Ulaanbaatar, March 27, 2026 /MONTSAME/. The first stage of the “Mongolians - Stewards of Their Wealth” deliberative polling on the National Wealth Fund, organized by the Government of Mongolia, commences nationwide on March 27, 2026.

A total of 1,570 citizens will participate in the polling, including 740 residents of the capital city and 830 citizens from rural areas. The National Statistics Office has developed the survey sampling methodology in accordance with international standards.

Scholars, researchers, and policymakers convened on March 17 for a conference titled "The Current State of the Wealth Fund and Emerging Challenges," held as part of the preparatory process.  A discussion with representatives of the mining sector took place on March 26, while another discussion involving representatives of the banking and financial sector, as well as young scholars and researchers, is being organized on March 27. These events aim to exchange views on the current situation of the National Wealth Fund, existing challenges, opportunities for improvement, and possible solutions.

The first stage of the deliberative poll will run until April 3, with the second stage scheduled for April 11–12 at the State Palace in Ulaanbaatar.

Under Government Resolution No. 48 of 2026, the poll was initiated to build public consensus on channeling subsoil resource revenues into the National Wealth Fund and ensuring their equitable distribution across present and future generations. A Working Office of the Deliberative Council and sub-working groups have been established to oversee the process.

Several policy questions have drawn sustained public attention: how to balance current spending against long-term savings, how to distribute benefits fairly to citizens, and how to establish governance systems that ensure transparency and accountability.

Unlike a conventional survey, the deliberative poll allows citizens to receive balanced information and discuss policy options before expressing their views. Officials say the process is designed to ensure public input is reflected at the policy level — grounded in the principle that Mongolia's natural resources belong to its people and that their benefits should reach future generations.

Mongolia has conducted deliberative polls before, and the results have shown that citizens engage seriously with complex policy questions when given accurate information and a structured setting. The upcoming poll is expected to serve a similar function — strengthening democratic legitimacy and forging national consensus on one of the country's most consequential economic decisions.

How Mongolia manages its natural wealth in the coming decades may well depend on what its citizens say next month.