, making it more prominent than ever to share success stories and strategies to further develop cities. Through additional development of growing cities, governmental bodies can then focus on human development ranging from education to technological advancement to politics. Asia is home to the most rapid growth of urbanization. By 2030, it is expected that 55 percent of the Asian population will have access to live in urban areas. With urbanization, cities can begin to reduce poverty levels and educate their citizens. Without a good system, unplanned expansion can exacerbate further problems such as crime, inequality and pollution. 
The importance of northeastern cities in Asia is crucial to foster innovate growth. Northeastern Asia is responsible for approximately 1.6 billion people who produce a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Due to rapid levels of urbanization, this area is expected to reach over 70 percent within the next ten years. As a significant player in greenhouse gas emissions, it is important to develop this area in order to establish low carbon cities as the biggest problem for these cities is the lack of inclusive and effective infrastructural services. 
The Deputy Mayor, Ji Hyeong Geun, of Pyeongchang, the city to host the 2018 Winter Olympics, said, “We are paying high attention to city planning regarding the Winter Olympic games. The most important thing about city planning is that it is all about letting citizens live in a comfortable environment as well as maintaining more eco-friendly principles. After 2018, we are planning to become a world tourism city.” 
In Ulaanbaatar, 60 percent of the population resides in ger areas plagued with poor urban infrastructure and inefficient development plans. The next decade is expected to see an additional 400 thousand residents, thus making it imperative to figure out more efficient development strategies. During the forum, the Ulaanbaatar Urban Services and Ger Areas Development Investment Program was discussed in order to create projects that will better serve the community. 
In a report published by the Asian Development Bank, it is predicted that by 2025, 20 of the top 50 cities that have the highest GDP per capita rates will be Asian cities. In order to be economically independent cities, there needs to be trade promotion, investment attraction, job creation, and more small- and medium-sized businesses. These cities need to seek opportunities based on good economic models. Northeastern Asian cities are still growing and contribute to a large portion of the world economy. 
The Mayor of Ulaanbaatar, E. Bat-Uul, said, “By sharing our experiences together, Northeastern Asian cities can deepen cooperation and tighten partnerships. This will contribute on a massive scale to regional and sustainable development.”
Thus, the forum serves to establish development awareness among Northeastern Asian cities. Alongside mayors from the cities of Darkhan, Erdenet, Chinggis, Choibalsan and Baruun-Urt and representatives from Japan, China and Russia, members hope to jumpstart the expansion of sustainable cities to match with its rapid urbanization levels. It collected mayors’ opinions to build upon cooperative development strategy, which is considered to be a savior of time and money. Members plan to host this forum every year.
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