Ulaanbaatar, May 6, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Members of the Standing Committee on Environment, Food and Agriculture of the State Great Khural of Mongolia visited the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia on May 5, 2025, to review the sector’s legal reform objectives and activities. 

At the outset of the meeting, Minister of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia Odontuya Saldan highlighted that Mongolia is a party to three major international environmental conventions: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Minister Odontuya noted that biennial assessments are conducted under these frameworks and emphasized that governments worldwide are increasingly focusing on environmental and climate change issues. The Minister said that Mongolia would host the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in 2026 and expressed the Ministry’s hope for the active engagement and leadership of the Standing Committee. At the meeting, Munkhzul Kharnuden, Director General of the Integrated Policy Planning Department of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, delivered a presentation on legal reforms and ongoing activities in the areas of environment and climate change. In her presentation “The Future of Mongolia’s Development and Biological Diversity and Genetic Resources,” she provided detailed information on the conservation and utilization of animal, plant, forest, and water resources, the implementation of the “Billions of Trees” National Movement of Mongolia, state-protected areas, waste management, alignment of national policy documents with international conventions, goals of the “Rio Conventions,” current status of climate change, desertification, and land degradation, draft Laws under development, and the environmental standards in effect.  The Ministry also outlined further actions to be taken, including reforms to the legal and policy environment on green economy, green development, and climate change. It was noted that 12 laws will be revised and amended, and the first draft Law on Climate Change will be developed. Moreover, Mongolia aims to develop and adopt a long-term low-emission development strategy (LT-LEDS) to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. National implementation of the worldwide “30 by 30” initiative will continue to expand the network of protected areas and improve protection management. Projects on integrated water management and water resource accumulation will be initiated. Measures will also be taken to protect local traditions and community rights and to introduce new co-management practices in environmental protection. Chairman of the Standing Committee Beisen Bulan emphasized that the Committee would prioritize resolving budgetary and financing issues related to Mongolia’s hosting of COP17 and encouraged active participation of Members of the Standing Committee. The Members also posed questions to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and other officials and received answers on related issues. In particular, they stressed the need to reflect local characteristics, gather input from local authorities and citizens, clarify restoration plans, and properly inform the public about the economic and social benefits of the planned water transfer projects in the Gobi region. Additionally, the Members inquired about the construction, funding model, and financing mechanisms of the Gobi water transfer project, as well as the outcomes of cross-border water negotiations and potential improvements to the legal framework governing the sector. They also requested further clarification on the technical and economic feasibility of the Orkhon-Ongi water transfer project.