Mongolia Brief March 26, 2014 Part II



Health Minister at ‘11 11’ Center
Ulaanbaatar, March 26 (MONTSAME) Health Minister N.Udval worked at ‘11 11’ Center of the Government on Wednesday.

During the ‘Meeting Time’ interview with the Health Minister, four thousand 500 people got connected to her via telephone or online to make inquiries on recent measures taken by the Ministry.
Ms Udval explained them the projects her Ministry has been implementing within goals to improve the health system of the nation. The projects include establishment of 11 medical diagnosis center properly equipped with up-to-date apparatus for early diagnosis, X-ray and others. Medical staffers to work at these centers have got involved in relevant trainings, said the Minister. “The centers are expected to greatly reduce medical travels to Ulaanbaatar from provinces”.
The Minister also highlighted so-called “Health Awareness” campaign initiated by the Ministry, which aims at increased public awareness on health care matters, recommending people regular examination of blood pressure and seeking of doctor’s advice in early period of cancer.


EU to provide financial support for Asian countries including Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar, March 26 (MONTSAME) The European Union Commissioner for Development Mr Andris Piebalgs announced last week a financial support of over EUR 6.5 billion for countries and organizations in Asia for the period of 2014-2020, the infomongolia.com website published Tuesday.
The announcement was made during a two-day event to discuss development cooperation with leaders of the countries and the regional organizations.
Mr Piebalgs said the EU is committed to cooperation with Asia for a long-run. The future programmes are expected to help achieve the Millennium Developmental Goals (MDGs) in the region, address climate change, promote energy efficiency, facilitate business and trade through better market access and support regional integration.
The new funds will address key priorities being discussed with the countries present in the programming seminar in Brussels, as well as with the representative of the regional organization Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Some of these priorities include social protection, better health and education, creating new job places and better integration of partner countries into regional and world markets.
Funding for EU-Asia cooperation comes from the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), which is part of the overall EU budget. These 12 countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam) in Asia are eligible for bilateral development programmes.
According to the EU Technical Office in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia was represented at the two-day event by Mr Kh.Davaadorj, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Kingdom of Belgium and the EU. An official statement regarding the size of fund for Mongolia has not been revealed yet.


Stock exchange news for March 26
Ulaanbaatar, March 26 (MONTSAME) At the Stock Exchange trades held Wednesday, a total of 98 thousand and 071 shares of 24 JSCs were traded costing MNT 169 million 574 thousand and 096.15.
"Sor" /75 thousand and 337 units/, "Remikon" /11 thousand and 400 units/, "Genco tour bureau” /4,480 units/, "Khovsgol geology" /1,400 units/ and "Uvs chatsargana" /1,210 units/ were the most actively traded in terms of trading volume, in terms of trading value--"Sor" (MNT 148 million 187 thousand and 879), "Uvs chatsargana" (MNT three million 748 thousand and 590), "Khasu-mandal" (MNT three million 513 thousand and 600), "Bayangol hotel" (MNT two million and 214 thousand) and "Tavantolgoi" (MNT two million 029 thousand and 700).
The total market capitalization was set at MNT one trillion 644 billion 965 million 098 thousand and 835. The Index of Top-20 JSCs was 16,420.66, decreasing by MNT 26.04 or 0.16% against the previous day.


State University of Agriculture to cooperate with Missouri State University
Ulaanbaatar, March 26 (MONTSAME) Mongolia’s State University of Agriculture (MSUA) and the US Missouri State University (MSU) will cooperate in realizing scholar and cultural exchange programmes.
A cooperation agreement on it was signed Monday by Ms Kh.Altantsetseg, a deputy director of the MSUA department of international cooperation, and by Mr Stephen Roninette, the MSU vice president for international programmes.
Accordingly, the universities will implement the bachelor’s degree programmes under 3+1 and 2+1+1 systems. It means that the MSUA students are able to study in their university for three years and then complete the final year at the MSU. The second option is to study at the MSUA two years, in the MSU for one year, and in MSUA for one year.
Founded in 1905, the MSU is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States. The university is considered as the second largest university in its state, with an official enrollment of 21,059 in the Fall 2012 semester.


Scholarship recipients announced to mark end of two-year NGO programme
Ulaanbaatar, March 26 (MONTSAME) The Local NGO Marketplace Forum has been held at UB’s prestigious Institute of Finance and Economics (IFE), and it was a colourful emotional conclusion to the Mongolian Centre for Development Studies’ (MCDS) two-year Local NGO Capacity Building Programme, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) website published Tuesday.
In addition to NGOs showcasing their achievements to peers and the public at the event, 15 organizations were awarded scholarships for a new Master of NGO Management degree.
The forum was the first of its kind for the 75 local NGOs and community-based organizations. Each set up creative and eye-catching stalls to highlight their work from the past two years. Using information boards, photos and merchandise ranging from T-shirts to jam, organizations proudly highlighted their achievements and in turn learnt from others.
 Attending the event were government representatives from three ministries, as well as eight television stations, and four print and two online media. Attitudes towards civil society have changed markedly in the past few years in Mongolia; this event was an opportunity to demonstrate to the government and the public the range of activities in which civil society organizations are involved and how they benefit their communities.
Deputy Director of IFE and the driving force behind the NGO Capacity-Building Programme Dr Batjargal said: “We have big government, but how can we have smart government without NGOs? This is an opportunity to show the government how NGOs contribute to national development,”
A total of 120 organizations took part in the two-year programme, learning how to improve their organizational and management skills through a series of trainings and modules covering subjects such as financial management, strategic management and leadership.
According to MCDS General Director Ms Bayasgalan: “The project team mobilized the best possible international and local consulting team to come up with the training programme and content to meet the needs of the beneficiary NGOs.”
Based on each organization’s performance in the past two years, the quality of their participation in the programme and their forum display, 15 organizations were selected to receive scholarships by a jury comprised of IFE and MCDS representatives and independent experts. The recipients came from 10 aimags, and their areas of specialization included government monitoring, environmental protection, and the promotion of rights for people with disabilities.
The master’s degree course will be offered either as a Saturday course or for two three-week blocks per year over an 18-month period. The course will also feature MCDS material that can be adapted in the years to come.
For scholarship recipient Ms Selenge, Executive Director of the Mongolian Association of Parents with Disabled Children, returning to study after a break of 21 years is both exciting and daunting. However, she is aware of the importance of learning and sharing knowledge with other leaders as a key to sustainability, and hopes that going back to school will provide her with new perspectives.
For many participants, the forum proved to be quite emotional, and it generated a strong sense of camaraderie. Ms Selenge summed up the importance of what they had all been through, paraphrasing an old adage: “We were not given a fish, but were taught how to fish,”
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