Ulaanbaatar, December 27, 2024 /MONTSAME/. MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency highlights the 2024 most totable events in Mongolia.

Politics:

1. Mongolia Celebrates the Centennial of the Proclamation of the Republic and the Adoption of the First Constitution

The centennial of the Proclamation of the Mongolian People’s Republic and the Adoption of the First Constitution was commemorated nationwide on November 26, 2024. This historic event consolidated Mongolia’s sovereignty and independence and marked the first formal recognition of human rights and freedom. Mongolia adopted a progressive form of governance, a republic, characterized by the establishment of its supreme governing body elected by the people.

2. For the first time, Mongolia Elects 126 Members of Parliament

The ninth regular elections of the State Great Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia were successfully held under a mixed electoral system on June 28, 2024. As a result, for the first time, Mongolia elected a Parliament with 126 members (formerly 76). More than 1300 candidates from 19 political parties, two coalitions, and independents ran for the 2024 parliamentary elections of Mongolia.

The elections of the local governing councils or the Citizens’ Representative Khural of Capital City, Districts, Aimags, and Soums were held on October 11, 2024, in which the ruling Mongolia’s People’s Party (MPP) won a landslide victory. Across the country, 17,278 candidates from 10 political parties and one coalition, alongside independents, competed for 8,031 seats in 2,393 constituencies. 

3. The State Supreme Decoration of Mongolia, Order of Chinggis Khaan, Conferred upon Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chairman of the “Ban Ki-Moon Foundation for a Better Future”

On the occasion of the National Pride Day of Mongolia, the 862nd anniversary of birth of Great Emperor Chinggis Khaan, President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa issued a Decree Conferring the State Supreme Decoration of Mongolia, Order of Chinggis Khaan, upon Honorable Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chairman of the “Ban Ki-Moon Foundation for a Better Future,” on November 2, 2024.

4. The Year Marked with the Highest Number of State Visits to Mongolia

At the invitation of President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, Heads of State of eight countries visited Mongolia in 2024, including President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, King of Bhutan His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith, President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd, President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam To Lam, and President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Also, in commemoration of the 85th anniversary of the Battles of Khalkhiin Gol, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Mongolia on September 2-3, 2024.

Society and Culture:

5. The 800th, 400th, and 100th Anniversaries of Three Invaluable Monuments of Mongolian Language, Culture, and Literature Commemorated

The year 2024 marked the 800th anniversary of the Stele of Chinggis Khaan, the 400th anniversary of the Stone Inscriptions of Prince of Khalkha Tsogt Khuntaij, and the 100th anniversary of the Stone Stele Monument for Mongolian Danjuur.

The oldest Literary monument inscribed in traditional Mongol script, the Stele of Chinggis Khaan, is an invaluable contribution of the Mongols to the global history of literacy. Pre-dating even "the Secret History of the Mongols," the Stone Stele proudly describes the farthest arrow shot fired by Yesunge Mergen, or Yesunge the Sharp, Nephew of Chinggis Khaan.

The Stone Inscriptions of Prince of Khalkha Tsogt Khuntaij are located on Khutag Mountain in the Delgerkhaan soum of Tuv aimag, Mongolia. The main inscription is a 30-line poem carved on the smooth, vertical Duut Rock. Composed by Tsogt Khuntaij, known as "the Prince of Khalkha," the poem expresses Tsogt Khuntaij’s longing for his elder sister. In 1624, Guyen Baatar and a trusted warrior  (Daichin Khia) of the Khuntaij engraved the poem. This inscription has been preserved as an invaluable heritage of Mongolian script and literature, and as a classic legacy of the 17th-century Mongolian poetry.

Being preserved in the National Library of Mongolia, the Stone Stele Monument for Mongolian Danjuur is the only monument dedicated to the sutra. First Director of the Mongolian Institute of Sutra and Script (now the Institute of Language and Literature) S. Jamiyan and Beis Shirnendamdin agreed with Nayant Wang of Sain Noyon Khan aimag of Khalkha to transfer the 226 volumes of the Mongolian Shunkhan Danjuur (Mongolian Red Danjuur) from Nayant’s possession to the Institute of Sutra and Script and brought it to Niislel Khuree, now Ulaanbaatar city, in 1924. Then, the Stone Stele Monument for Mongolian Danjuur was created for this important cultural event. This Stone Stele Monument was inscribed in the Memory of the World Register in 2017.

6. Mongolia Hosts World Women’s Forum “Towards a Greener Future”

Under the auspices of President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, the World Women’s Forum was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on August 22-23, 2024.

Coinciding with the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Mongolian Women’s Federation, the World Women’s Forum marked the largest gathering in Asia since the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.

A total of 19 Heads of State and Government, heads of legislative bodies, and ministers, as well as more than 800 women leaders from more than 20 international organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and business, sports, and arts sectors participated in this Forum.

7. Letter sent by Ulziit Khaan to King Phillip IV "Visits" Homeland after 719 Years

Under the auspices of the President of Mongolia, the Exhibition "Chinggis Khaan: How the Mongols Changed the World" was displayed at the Chinggis Khaan National Museum of Mongolia on July 3-August 25, 2024. The Exhibition featured artifacts associated with the history of the Great Mongol Empire, the Il Khanate, and the Yuan Dynasty, brought from five major European museums and archives, including the Louvre Museum and the National Archives of the French Republic.

The centerpiece of the Exhibition was the letter written by Ulziit Khaan of the Il Khanate to King Phillip IV (King Philip the Fair) of France in 1305. Thus, the original letter "visited" homeland after 719 years.

The letter, three meters long and 53 centimeters wide, is the one-of-a-kind and priceless heritage of the literary culture of Mongol Khaans and embodies the grand tradition of the statehood and Pax Mongolica. It is also celebrated for its role in strengthening diplomatic relations and promoting global peace.

In addition, the "Chinggis Khaan: How the Mongols Changed the World" Exhibition, displayed in Nantes, France, was awarded the Best Exhibition of the Year 2024 by Historia Magazine, one of France's most renowned historical publications.

8. Mongolia Registers Its 16th Heritage in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO and the 5th Documentary Heritage in UNESCO Memory of the World Register for Asia and the Pacific

Mongolia’s “Mongol nomad traditions and its associated practices" were inscribed on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 5, 2024, at the 19th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held on 2-6 December 2024, in Paraguay. This marks Mongolia’s 16th intangible cultural heritage inscribed on the List.

At the 10th General Meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific, held on May 6-10, 2024, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the first Mongolian postage stamps, "Eldev Ochir," and the "Family Chart of Hereditary Lords of the Khalkha Mongols, the House of Chinggis Khaan," were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register for Asia and the Pacific. This recognition brings the total number of Mongolian heritages inscribed on the List to five.

Sports:

9. Mongolian Paralympic Athletes Achieve Historic Success at Paris-2024 Paralympics

At the 17th Summer Paralympic Games in Paris, France, 12 Mongolian athletes competed in six categories, winning one gold and three silver medals. This was the 7th Paralympic Games where the Mongolian team competed, marking the country’s largest team participation and highest number of medals won.

Competing in the 52kg weight class, Taekwondo Athlete Surenjav Ulambayar won a gold medal, becoming Mongolia's first female Paralympic gold medalist. Powerlifter Sodnompeljee Enkhbayar won a silver medal by lifting 248kg, becoming the first Mongolian to hold a complete set of Paralympic medals. Bolor-Erdene Ganbat won a silver medal in the men's 63 kg para taekwondo category, whereas Battulga Tsegmid earned a silver medal in the men's F40 shot put category.

10. “The MongolZ” Esports Team Becomes the Only Asian Team on the CS2 Top 10 Global Ranking

It was in 2016 when The MongolZ put its name on the map of the CS:GO world stage by winning the IEM Taipei.Recently, the team secured victories at the Yalla Compass 2024 tournament and qualified for the PGL Major Copenhagen 2024 from Asia’s RMR, earning its first team sticker. Most recently, The MongolZ won the Thunderpick Championship 2024, reaffirming their dominance.

The two main organizations that determine world rankings in the CS2 video game are Valve, the game's developer, and HLTV, the leading information platform for the game. On December 9, 2024, The Mongolz made history by advancing two positions in HLTV's updated rankings, reaching 7th place globally—an unprecedented achievement in Asian CS history. Also, in Valve's rankings, the team is currently ranked 4th in the world.