Blue Sky; BulletinIssue #2, January 1998Happy New Year!

Small loans bring big opportunitiesUNDP has tentatively contracted an

American NGO to assist in distributing over US$600.000 in microcredit loans. Called Microstart.the fund was established by UNDP after lastsummer's microcredit summit in Ulaanbaatar.The project's total cost is US $l mi l l ion , w i t h athird of the funds being allocated to service pro-vider ACDI/VOCI and the salaries of loan offic-ers in all 21 aimags.

The project kicks off at the start of1998 once all the loan officers, the so-called in-ternational and local Technical Support l'ro\ id-ers (1TSP. LTSP). have been hired.

Ms. Sukhjargalmaa. Povert) Fradica-

tion Programme Officer, said Microstart is ur-gently needed. "The main problem for the pooris their access to credit. The Microstart projectwill provide this opportunity to the poor for in-come-generating activities."

Across Mongolia there is a desperateneed for access to credit. Many who want to startbusinesses can:t because the banks are unwill-ing to give loans to the poor. Another objectiveof Microstart is to promote the development ofmicrofinancing organizations at the grassrootsle\ el. It is hoped, once established, these institu-tions w i l l build the foundations for economic op-portunity for the poor.

AIDS awareness campaign gets a boostWorld AIDS Day on December I took a new twist in Mongolia with the l a u n c h i n g of thepremiere issue of the Mongolian AIDS Bul le t in and the country's first AIDS fundraiser.

The bi-monthly Bu l l e t in is endorsed by the National AIDS Committee, headed by Prime Min i s t er Enkhsaikhan, and is intendedto support new strategies to combat STDs and HIV/AIDS. Over5,000 copies of the Bulletin are being distributed across the count r y .Dr. Al tanch imeg , the Bu l l e t in ' s Editor-in-Chief, launched themagazine at Mongol ia 's first AIDS fundraiser. Held at anITaanbaatar disco, the benefit raised more than Tg 100.000 to beused for AIDS prevention activit ies.In partnership w i t h the Government of Mongol ia , posters weredistributed to bars, restaurants and markets on December 1. Busesand trolley buses played o\er 200 audio cassettes giving advice onSTD/HIV/AIDS prevention. The media blitz also inc luded television and radio programming. According to Mr. Davaajav, headof I laanbaatar's STD Care Centre, 200,000 people were invohed in December I activit ies .

United Nations Homepage a success!

6yli

After only one month and with no advertising.the Uni ted Nations homepage has already hadmore than 377 \ isitors from around the worldThe busiest day was December 19. w h e n 21Internet users explored the site. Home to all theUnited Nations agencies working in Mongolia,the site also offers the latest new son UN activi-ties here.

[here are current ly more than 70Internet sites on Mongolia, compared to just onethis time last year. Whi le around 40 per cent ofthe visi tors to the UTS' site were from the UnitedStates, the rest span an impressive range of coun-tries. Hits were recorded from Mongolia. Ger-many. Holland. Japan. Australia. Canada. NewZealand. Sweden. Russia. France. Portugal. Bel-gium. Taiwan. Ireland. Finland. Denmark. SriLanka. Slovenia and Poland.

The guestbook recorded a wide rangeof interests in the homepage.

From Holland. Jaap Tjassens Reiserasked. "It is interesting to find Mongolia is ac-cessible through e-mail. Mongolian people t e l lme po\erty is increasing. How is the situation atth is moment'?"

Dor j from Japan was qu ick and to thepoint w ith "Cool!! Keep it up!"

Some of the comments from Mongo-lians were frank and hard-hitting. H. Haliun said."If the United Nations is in Mongolia, w h y arethere so main poor and homeless children, oldpeople and adults?" H. Hongorzul said."I expectthat the poor people and homeless are all overthe w o r l d , but in Mongolia, day by day . thereare more and more. . .1 know that some peopleare getting protest against the government."

Advertisement will be placed in Mon-golian and international newspapers/magazinesto promote the site.

Source: N'edStat

4III Where the Steppe Meets

the InternetSustainable Development in Mongolia

United Nations Homepage: www.un-mongolia.mnE-mail: dsouth(5)undp org.mn

A UNDP/PAPO team d e l i v e r e d donatedclothes from World Vis ion to this daycarecentre in Dornogovi a imag

Mongolia to learn from NewZealand reform experience

A group of government officials (Minister ofFinance, parliamentarians and others) headedto New Zealand to undertake an overallassessment and review of New Zealand reformprocess and its implementat ion in practice. Thestudy tour to New Zealand and Australia hasbeen arranged by UNDP in close cooperationw i t h the Asian De\elopment Bank,

Contents:Small loans bring big opportunitiesAIDS Day benefitUN website a successNews in a FlashIn the FieldUNDP fundraising activitiesUNV NewsUp Close and PersonalArrivals/Departures

Blue Sky BulletinJanuary 1998

News in a flash

The famous cheese factory in Altanbulagsoum, providing gouda-style cheese, is setto expand soon. The project is establishinganother factory in Atar soum, which is pro-

; jected to be completed by the end of 1998. Itwill produce a range of dairy products in-cluding cheese, yogurt, Mongolian quark and

T h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s R e s i d e n tCoordinator ' s office has been over-whelmed by the response to the Let's MakeLife Better contest. More than 600 projectproposals from Mongolian youth between 20and 30 have been received.

Back in October, youth across thecountry were asked to dream about a betterMongolia. They were asked to t h i n k of asmall-scale project that would t ru ly make lifebetter in the i r c o m m u n i t y . The w i n n i n gproject receives US SI,000 and the advice ofUN development workers.

Jerry van Mourik . Support Officerto the UN Resident Coordinator , estimatesit will take at least two m o n t h s to sift th roughall the proposals before a w inne r can be an-nounced.

Six regional t r a i n i n g centres for j o u r n a lists opened at the beg inn ing of Novem-ber. Located in U\ u r k h a n g a i . Z a v k h a n ,Dundgovi , Khovcl, Khent i i and D a r k h a n - U u laimags, the centres are satel l i te offices of thePress Inst i tute of Mongolia .

The centres are part of an i n n o v a -tive concept to provide not only t r a i n i n g tojournal i s t s , but also access to advocacy sup-port, an informat ion database and a venueto hold press conferences.

Journalis ts outside of Ulaanbaa ta rsuffer from many handicaps , i n c l u d i n g poorcommunicat ions wi th the capi ta l and the out-side world . They are also d i sadvan tagedwhen it comes to support from fellow jour-nalists, who are few and far between in thecountryside.

M r . A r i u n b a t , R e g i o n a lProgramme Coordinator at the Press Insti-tute, believes informat ion technology is anessential tool for all journalists.

"There are windows of cooperationbetween these t ra in ing centres and CitizenInformat ion Service Centres (a project ofUNDP's governance programme). Journal-ists could use the computer facility of theCISCs to access the latest information. It isdifficult to imagine today's journa l i s t s with-out access to this kind of technology."

The centres are f u n d e d u n d e rU N D P ' s C o n s o l i d a t i o n of Democracy

| t h rough St rengthening of J o u r n a l i s mProject.

Dutch Ambassador gets a whiff of good gouda

Mongolia discovers fields of goldBy Laura Ryser. MAP-21 Project Adviser

At a december 4 workshop, independent cons t ruc t ion contractors were encouragedto go into b u i l d i n g energy-efficient houses out of straw bales. Cal l ing straw bales "fields ofgold" ready to be "mined", UNDP Resident Representative Douglas Gardner told the gather-ing at the Press Ins t i t u t e tha t energy-eff ic ient hous ing is ripe for private-sector involvement .Approx imate ly 85 people from n i n e aimags. i n c l u d i n g representatives of key minis t r ies , at-tended the workshop organized by MAP-21, U N D P and the Advent is t Deve lopmen t ReliefAgency (ADRA).

Besides reducing heat ing costs by up to 90 per cent, this i ndus t ry has e n o r m o u spotent ia l to create employment . So far, UNDP has constructed a health c l i n i c and a centre forthe Mongol ian Women ' s Federation. The Poverty Al lev ia t ion Programme Office has con-structed five bu i l d ings , ADRA is construct ing six and the city of U laanbaa t a r has bu i l t 35bui ld ings . Over the next couple of years, UNDP w i l l be b u i l d i n g approximate ly 98 more su-per-insulated b u i l d i n g s . 163 people have been exposed to on-the-job t r a i n i n g on cons t ruc t ingstraw-bale b u i l d i n g s . A f i n e e x a m p l e of o p e n i n g more o p p o r t u n i t y for people is Ms.Oyunchimeg. Accord ing to Mr. S. Ganbo ld , Na t iona l Project Manager, "Oyunchimeg is amother from S u k h b a a t a r a imag, who was previous ly unemployed . Today, she has a teachercertificate. In the f u t u r e she would l ike to organize a cons t ruc t ion crew for straw-bale b u i l d -ings, i n c l u d i n g p r i v a t e homes for Sukhbaatar and other places."

Mr. N. Tsend, Sustainable Development Officer, said "\Ve usua l ly m i n e gold fromdeposits. But now we have an oppor tuni ty to extract gold from straw."

Tumen River regional project is toexpand

Intergovernmental meetings in Bei j ing(17-18 November 1997) brought together viceministers and g o v e r n m e n t off icials from themember countries of the UNDP Tumen R i \ e rArea D e v e l o p m e n t Programme ( T R A D P ) -Mongolia. China. South and North Korea andRussia. The meeting \\ as the third since the sign-ing of the agreement to establish the Tumen In-tergovernmental Ins t i tu t ions at the United Na-tions in 1995.1 NDP'score contribution for tech-nical assistance for the development of theTumen region amounts to US $3.4 mil l ion forthe periodfrom 1997 to 1999. The UNDP sup-port will be facili tating regional cooperation intrade development, investment promotion andenvironmental management while promotingsustainable economic and social dev elopment inNortheast Asia and the Tumen River EconomicDevelopment Area (TREDA) in particular.

The next intergovernmental meeting isannounced to be held in Ulaanbaatar. Mongoliain August 1998.

Up Close and Personal

Exclusive inten ievv with Ms. D. Jargalsaikhan.A d m i n i s t r a t i v e Officer. UNDP

When did you join the UN?I- 'ebruarv. 1993How do you see the difference between theL'NDP at the time you started and now?l:\ erv thing is in a constant change as vv ell as ouroffice. I strongly believe in that whatever is thechange it is aimed at making our l i fe and ouroff ice better even day.

What do you expect frompeople surrounding you?Not much, really. Just befriendly and always remember that we are all membersof a big UN FAMILY!!!What is your background?Interpreter/translator ofSpanish. English and Russian. (cont. on page 4)

Blue Sky BulletinJanuary 1998

In the fieldThe View From Murun

By Matthew Heller, Khuvsgul-based UNV

"How can people survive living likethis?" was all I could think during my first tripto the countryside in Khuvsgul aimag. I wentwith my national UNV counterpart and a finan-cial officer from the aimag central governmentto Tunel soum. I wanted to see for myself thesituation in rural villages in Khuvsgul. Tunel isonly 45 km from Murun, the aimag capital, butover half the population lives below the povertyline and a third live in "extreme poverty." Thismeans less than half the population has a monthlyincome of Tg 9,420 or US $11.77, and a thirdhas less then Tg 6,500 per month or US $8.12.These kinds of numbers shed a different light oninternational UNVs fighting for a pay increasefrom Bonn. It is understandable why they don'tunderstand when I introduce myself as a volun-teer yet make more than 77 times what they doin a month.

It is a myth that herders are self-suffi-cient and only people in cities and aimag centresare suffering. The statistics on poor householdsin Khuvsgul indicate that many of them are herd-ers. They are families living in remote areas,they usually have between four and eight chil-dren, and less then 20 head of livestock per fam-ily member. Their herds are not sustainable, theycannot provide themselves with a sufficientamount of meat, nor money to buy flour or tea.There is not enough grazing land and whenpeople migrate to their seasonal pastures they of-ten find another family's herd has grazed therealready.

I set out to do a needs assessment ofthe aimag, but soon I realized that I would onlyhave to sit in my office and wait for people tocome to me. After several outreach programs tothe public through the aimag's media, peoplebegan to steadily pour into my office. The headof the Veterinary Hospital wants me to help geta new laboratory to test the quality of meat inthe market. Soum and bag governors come inwith maps and diagrams, plans for farms and cul-tural centres and bread factories, hoping I willgive them money. A poor man wants to take meto his house for lunch to see how his family lives- he says he has no wood and he is cold, no clothesfor his children so they can't go to school, nofood so his family starves; skills so he cannotwork. He asks, "Won't you tell the Poverty Al-leviation Programme Office to give me a loan?You can do that, can't you? My family needs itso very badly..." Ordinary people come in justto talk with me; they have heard there is a for-eigner working in the government building whospeaks Mongolian. They tell me to come homewith them, meet their family, teach their chil-dren English.

Establishing a Citizen InformationService Centre has been the main thrust of

UNDP's Decentralization and Democracy Sup-port project this fall. Presently the aimag CISCis a library of sorts, with information on interna-tional aid projects being implemented in theaimag, as well as information on Mongolian lawsconcerning human rights and democracy. InJanuary, Khuvsgul aimag will become the thirdaimag equipped with a working CISC with com-puters, printers, and a copy machine. With thenew modernized CISC, we hope to attract moreof the public and increase participation of citi-zens in decision making of local government is-sues. Three soum governors have also expresseda desire to establish similar CISCs in their areas,and with our modern equipment, it should be easyto outfit and update these remote Centres withinformation concerning local governance strate-gies.

We have begun teaching seminars atthe soum and bag level about participatory meth-ods of self- governance. These will supportgrassroots activism, enabling communities to gettogether and initiate development on their ownwhile consciously involving all sectors, espe-cially women and the poor. For development tobe sustainable, those directly effected must de-cide on the solution; only they themselves knowwhat issues are most important.

Mongolia tops in production of green-house gases per person

Mongolia's delegates to December'sKyoto convention on climate change heard thattheir country is producing twice the global aver-age in greenhouse gases (GHG). Global warm-ing for the last 50 years has had a negative ef-fect on Mongolia's development, including poorhealth because of pollution, desertification, wa-ter tables drying up and disruption of livestock.

The Mongolian delegation to the con-ference consisted of the Minister of Nature andEnvironment Mr. Ts. Adyasuren, and research-ers and government officials. At an Ulaanbaatarpress conference after Kyoto, Mr. D. Dagvadorj,Secretary of the Meteorological Institute, saidmore than 60 per cent of GHG in Mongolia iscoming from power stations. With assistancefrom the Asian Development Bank, a researchproject was carried out to reduce the GHG. Inthe future it is important to take measures to de-crease coal use, introduce other sources of en-ergy (solar, wind power), control vehicle pollu-tion and improve plantation of trees. If these mea-sures are taken by 2020* it is possible to reduceGHG by 11 per cent. The Government says thatin 1995 about 10 million tons of GHG was pro-duced in Mongolia.

News in a flash

Journalists -working for electronic mediawill soon be able to make use of a newtraining facility to be established at the PressInstitute of Mongolia. The facility wi!! in-clude advanced radio and TV equipmentand is being funded by the InternationalProgramme for the Development of Com-munication (IPDC), the communications |arm of UNESCO.

The Press Institute of Mongolia ap-plied for the project last year and the projectwas approved earlier this year with IPDC idonating a total of US $37,000. The funding jwill cover the purchase of equipment for the ,studio and the renovation and sound-proof-ing of a room at the PIM, which will func-tion as a studio. Various t ra in ingprogrammes are to be scheduled followingthe completiou of the renovation of and in-stallation of the equipment in the studio.

T TNDP's "Think Tank" project has madeV_J many Mongolian workers happy, con-vincing the Government of Mongolia to leg-islate a five-day work week. Passed by Par-liament in December, the shorter work weekbegan with the new year. Prime MinisterEnkhsaikhan called the move an opportu-nity for all Mongolians, leaving more timefor family care, leisure, running small busi- |nesses, earning extra income and improving jeducation.

By working fewer days, more than jTg 2 billion will be saved since buildings will jnot be heated and the lights turned off on !Saturdays. It is believed this will result insalary increases of 15 per cent and the cre-ation of 6,000 jobs.

The "Think Tank" is part ofUNDP's Governance and Economic Tran-sition Programme, and is meant to be a topi-cal forum for policy debate based on newresearch.

On 5 December 1997, the number of Citizen Information Service Centres(CISC) increased by one. Funded under aUNDP project to increase the free flow ofinformat ion , the CISC is located- inUlaanbaatar's mayor's office, just stepsaway from the famous Sukhbaatar Square.

Equipped with eight computersand a small reference library, the centre islinked to other CISCs (in Tuv and

Uvurkhangai aimags),to the Internet and toGovernment of Mongoliadatabases. The nextCISCs will be open inKhuvsgul and^ Khovdaimags.Address of the CISC inUlaanbaatar: Sukh-baatar square, AGFAphoto agency.

Blue Sky BulletinJanuary 1998

UNDP fundraising activities

Pre-school education, ,um the beginning of 1998, a three-year pre-school education project will start its imple-mentation upon the signing of the project docu-ment by UNDP and the Government ofMongolia (Ministry of Science, Technology,Education and Culture). The project is cost-shared between the Government of Netherlands(US$1,050,000) and Save the Children Fund(US$480,000).

The assistance will be channeledthrough the Poverty Alleviation Programme Of-fice. Activities include kindergarten repairs andestablishment of ger kindergartens, outreach tovery poor households, establishment of com-munity kindergartens and training of commu-nity education volunteers, preparatory coursesfor entrants to basic education, toy productionand preparation of materials, establishment ofkindergarten farms.

The Mongolian government input isTg 24 billion for a three year period.

Enterprise RestructuringA total of US $2,603,800 is being mobilizedfrom the Dutch government for enterprise re-structuring in Mongolia. The project objectiveis to strengthen enterprises in the transition to amarket economy, by building management ca-pacities of executives in a selected group of en-terprises in reforming their operations, support-ing the resolve of Mongolian institutions to un-dertake reform of viable enterprises. The projectis expected to help create a more dynamic pri-vate sector.

PovertyThe UNDP-funded Poverty Alleviation projectis being amended due to a SIDA (Sweden) con-tribution of US $1,998,200, agreed but not yetapproved. The input will be utilized for the Na-tional Poverty Alleviation Programme supportactivities, enabling the Government to supportincome- and employment-generation activitiesfor 10,000 poor households and poor women,while expanding the national UNV programme.

Arrivals/DeparturesMs. S. 1\iul, Personal Assistant to the RR, hasmoved to the US to study and has been replacedby Mr. Tuvshin, former GET Team ProgrammeClerk, Mr. Paul Grocnewegen, JPO from theNetherlands is to take Mr. Sorenson's place for _the Natural Resources Team, Ms. MinervaCoronacion f Philippines) joined the office as aUNV Specialist in Rural Business Promotion,Dundgobi Aimag, Ms. Catherine Johnson, UNVDocumentalistfor the Press Institute is expectedto arrive on 21 January, Mr. Ajamdar Rai, UNVFamily Farming Specialist for INT/97/V01-Sup-port to Pilot UNV/GTZ Collaboration in China,Cambodia and Mongolia is scheduled to arrivein the last week of January.

nj^ lKfHjinBlf ; ::. : -

New publication explains UNDP in MongoliaTaking its name from UNDP's compact with the Mongolian Government, Partnership forProgress is a 10-page colour brochure that details the recent history of Mongolia and the workof UNDP. A publication of UNDP Mongolia's Communications Office, the brochure is just onepart of a larger strategy to better explain development issues and UNDP's role. At the end ofJanuary, a new 50-page book, The Guide to UNDP in Mongolia, will be available in English andMongolian. This book details each UNDP project and offers a directory of contacts and keyinformation on Mongolia. As with all UNDP materials, Internet surfers can find copies ofpublications at the United Nations Homepage, www.un-mongolia.mn. Copies of all publica-tions are also available from the Communications Office.

UNV News

The Fourth Intergovernmental UNV meetingwas held from November 30 to December 4in Bonn. Approximately 250 representatives ofgovernments, NGOs and in te rna t iona lorganisations took part in the meeting. Ms. Onon,National Project Coordinator, and Ms. Ariuna,Decentralization Project, participated fromMongolia. "In general the major subject of themeeting was the role of UNVs, both internationaland national, in the 21 st century," said Ms. Onon.

At the moment, 51 international andnational UNVs are working in Mongolia.

December 5 is set aside as a day to celebratethe spirit of volunteerism and the work ofvolunteers.

This year, UNVs joined other volun-teers in Mongolia and NGOs to collect second-

j hand clothes for distribution to street children,the homeless and the poor and disabled. A totalof over 30 boxes of clothes were delivered. Atthe Art Gallery an NGO exhibition took place,including a performance by blind singers.

(cont. from page 2)How many children have you got?I have two lovely girls.What is your hobby?Reading (the topic varies depending on the moodand life/work situation)Your favourite band (singer)?"Chingis Khan" band and its famous pop singer

Jargalsaikhan (not for the namesake). I like all hissongs, they are all beautiful.Are you happy? Why?Yes, I am happy because I have a lovely familyand good friends who are always with me. And ofcourse a "crazy" job which does bring me a satis-faction as well as an appreciation for it.

We accept letters! All letters should be no morethan 200 words in length. News briefs shouldbe a maximum of 100 words each. Field re-ports should not exceed 350 words.

The Blue Sky Bulletin is a publication of theUnited Nations Development Programme inMongolia. The newsletter is published on thefirst of every month. The next deadline forsubmissions is January 18.All submissions must be sent to B. Zoltuya,Information Assistant, c/o Ms. Elbegzaya,

UNDP, 7 Erhuu St., Ulaanbaatar, PO Box49/207.Telephone: (976-1) 321539. Fax: (976-1)326221. E-mail: registry@undp.org.mnPlease check out the United NationsHomepage at www.un-mongolia.mnSubscriptions to the newsletter are free! Wecan send the newsletter to you electronically,via e-mail, or by post. Just send us your ad-dress and how you would like to receive thenewsletter and we will rush it out straight jaway.

Blue Sky Bulletin . -

.

Trust Fund gets in gearThe Mongolian Environmental Trust Fund (METF) is now legally established. The fundoffice has the financial support of UNDP and the Government of Mongolia. This fund aimsto fund projects which would contribute to the conservation and permanent management ofthe land, its natural resources including the diverse ecosystem.

The first meeting of the board of directors of the METF was held the second week ofJanuary, where the President and the Vice-President of the METF were elected and theactivities for 1998 were discussed. Dr. Z. Batjargal, ex-Minister for nature and the environ-ment, and Mr. Douglas Gardner, Resident Coordinator of the UN, have been elected as thePresident and the Vice-President of the METF.

The board of directors consists of nine members including minister Tsagaan, ministerAdyasuren and others.

Youth-21 Conference and Ecoforum draws over 170delegates and creates wave of excitement

By David Sadoway, MAP-21 PIU

"Is it possible to balance ecological protectionwith economic growth? What is today's num-ber one social issue in Mongolia for youngpeople? What is your dream for the 21st cen-tury in Mongolia?" These questions challengeddelegates at the first ever Youth Conferenceon sustainable development that took place thispast February 4-7* at Ulaanbaatar's Youth Cul-tural Palace.

The Mongolian government declared 1998,"Year of Mongolian Youth" and this was thefirst ma-,jor eventin linewith thedeclara-t i o n ." T h i sopen, in-teractiveapproachis new forMongolia",s a i dP r i m eMinister

Prime Minister Enkhsaihan is third of left

as del-e g a t e spresented him with a listing of their priorityproblems, along with 15 pilot proposals.

Over 170 youth delegates from 21 aimagsand members of the general public heard over30 key speakers, including the President, Par-liament Speaker, Prime Minister, UN ResidentCoordinator and Minister of Nature and Envi-ronment.

Besides hearing speakers' ideas, attendees

Blue Sky Bulletin

were encouraged to take control of their fu-ture in a participatory exercise involving 15brainstonning subgroups led by trained youthfacilitators. Subgroups met to list the key so-cial, ecological and economic issues facing thenation today. Many groups identified "educa-tion reform, poverty, air pollution and lack ofjobs", as the number one issues affecting theirlives.

Groups were challenged to craft specific so-lutions and pilot projects to help resolve the

many prob-lems. Onegroup decidedc o m m u n i t ytoilets andpublic show-ers wouldhelp solve se-rious sewageand sanitaryproblems inMongolia 'sger communi-ties.

Anothergroup pro-posed a

"chess boardscheme for

combating desertification", in Bayanhongoraimag. Their approach would see eco-teamsplanting stabilizing vegetation. There was alsoa suggestion for a "Green Cities Programme".It envisioned pollution reduction, ecologicalrestoration and job creation for unemployedyouth.

(cont. on page 4)

METF aims to fundenvironmental projects

Update on HIV/AIDSprevention activities

By Nicholas Bates,fflV/AIDS Health Adviser

As the issue still remains a hot one in Mongolia,different groups express their wish to beinginvolved in these activities. Recently, two stu-dent groups approached the HTV/AIDS/STDproject team wanting to conduct HTV activi-ties. These groups are encouraged to amal-gamate and form a student's AIDS Club, whichwas launched at the TOP-10 disco on Friday,January 16. Copies of the Mongolian AIDSBulletin (a United Nations-funded magazine)were distributed at the launch as were lubri-cated condoms, (kindly supplied by UNFPA).

Short speeches were made on AIDS preven-tion by the project team members and a gamewas played with patrons of the disco.

Similarly, other groups initiated interestingactivities. For instance, a group of actors ap-proached the project with the idea of

(cont. on page 2)

Contents:Trust Fund gets in gearYouth 21 - Conference and EcoforumHIV/AIDS updateCoffee and economyNews in a flashIn the fieldUN Secretary General's letter to the President ofMongoliaUp close and personalArrivals/departuresUN mission to the country

Internal Newsletter of UNDP's Partnership for Progress in Mongolia * Issue #3 * February 1998

News in a flash

By the beginning of February theUN agencies in Mongolia will have setup a working group on the activities of theyear to support and to contribute to the ac-tivities already planned by the Governmentof Mongolia. In these activities UNICEF willtake a leading role.

Already the UN has supported the Youth21 conference in early February. Other plansinclude supporting young journalists.

T TNDP's Blue Bag Project picked*J up kudos from Mongolian Environment

Minister Mr. Adyasuran at a December ex-hibition. According to Ms. Davasuren, Na-tional Project Coordinator for UNDP's En-vironmental Public Awareness Programme(EPAP), Adyasuran "was really interestedin the Blue Bag Project and is planning tovisit the project and encourage all the peopleto be involved in such an activity." The BlueBag Project helps women from poor house-holds to organize small recycling businesses.

The comments were made at the exhibi-tion marking the I Oth anniversary of theMinistry of Nature and the Environment.Held at the National Museum, EPAP showedoff its impressive range of awareness-rais-ing materials - from brochures to calendarsto cards and posters.

"The exhibition was visited by the PrimeMinister, parliamentarians, government of-ficials and schoolchildren," said Davasuren."The exhibition played its role in helpingto raise public awareness on the activitiesof the ministry and other environmentprojects. People learned a lot."

A group of local self-governanceauthority representatives from sixaimags (Sukhbaatar, Khovd, Khuvsgul,Uvurkhangai, Tuv and Dundgovi), parlia-mentarians and other government officialsvisited Sweden at the beginning of Febru-ary for a study tour under Capacity Build-ing for Self Governance Project (SIDA, cost-shared by UNDP). The study tour co-fundedby UNDP and the Government of Swedenlooks forward to familiarize the local huralchairmen with the experience of communemanagement in Sweden.

The UN Secretary General's letterto the President of Mongolia

On Human Rights Day, 10 December 1997,we launch a year in which the rights guaran-teed to every member of our human family willbe a central theme for the United Nations andthe international community. The Fiftieth An-niversary of the Universal Declaration of Hu-man Rights and the Five-year implementationReview of the Vienna Declaration andProgramme of Action from the World Confer-ence on Human Rights in 1993 challenge us torenew and strengthen our commitment to hu-man rights.

The cause of human rights is at the core ofthe mission ofthe United Nations. I should liketo call on you to support the global effort toreinvigorate the international system for thepromotion and protection of human rights,which has developed over the past 50 years.The endeavour of the High Commissioner forHuman Rights to mainstream human rights intoUnited Nations activities system-wide will bean important part of our contribution to the an-niversary year.

Much remains to be done to ensure that thegoals ofthe Universal Declaration are realizedfor every individual, but I am confident thatthe international community will respond to thischallenge in a spirit of mutual respect and soli-darity. We need greater efforts at the interna-tional and national levels to prevent conflicts,eradicate poverty, and empower people throughhuman rights, democracy, and development.

I call on Governments to take appropriatemeasures to turn solemn commitments intoconcrete actions for the betterment of all people.I encourage Governments that have not doneso to sign and ratify outstanding human rightstreaties, and to develop national plans of ac-tion to promote greater respect for human rights.Let us complete universal ratification of theConvention on the Rights ofthe Child and workwith determination for universal ratification ofthe Convention on the Elimination of All Formsof Discrimination Against Women by the year2000, as was called for by the World Confer-ence. Kofi A. Annan,

UN Secretary General

Mongolian NGOs give topmarks to HDR

It has been over six months since the firstMongolian Human Development Report andwork has started on the 1999 Report. ThatReport will be closer to an "action programme"according to Japanese human developmentexpert, Professor Ryokichi Hirono. Hirono vis-ited Ulaanbaatar on a whirlwind one-week tourearly in February to gauge responses to the firstreport.

In a meeting between six Mongolian NGOsand Prof. Hirono, the Report received praisefor doing what had never been done before:documenting the well-being of Mongoliansfrom a human development perspective. Mr.Tuvshintogs, President of Mongolian ChildrenOrganization's Association, found the Reportintegrated the welfare of children very well.He would like to see the 1999 report more fo-cused on the well-being ofthe family and tacklethe thorny issue of herder children droppingout of school.

Ms. Gerelsuren, President ofthe MongolianWomen's Federation called the Report "a greatcontribution to human development inMongolia" but wanted to see more detailed dataon the state of women, including "what shareof national wealth is held by women."

Prof. Hirono told the meeting the next reportneeds to present lessons learned in improvinghuman development in Mongolia. Structurally,the 1999 report will be divided into two parts,with the first summarizing "events that havetaken place in the last two years as well as themost pressing issues facing society. The sec-ond part will comprise information on theaimag level," he told local paper, The MongolMessenger.

Prof. Hirono is the President of the JapanSociety for International Development and theChair of the Mongolian Development PolicyGroup of Japan. He teaches at Seikei Univer-sity in Tokyo. He was instrumental in the de-velopment of the first global human develop-ment report and has visited Mongolia 25 timessince 1990.

(cont. from page 1)AIDS Activities

developing short dramatic scenes showing howHIV is transmitted and the first performance washeld at UFO disco; a meeting between the projectteam and the homosexual community inUlaanbaatar, where the training needs of this com-munity were ascertained.

The AIDS Foundation was launched on 23 Janu-ary 1998. Several private sector and NGO organi-zations pledged money for the Foundation. For in-stance, the Mongolian Red Cross Society pledgedTg 1 million, the Olympics Committee Tg 1 mil-lion, the International Lions Club and its branchin Ulaanbaatar city pledged Tg 500,000 each.Mongolia Consulting Services donated condomsworth Tg 1 million, Tuv aimag Tg 100,000. Mostimpressive was the donation by miners of ShiveGobi of a day's salary.

Blue Sky Bulletin

Internal Newsletter of UNDP's Partnership for Progress In Mongolia * Issue #3 * February 1998

In the fieldThe View from the Gobi desert

From a filipino development worker pointof view

It takes six hours or so to reach the MiddleGobi, six hours or so without any green thing,bodies of water or significant landmark in sight.I wonder how the car driver was able to findhis way to our destination under these condi-tions. There are no zigzag roads or uphill climbseither.

Along the way, I saw several big herds of sheep,cattle and horses and small herds of camels. Iwonder how such big groups of animals cansurvive and even multiply with just dry grassand no water. They probably have adjusted ge-netically under this condition, or there mustbe something here which keeps them going.

Looking beyond what the bare eyes can see,the greatest resource that Mongolia possess isits people, the lifeblood of every nation's de-velopment. Put in the national vision of whatthey want to be and you have the heart to keepdevelopment going all over the land. One cansee the potentials of the Mongolians from theirintricate art works, their enthusiasm to acquirenew knowledge and their eagerness to meetother people who can possibly share with themsomething new.

The vastness of the land overwhelmed me! Thisis not a surprising reaction from someone com-ing from a small country. Land is the secondbiggest resource of the country. The vast po-tential of Mongolia's land resource is still tobe tapped to improve the quality of life of itspeople. The hostile climate can be tamed us-ing appropriate technology, proper timing, se-lection of suited crop species and varieties anda little help from some friends from differentparts of the world. With lots of sunshine thewhole year round, Mongolia has huge agro-in-dustrial potentials. The people just need to beexposed to other ideas and try what will workout for them and get the less-privileged coun-try folks into the mainstream of economicgrowth.

I have also noticed that eco-tourism is a bud-ding business in the countryside. Eco-tourismcan provide additional sources of income to agreat number of people. But the Mongolianauthorities should legislate measures to regu-late the negative effects of too much commer-cialization of tourism to the environment andto its people.

Likewise, Mongolians should be on guardagainst unbalanced industrialization so as notto sacrifice the resources which they have atpresent just for the sake of misconceived de-

Blue Sky Bulletin

velopment. In any undertaking, people shouldalways take into consideration what will hap-pen in the future. We should give the next gen-erations of Mongolians the legacy of enjoyingfresh clean air and safe environment. The con-cept of lasting development is one, which canbe passed on from one generation to another.

Up close and personal

Interview with Ms. Myagmarsuren,housekeeper, UNDP

When did you start working in UNDP?From 1996Do you see any changes at the time youstarted and now? rI got used to my work. Feel morelconfident.What kind ofperson are youlI think, I am alfriendly, honest!person with good!communication!skills.What do you cx- l jpect from people Isurrounding]you?I expect them to|be friendly.Your back-1ground?Bakery technolo-'gist.Your family?Married with a daughter.Your hobby?I like walking, going to the country and alsodoing my housework.What is your favorite color?I like dark blue color.Do you think you are happy? Why?Yes, I have a good family and job.How do you see your future?I really want to learn a foreign language, spe-cifically, English.

Reafl aboutthe UN m Mongolia

More and more it is becoming crucial thevarious agencies of the United Nations co-operate in development activities. Every yearthe UN Resident Coordinator's Office(RCO) for Mongolia produces a report de-tailing the activities of the UN. The 1997 re-port highlights cooperation between the UNagencies and opportunities for future coop-eration. Copies of the report are availablefrom the RCO or the United Nations Infor-mation Shop at UNDP headquarters.

News in a flash

U nder UNDP's MAP-21 Project,which aims to define a sustainable de-velopment strategy for Mongolia in the com-ing century, aimag action programmes aregoing to be approved in February this year.These aimag action programmes will be re-flecting strategic plans for developing eachaimag until 2020.

Ms. Chuluuntsetseg, MAP-21 Informationmanager said: "each aimag will develop itsown action programme, reflecting and basedon the specificities of each of them. This isthe first time when aimags undertake suchresponsibility, when they are asked to lookat the development from many angles: notonly the economic side, but social and en-vironmental sides as well. By adopting theseaction programmes, each aimag will defineits direction in development."

Gachuurt settlement is located about21 km from Ulaanbaatar. One of three/small pilot projects under MAP-21 is beingimplemented there. With the funding of US$30,000, the Urban Sustainable Agricul-tural Settlement Project is to upgrade thelivelihoods of the inhabitants of the settle-ment by protecting the environment andcreating jobs.

The site was visited by all environmentproject managers and coordinators. Underthe pilot project a straw-bale house for of-fice use and a green house were built. Inthe future, the project is going to recyclewaste to produce fertilizer.

Under the Asia-Pacific DevelopmentProgramme, a group of government of-ficials will attend the information, commu-nication and technology workshop to beheld in Malaysia on 23-25 February.

The regional workshop on Values andGovernance in Asia is a part of UNDP'songoing work on governance in the Asiaregion.

rT~lhe UNDP Reference Unit is-1- moving and getting a new name - the

United Nations Information Shop. Soon tobe located in the former Polish Embassybuilding steps away from the UNDP office,its doors will open to the public at the endof February. The development collection willbe expanded and the Shop will offer moremagazines for readers. It will also distrib-ute to users all UN publications producedfor Mongolia and provide a free-of-chargeInternet cafe.

Internal Newsletter of UNDP's Partnership for Progress in Mongolia * Issue #3 * February 1998

"You have to taste every-thing for politeness"

Ms. Pie Meulenkamp, a newly-joined Dan-ish JPO, had her first trip outside the capitalrecently. The joint UNDP and Poverty Alle-viation Programme Office fact-finding trip wasinvestigating opportunities for small projectloans of US $ 120 in Domogovi and Dundgoviaiinags. The loans are funded by the NewZealand government and are for poor female-headed households with children of preschoolage. NGOs will be identified to help and su-pervise those women.

"This project is really to give a group ofpeople a chance to change their situation frombeing hopeless to having some hope for thefuture," said Meulenkamp. "Hopefully, someof the women I met will benefit from thisproject and will have a better life than beforethe project. The trip allowed me to know bet-ter how tough it is. The soum is actually muchbigger than I thought (five gers). I got familiarwith some of the traditions and customs, likeyou have to taste everything for politeness."

(cont. from page 1)Clearly many youth have problems with the

present education system. "Khurd-2000"would see an introduction of social and eco-logical ethics into the education curriculum.

Other groups suggestedless rigid, participatoryeducation and intense

i order to com-bat poverty and unem-

ployment in the beleaguered aimags.Many delegates said they wanted to dupli-

cate the participatory approach used in theirconference when they returned to their homeaimags. Tsetsgee Puntsagiin, an event orga-nizer said "writing project proposals or busi-ness plans is a good exercise for young Mon-golians. Some will likely be implemented andwe expect that future proposals will be morerealistic."

Around 40 NGOs and private organizationsalso put together exhibits, posters and infor-mation displays to accompany the conferencein the expo-style, Ecoforum. Information andcondoms from the UN, a scarce commodityin many of the aimags, were scooped-up byenergetin delegates

Arrivals/Departures

Ms. N. Saruul joined UNDP from the SorosFoundation as Reference Unit Assistant andwill be assisting with the new United NationsInformation Shop; Ms. B. Bayarma, formerlyofUNICEF, is now an NPO for the UNFPAprogramme; Ms. D. Sukhjargalma moved toUNDP from UNFPA as an NPO on the PovertyAlleviation Programme; Mr. Rogier Graysjoined the LAN team for a seven-month UNDPinternal assignment as an Intranet project teamleader, Canadian librarian Ms. KatherineJohnson joins the Press Institute ofMongoliaas a UNVDocumentalist; Mr. Ajamdar Rai,UNV, heading to Darkhan-Uul aimag as Fam-ily Farming Specialist; Mr. A t s u s h iY a m a n a k a , a Japanese JPO, JuniorProgramme Officer will work with the LANteam.

MoiironiiUNDP projects explained

in new guide

A new guide to UNDP programmes andprojects will be out in February. The Guidecontains brief introductory information on allUNDP-funded projects in the areas of povertyalleviation, environment and governance.Fhe Guide is available both in English and inMongolian. Besides detailing all UNDPDrojects, the guide also provides useful infor-mation on Mongolia and contact names andnumbers. The information will also be mirrored

the United Nations Homepage aiwww.un-mongolia.mn.

Common Database on social statistics

By Kassahun D. Mekuria, UNV

Considering the advantage that will result by synchronizing the effort in data collection activi-ties in Mongolia, and also considering the need for consistency and integrity in data collectionactivities, the office of the Resident Coordinator is in the process of creating a task force forestablishing a common database for the United Nations System in the country. Apart from theneed for integrating the effort in searching and standardizing objective data, a common data baseis now becoming a prerequisite for the general trend in developing a single developmentassistance framework. Among others, the main objective of the recent trend in developing asingle framework is to strengthen and/or create a more effective cooperation among the UNsystem, opening a new era for a more integrated response to the countries need. The processleads to an establishment of a single United Nations Development Assistance Framework(UNDAF).

The process of preparing the UNDAF will commence with the preparation of theCommon Country Assessment (CCA), a joint needs assessment tool. The CCA is a common setof indicators at the country level that would form a basis for planning and programming activityand create a common information base for the activities of the UN funds and programmes.

Coffee and economyUnder UNDP's Think Tank Project, an Economic Club was established at the beginning ofFebruary. The main objective of the club is to study and identify the issues of Mongoliannational development policy and strategy, and furthermore to provide the Government ofMongolia with professional support in formulating national economic policy. Mr. Tserendorj,National Project Coordinator, noted that "the economic club is designed in the way that dif-ferent level people - decision-makers, politicians, journalists, economists - can share theirideas and debate development issues. This is, in my opinion, a timely event to direct andguide the development of the country to the same direction. The first debate will take place inFebruary." The club consists of a chairman (Minister of Finance, Mr. Tsagaan), vice-chair-man (Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister), 26 members and honorary members, includingthe President, Speaker of the Parliament, Prime Minister, UN Resident Coordinator and oth-

We accept letters! All letters should be nomore than 200 words in length. News briefsshould be a maximum of 100 words each.Field reports should not exceed 350 words.

The Blue Sky Bulletin is a publication of theUnited Nations Development Programme inMongolia. The newsletter is published on thefirst of every month. The next deadline forsubmissions is the 18 of each month.All submissions must be sent to B. Zoltuya,Information Assistant, c/o B. Elbegzaya,

UNDP, 7 Erkhuu street, Ulaanbaatar,POBox 49/207.Telephone: (976-1) 321539. Fax: (976-1)326221. E-mail: registrv@undp.org.mnPlease check out the United NationsHomepage at www. un-mongolia. mnSubscriptions to the newsletter are free! Wecan send the newsletter to you electronically,via e-mail, or by post. Just send us your ad-dress and how you would like to receive thenewsletter and we will rash it out straightaway.

Blue Sky Bulletin

Blue Sky Bulletin?aftnershi|> for Progress |

NGOs Play Large Role in Poverty Alleviation"The evaluation seminar of 14 NGOs in 7 aimags and 7 NGOs in Ulaanbaatar at the end ofJanuary was a great opportunity for these NGOs enjoy their success and learn lessons fromeach other," Mrs. Christine Musisi, gender specialist, replied. This was the first time whenthis many NGOs became involved in poverty alleviation activities at their local level.UNDP's Women's Development Fund allocated US$ 100,000 for funding poverty alleviationactivities facilitated by these NGOs. At the seminar, NGOs expressed that their involvementin poverty alleviation activities was beneficial to all sides.

Giving credit to the poor and expecting that they utilize the funds successfully is notrealistic. They definitely need support in capacity building, access to information, to marketand raise their confidence in utilizing the funds efficiently. In this sense, involvement of NGOsand community-based volunteers is important. Participants of such projects increase knowl-edge and skills. Not only do these projects provide a source of income, but they also enablepeople to send their children to schools, pay for their health insurance and taxes and buildsense of confidence in the community. There were cases when beneficiaries became membersof NGOs and volunteers.

There are 172 projects facilitated or implemented by NGOs. The NGOs benefit aswell as the participants. Their capacity improves, they get more experience in poverty allevia-tion, gain more advising role. With the active role of NGOs in poverty alleviation, the trust ofthe community and the government in the NGOs rises.

At the seminar the NGOs not only enjoyed their success, but' also identified theirneeds and problems they face. In the future, if the NGOs operate together, their impact wouldbe stronger.

The seminar proved that the involvement of the civil society is very important inalleviating poverty in Mongolia. Community-based NGOs are the ones who are closer to thecommunity and can find common language with the poor, leading them in the right direction.There is a need to increase involvement of NGOs in these activities.

UN System working together withMongolia on historic youth agreement

By David Sadoway, OJKOS Consultant

"For the first time ever the UN inMongolia is being asked to coordinate and fo-cus its youth activities in three areas: employ-ment, education and health"

TheGovernment

for signing by both parties, Government andUnited Nations, in the first week of April thisyear.

Surveys show that youngMongolians have many worries. These rangefrom poverty, finding a good job and educa-

tion, to alco-of Mongoliahas declared1998 "TheYear of Youth"and hasbacked up itswords with a150 millionTugrugs (184t h o u s a n dUSD) commit-ment and aconcrete YouthAction Strat-egy plus ac-tivities. Totake advantage of the recent Government andNGO consensus on the importance of youth-related issues, the United Nations will sign afirst ever agreement on youth with Mongolia'sGovernment. This Memorandum of Under-standing (MOU) is being crafted and draftedduring an intense, month-long process of UNagency, ministerial, NGO and youth consulta-tion. The final MOU document will be ready

Blue Sky Bulletin

During group discussions at Yoiiih-21 fumm holism andfamily vio-lence. Morerecent con-cerns includeHTV and AIDSissues, theprice ofschooling andpollution is-sues. Manycreative solu-tions havebeen devel-oped by youtht h e m s e l v e s ,

the Government, NGO community and theUnited Nations. But coordination and infor-mation sharing has been difficult and there hasbeen little incentive for organizations to coop-erate.

The desire to produce an MOUsprouts from urgent needs to save time, moneyand effort, to make youth programmmes moreefficient and effective. "We sometimes walk

(cont. on page 3)

Microcredit helps to combat poverty

Small projects awardedUNDP-funded Environmental Public Aware-ness project received an award of US$2,000from TACIS programme for the best smallprojects. EPAP started its implementation inOctober 1996 and is to finish this year. Aipresent there are 74 small projects facilitatedby NGOs with USS 1,500 - US$ 3,000. Theaward will be given to those projects, whichare implemented successfully and likely tocarry on.

Microbusiness developmentUNDP's US$1 mln Is to kick off themicrofinance experience in Mongolia for thefirst time. The project, signed in June 1997, isunderway with the executing agency ACDI/VOCA, a US microfinance consulting firm.Workplan design mission of the internationaltechnical service provider completed draftingthe implementation strategy. The strategy isto be finalized upon comment:, by the Govern-ment and UNDP. By May 1998 project activi-ties will start. The Government of Mongoliais very keen in seeing the results of the projectas it addresses microbusiness development andsavings in the transition period.

Contents:NGOs play large role in poverty alleviationMicrobusiness developmentUN system to sign historic youth agreemenwith MongoliaNews in a flashMongolia catching up in the computer crazMongolia is not in lack of foodUNV becomes an honorary journalist of thyearRehabilitating the gobiUp close and personalArrivals/departures

Internal Newsletter of UNDP's Partnership for Progress in Mongolia * Issue #4 * March 1998

News in a flash

Women Scientists in North-EastAsia are to get support ofUS$500,000 from UNDP for the periodof two years. The "Gender Equalitythrough Science and Technology Re-gional Cooperation in North-East Asia"project is the first gender and develop-ment project to build upon the coopera-tion of governments, institutions andscientists in Mongolia, South Korea andChina. While improving women's par-ticipation in eradication of poverty, im-provement of health and access to sci-ence and technology, it focuses also onpromotion of women scientists for gen-der equality in the access of skills, re-sources, opportunities and decision-making. The project will start its im-plementation in March of this year.

North Korea joins the sub-regionalproject on HIV/AIDS. UNDP hasinitiated a sub-regional "Support to theDevelopment of an Effective PreventionStrategy for HIV in the Countries inNorth-East Asia",project beneficiariesof which were Mongolia, South Koreaand China. According to the latest newsNorth Korea also expressed its interestlo join the project. The first project de-velopment sub-regional meeting tookplace in October 1997, The US$ 494,000UNDP-funded project, the focal point ofwhich is Mongolia, is to start in March1998.

Activities of the project will cen-tre around three thematic areas of fo-cus: enhancing government support formore extensive and comprehensivemulti-sectoral responses, supportinggroups of people most vulnerable to theimmediate impact of HIV infection andenhancing general community aware-ness.

Pre-school education is to benefit froma 3-year project of US$ 1.5 mil. Theproject has been signed recently andstarts its implementation with theUNESCO mission to Mongolia to launch(lie project. Cost-shared by the Govern-ment of Netherlands and Save the Chil-dren Fund, the project is aimed to help(he pre-school education institutions andpoor households. Channeled through thePoverty Alleviation Programme Office,the fund is to cover costs related to kin-dergarten repairs, establishment of gerkindergartens and community kinder-gartens and training of community edu-cation volunteers and toy production.

Mongolia catching up in the computer crazeIt has not been long since computers andInternet network were introduced to Mongo-lia. Computer technology is developing so fastthat everyday we hearof more com-plicated ver-sions andhave to workhard to catchup with therest of theworld. BothUNDP andthe'Govern-ment ofM o n g o l i aare makingmuch effortsto do so.

Bythe Decreeof the Prime Minister of Mongolia, a workinggroup for the preparation of the proposal forthe Government policy on Satellite communi-cation and Internet, led by the Foreign policyadvisor to the Prime Minister Mr. Badral, wasestablished on 20 November 1997. The work-ing group is to conduct a nation-wide surveyon current situation on computer supply andInternet services, formulate policy outlines for

For the first time the UNDP country office in Mongo-lia was able to connect to the Global UNDP Staff Forum held atthe end of February 1998 between the UN Headquarters andcountry offices. Eventhough there is 12 hour difference betweenNew York and Ulaanbaatar, the Internet allowed the office towatch the Global Staff Forum live online. The fourth GlobalStaff Forum connected via two-way video, two-way audio andInternet video was truly country-office oriented. It discussed na-tional staff career policies. Starting on 19 February at 10:00 amNew York time (11:00 pm Ulaanbaatar time) it allowed the coun-try offices to share the ideas with the HQs on different issuesconcerning human resource management, programme delivery,information technology, etc until 1:00 pm (2:00 am). Using theDirect PC application with the assistance of Internet ServiceProvider (Datacom Co. Ltd) we had one of the fastestdownloading speed of 450 kb in the world.

Internet, identify social and economic impactsof the Internet and study the use of informa-tion by different social groups.

Thenational sum-mit on Infor-mation, Com-m u n i c a t i o nand Technol-ogy will beheld in Maythis year. Forthe prepara-tion purposesand formula-tion of the in-f o r m a t i o nstrategy 5members ofthe workinggroup areheading to

Kuala-Lumpur to take part in the regionalseminar on Information Technology for Sus-tainable Development on 23-25 March 1998.The objective of the seminar, organized by theUNDP's Asia Pacific Development Informa-tion Programme (APDIP), is to provide the par-ticipants with an introduction to the benefitsof Information Technology for support of a widerange of development activities.

Mongolia is not in lack of foodBy A. Delgerma, reporter

According to the FAO (Food and AgriculturalOrganization) report of in October 1997, Mon-golia is in a very hard situation of 90,000tonnes ofshortfall incereal sup-ply and2 3 , 0 0 0t o n n e sshould takethe form ofemergencyfood aidand onefourth ofthe Mongo-lian chi l -dren is un-der chronicm a l n u t r i -tion by thestudy of theWorld Vi-sion.

ButMr. AjmalMQ u r e s h i ,the FAOrepresenta-tive toChina andMongo l i ais very opti-mistic. Onhisa-week visit to Mongolia in February heconsulted with the government of Mongoliathe 1998-2000 activity of FAO. "If you look atthe economic results achieved in 1997, theyare very impressive. Mongolia is able to in-

The tAO representative to Mongolia, Mr. Qureshipresented his credentials to the President of Mongolia in Feb-ruary this year.

Mongolia has been the member-country of FAOsince 1974. At present time, 3 FAO-funded are being imple-mented with the UNDP's administrative and technical sup-port. "By having a representative, our country would benefitmore in the field of agriculture and food. At least 5 projectseach year will be implemented," said Mr. Batkhuyag, Pro-gramme Assistant of UNDP. "The Mongolian Governmentpresented about 10 pipeline project proposals to Mr. Qureshi."

crease its grain production and it has control-led inflation, reducing it to 17 percent, whichis a great achievement. As well, Mongolia'sGDP has grown considerably. Governmentpolicy in the agricultural sector is very prag-

matic and impres-sive and fits verywell in FAO spe-cial programmeon food security."FAO is assistingon GDP projectson germ-plasma,food security andtechnical eco-nomic accountingunder the techni-cal cooperationprogramme onfood security. Thetwo sub-regionalprojects involvesharing experi-ence of othercountries in agri-cultural and for-estry projects.

" T h estate of food andagriculture ofMongolia is verys t r o n g .Mongolians arevery hard work-ing. Scientific andhuman resourceexpertise is very

impressive. FAO is attentive to all proposalsof the government and is supporting Greenrevolution very much. Within the projects'framework FAO will help the government inmeeting its objectives."

Blue Sky Bulletin

Internal Newsletter ofUNDP's Partnership for Progress In Mongolia * Issue #3 * February 1998

Rehabilitating the gobiby Ch. Chuluuntsetseg, MAP-21 Pro-gramme Manager

Under the MAP-21 programme a small projectcalled "Rehabilitation" has been implementedin Umnugobi aimag since July 1997.

The project aims to rehabilitate andprotect the gene pool of herbs and fodder crops,annual and perennial plants and water sources.As well the reproduction of vegetable seed,studying the possibilities of improving produc-tivity of soil through fertilizing and dissemi-nating methods of planting vegetable in gobiarea are also the objectives of the project.Under this project, in 1997, about 5,000 treesof 1-5 meters long were planted. The seed-lings of elm, aspen and almond were preparedand supplied the aimag centre and other soumswith about 200 seedlings. Also, the project hasgrown annual and perennial animal fodder anddistributed'10 tonnes of grass to about 10 herd-ers in Bulgan and Khankhongor soums for fod-der. 11 tonnes of potato and vegetable wasgrown and supplied for consumption of thelocals.

Besides building a locally-adaptableseed reserve of cucumber, tomato, cabbage,turnip, onion, water-melon and sun-flower, theproject also trained 170 persons interested ingrowing vegetables.

The family of Baraaduz is very keenon expanding the activity further. In 1998 thefamily is looking forward to planting bush andtreesin at least 10 passes in Govigurvansaikhanmountain and supply seeds on order. Theproject will also set up a vegetable preserva-tion shop and publish guidelines and brochureson how to grow vegetable in gobi area.

(cont. from page 1)down the same road having the same destina-tion in mind. It is best to work together if weare going in the same direction," explains Ya.Tumurbaatar, Director of the Department ofYouth, Women and Family Affairs in the Min-istry of Health and Social Welfare, a key min-istry for youth issues in Mongolia.

The point of the MOU writing exer-cise is not to just create words on paper, butrather it seeks to obtain a commitment andunderstanding on youth-related issues in Mon-golia.

Cooperation also makes for morecreative and effective youth activities andprojects. For the first time ever the UnitedNations in Mongolia is being involved to co-ordinate and focus its own youth programmingand finances in three key areas: employment,education and health. In turn the MongolianGovernment will undertake the same exercisewithin key ministries.

Building on tangible successes of thepast, the Memorandum of Understanding onYouth hopes to provide a framework for meet-ing young Mongolians' needs today and intothe next millenium.

For more Information:1. United Nations Resident Coordinator,

Jerry van Mourik, telephone 00-976-1-321539, fax 00-976-1-326221, email:mourikfgiundp.org.mn.

2. OKOS Consultants, David Sadoway, tel-ephone 00-976-1-450034, fax 00-976-1-326221, email d sadowav@hotmail.com.

Up close and personalExclusive interview with the Personnel Assistant Mr. B. Lhasuren

How long have you been with the UN?For 4 years now.What do you like and dislike about working here?What I like most is that the organization functions upfront on the global arena. I was, as all ofus were, thrilled and proud of the Secretary General's decisive actions against critical situa-tion in Iraq. I think this was a significant step forward in the overall operation of the organi-zation. I dislike this never-ending hecticism.Are you a hard-working person? What kind or the person are you?F m a persistent guy, who is trying to cope with my portfolio on time and to have his job underthe control. People say I'm hard-working, but I don't think I am.What do you like doing in your leasure time?Working in the UN barely anyone has time for a hobby. If Ihave time I like reading detective stories. My favourite writeris John Grisham. I liked him after reading his "Firm".What specifically you like in his stories?They are the kind of books that you can not put away until youfinish it. It really holds you with those intrigues, dealings withFBI and maphia structures and the ways and manoeuvres theseintrigues are revealed.What are your future plans in your professional life?For the person like me in this position, chances for develop-ing myself, beyond certain extent, and career are limited. WhatI foresee accomplishing in the nearer future is studying for adegree to enable myself to work in more substantive and crea-tive field. My slogan is "to do more, to see more and to bemore..."Many people are interested in working with the UN. AsaPersonnel assistant, could you share with our readers your thoughts on the qualities(both professional and personal) people should have in order to be chosen to work in theUN?The major thing is, of course, strong educational background. Then, the person displayingenergetic, dynamic qualities, I would say has better chances. Having initiative and being ableto find solutions to problems independently are also in-count.Do you have anything else to share with our readers?I think, from the Operations side, in order to provide speedy and efficient services to ourcustomers like donors, our government counterparts, we should be a bit more flexible with ourrules and regulations and less dependent from the Headquarters.

blue SKy Bulletin

News in a flash

TNDP's Disaster PreparednessLJ project will benefit from the Ameri-

can Military Civil Affairs Battalion. TheBattalion: made a mission to Mongoliain February with the objective of review-ing and updating disaster preparednessplanning survey on Mongolia, whichwas carried out in March 1997, and iden-tifying proper NGOs in Mongolia in thefield of humanitarian assistance.UNDP will be channeling requests of theNGOs to the Battalion through the Em-bassy of the US A.

TV Mongolia, China and Republic ofIVJjCorea combine their efforts oncombating poverty in the sub-region. Forthe purpose, UNDP is allocating US$400,000 for the sub-regional project,where Mongolia is a focal point. Theproject is at the stage of developing theproject document. The first workshop onthe project will take place in spring thisyear.

T n mid-March the Reproductive health-L"Fee for Services Clinic" opened itsdoors to Mongolian patients. Initiatedby the Ministry of Health and SocialWelfare, UNFPA and Marie Stopes In-ternational, the clinic will be providingall sorts of services and treatments re-lated to reproductive health such as pre-and post-natal treatments, STDs, etc.The objective of the clinic is to developa model clinic, which will yield lessonsfor the private and public sector in termsof quality-of-care, efficiency and impactthat a small-scale clinic can have. Allcosts related to the clinic are to be cov-ered by the Dutch government for theperiod of 5 years.

he UNDP Reference Unit is movingJ. and getting a new name - the United

Nations Information Shop. Soon to belocated in the former Polish Embassybuilding steps away from the UNDP of-fice, its doors will open to the publicsoon. The development collection willbe expanded and the Shop will offermore magazines for readers. It will alsodistribute to users all UN publicationsproduced for Mongolia and provide afree-of-charge Internet cafe".

Where tfw Steppe Mw*$ Ithe Internet

:km*a*9:

Internal Newsletter of UNDP's Partnership for Progress in Mongolia * Issue #4 * March 1998

Upcoming events1. Workshop on the "Gender and poverty"under the Capacity Building for PovertyAlleviation. The issues to be put forwardare present gender situation in Mongolia,especially at the grassroots level and define further direction of activities on gender and poverty alleviation. A study tourin the gobi aimags will be conducted toevaluate the situation at the local level anddefine the goals.2. Since April small projects under theUNDP's fflV\AIDS project start imple-mentation. Total amount of funding forthese projects are US$20,000. The smallprojects to be facilitated by NGOs willbe directed to preventive and protectiveactivities.

UNV becomes an honorarymember of the MFDJA

The Press Institute of Mongolia for its 2nd anni-versary has awarded journalists for their jour-nalistic excellence. Among the winners Mr.Mustapha Eric, UNV was noted for his signifi-cant contribution to the development of foreignrelations of the PIM and received an award ofhonorary membership of the Mongolian FreeDemocratic Journalists Association.

Since the PIM was established theachievements and contributions it made tostrengthening democracy in the country are great.Established with the project of DANTDA it pro-vides a real and neutral support to journalists of Mongolia.

Since 1996 UNDP has supported the PIM through projects worth upwards of US$ 2mln. UNDP support the establishment of 6 regional training centres for journalists, with Internetlinks and e-mail and support training courses on basic journalism skills.

Coffee and economycontinued...

UNDP's Think Tank project brought togetheraround 40 government officials, parliamen-tarians, private sector representatives andacademicians for the debate on economic is-sues. The first debate which took place inthe beginning of February in Chinggis Khanhotel discussed key issues of economic de-velopment and analyzed the recommenda-tions drawn by Harvard Institute experts onthe economic development of Mongolia. Thepresentations were made by Mr. Da.

Ganbold, Chairman of the Standing Commit-tee on Economic Policy and_Mr. R.Amarjargal, MP.

The "Economic Club" is named notonly to welcome the top economists, but eve-ryone who is interested in contributing to thefurther development of the country," notedFinance Minister Tsagaan in his speech open-ing the club. The Club would play an impor-tant role in directing and guiding the devel-opment of the country, helping to form a unitedvision for Mongolian business. As well it willhelp to provide the Government of Mongoliawith professional support in formulating na-

tional economic policy."Economic and social development

are the two sides of the coin, they can not beparted from each other," said Mr. Gardner,Resident Representative of'UNDP, wishinga great success for further debate in the clubfor the well-being of Mongolia.

The Club will meet fortnightly andin May a national summit will be organized.The second session of the Club is scheduledin March with Minister Tsagaan's presenta-tion on the Role of the State in marketeconomy and social development.

In the process of building a strawbalebuilding for women centre in

Amgalan, Ulaanbaatar

Strawbale buildings - the wave of the futureEnergy-efficiency stands as one of the top-priority issues in Mongolia as the country is in thehigh rates of green house gas per person in the world. According to statistics, every person inMongolia breathes 90 kg of GHG each year.

UNDP's Provision of Energy Efficient Social Services project is to help to reducethis figure. The strawbale house is one of the activities of the project. Strawbale houses save90% of the coal used by ordinary constructions. More and more government and private or-ganizations have become interested in the construction of such buildings.At present, requests for 120 strawbale buildings came to the project.

Concerning the increasing request from different organizations in mid-February thisyear, the second workshop on building strawbale contsructions was held at the Ministry ofNature and the Environment. 101 people from 9 aimags and the city companies participated.At the workshop participants were interested to cooperate with the project, eager to learn thestrawbale building technology and teach others about this technique.

The building captures the interests of both the Government and international donorsto invest into such buildings. Tuv aimag Governor Mr. Batbold is allocating Tg 83 mln for thebuilding of about 20 strawbale buildings. The Government of Canada is donating more thanUS$ 30,000 for the purpose. On this occasion, the Canadian Ambassador Mr. Balloch andUNDP Resident Representative Mr. Douglas Gardner signed an agreement on 10 February1998 in the strawbale health clinic in biocombinat. The fund is to be utilized to build a strawbalekindergarten in the Chingeltei district of Ulaanbaatar and a strawbale health clinic inBayanhangai.

Arrivals/Departures:UN dispensary doctor Patricia and herhusband Leo Zelkowitz, UNV at theTB centre left the country after a yearassignment. Mr. Aung Kyaw Myint,UNV from Myanmar is arriving to re-place the UN dispensary doctor; Mr.Choi Kwang-Koo, Korean UNVjoined the UNV office as the pro-gramme officer; Mr. Kikutani, Japa-nese UNV finished his assignment asa coordinator for rural business pro-motion.

We accept letters! All letters shouldbe no more than 200 words in length.News briefs should be a maximum of100 words each. Field reports shouldnot exceed 350 words.The Blue Sky Bulletin is a publica-tion of the United Nations Develop-ment Programme in Mongolia. Thenewsletter is published every month.The next deadline for submissions isthe 18th of every month.Allsubmissions must be sent to B.Zoltuya, Information assistant, c/oElbegzaya, UNDP, 7 Erkhuu street,

Ulaanbaatar, POBox 49/207.Telephone: (976-1) 321539. Fax:(976-1) 326221. E-mail:registrv@undp.org.mnPlease check out the United NationsHomepage at www.un-mongolia.mnSubscriptions to the newsletter arefree! We can send the newsletter toyou electronically, via e-mail, or bypost. Just send us your address andnow you would like to receive thenewsletter and we will rush it outstraight away.

Blue Sky Bulletin

Blue Sky Bulletin CDIJ3P

News in a flash

Internal Newsletter of UNDP's Partnership for Progress in Mongolia * Issue #6 * May/June 1998Green revolution

The UN system is working collectivelyto make 1998 a high profile year at thetime of the 50'h Anniversary of the Uni-versal Declaration on Human Rights. Whilethe promotion and protection of civil andpolitical rights are doing well, there are ma-jor human rights breakdowns with thegrowth in poverty, increasing gender dis-parities and more street children.

A framework is being formulated to: (i)ground the conceptual grasp and the policycoverage of development as a human rightand poverty as a human rights abuse; and(ii) outline how current UN-sponsored ac-tivities support national efforts in the pro-motion and protection of human rights ina broad development perspective. The fi-nal document should serve as a basis for aMemorandum of Understanding betweenthe UN system and the Government ofMongolia.

O n the occasion of the ForeignInverstors Forum in Agro-Industry andTourism, which was held between June 24-26 in Ulaanbaatar, CNN has been broad-casting a 30 second long advertisementabout Mongolia. The advertisement aboutMongolia on CNN channel will be covered23 times till 5 June 1998.

Ministry of External Relations of Mongolia has sent a note to diplomaticmissions and international organizations inUlaanbaatar informing that HIV and SexualTransmitted Disease test results are notcompulsory for the foreigners, who appliedfor short/long-term registration and exten-sion of visas.

UNDP has signed with the Governmentof Mongolia a US $2.6 million projectto smooth the transition to a marketeconomy. The project will provide nationaland international technical assistance to10 newly privatised companies. Thesecompanies will be selected based on de-tailed criteria related to economic, socialand environmental concerns. The projectis intended to create a more dynamic pri-vate sector in Mongolia by reforming theoperations of firms, introducing modernmanagement techniques, developing mod-els and methodologies for future enterprisereform and training staff. Despite the rapidintroduction of market reforms, many pri-vate enterprises suffer from inexperiencewith the market economy. The end resultis that these inefficiencies continue to con-tribute to low production and high unem-ployment: two consequences of transitionthat the project hopes to remedy. Fundsfor the "Enterprise Restructuring" projectare being generously provided on a cost-sharing basis with the Government of theNetherlands.

A black market seems to be taking placewith old copies of the Mongolian Hu-man Development Report. Into its sec-ond printing in both English and Mongo-lian, 10,000 copies of the 1997 Mongo-lian Human Development Report were dis-tributed across the country last year. Thereport still remains a hot item and has beenspotted for sale (the Report is free) at theState Department Store for Tg 2,500 (USS3.50).

The Mongolian Government is distributingseeds, garden implements and advice at

one-stop centres like this one in UB.

15,900 trees were plantedin Ulaanbaatar in one day

It was an environmentally-friendly invasion:15.900 trees and 13,900 bushes were planted inUlaanbaatar on Saturday 23 May 1998 in theframework of the Government's "Green Revolu-tion" programme. Par l iament SpeakerR.Gonchigdorj and Prime Minister Ts.Elbegdorjplanted trees in the "Mother Complex" near theFirst Maternity Home. As well officials from theHealth and Social Welfare Ministry and the Gover-nor's Office of tfie Capital city, and students of theNational Pedagogical University planted more than160 trees such as larches, spruces and birches there.

The Governors office of the Chingeltei dis-trict of the Capital city plans to establish its ownpark and planted more than 130 trees in an 800square meter field.

It was planned to spend more than Tg 2.7million (US S3,.300) to create green areas andrestore them in more than 40 fields of the capitalcity. Along with other donor agencies and NGOs.UNDP is supporting the Government with seedsand gardening advice.

MicroStart projectAt the request of the Government of Mongo-

lia. Executing Agency of the project, the UnitedNations Development Programme has signed acontract with ACDI/VOCA. an American NGO.Technical Service Provider in order to performconsulting services under the MicroStart Pilotproject in Mongolia. A Technical Service Pro-vider is required to supply a wide range of serv-ices, including identifying potential grantees; pre-paring grant proposals for the local MicroStartapproval committee; staff training and workshops:advising'on how to establish a board of directorsas well as resource mobilization strategies andcoordinating impact assessment studies.

Microstart Pilot project 1997-2000 aims atbuilding national capacity in microfinance for thepurpose of promoting microenterprise develop-ment wi th strong l i n k a g e to socia ldevelopment\poverty alleviation needs.

Main outputs: a national microfinance insti-tution (MFI) providing technical service to otherMFIs and loans to the beneficiaries; at least fivelocal professional MFIs; 7.500 loans disbursed:50 percent women beneficiaries by the end of theproject.

CalendarJune 30 - July 2

"Democracy and Social Development inMongolia" National Conference "Poverty Al levia t ion In i t ia t ives"

North East Asian Sub-regionalproject formulation workshop isplanned to he held in UB in July/August

W i t h i n the project of Capacitybu i ld ing for Poverty Al levia t ion.NSO will organise this summer aComprehensive Survey on HumanDevelopment (Living StandardSurvey), the second of its kind inMongolia (the first was in 1995together wi th World Bank)

UNDP contest on combatingdesertification and the effects ofdiought will close Sept. 1, with theawarding ceremony on Oct. 17

October 14-16Intergovernmental Meeting on TumenRiver Project wil l be held in Ulaanbaatar

New social policy frameworkThe United Nations system is working with

the Government, Asian Development bank(AsDB), World Bank/IMF, NGOs and others insupport of the development of new national so-cial policy framework that upholds sustainablehuman development paradigms and is consistentwith the nation's ongoing political and economicreforms. The inputs from UNDP on this reviewof social policy options will support nationaland international consultants, various workshopsand training. An important and closely relatedexercise of the AsDB is to prepare technical as-sistance for poverty reduction - and social safetynet strengthening will take place at the same timeas the UNDP exercise. The UNDP-supported re-view of social policy options will have two phasesand two related outputs: 1. Phase 1: Report on a.)the existing situation and b.) social policy op-tions and recommendations.

At the invitation of UNDP Mongolia, Dr.Ryokichi Hirono, a well-known economist andrespected in Mongolia for his long associationwith the Government, the UN system, the privatesector and NGO/heads the team. Work began inFebruary of 1998 on the initial steps in assistingthe Government to define policy options for anew national social policy framework.The input

from Dr. Hirono as a result of his February workin Mongolia, provides a logical framework forthe next step in the process and constitutes thefoundation for this exercise.

The review exercise will be conducted in twophases related to the social policy options andsecondly to the national social policy framework.A development economist and one of the found-ers of the global human development report, Dr.Hirono led the mission and the team members,including experts in social policy analysis withspecializations in the fields of social services, em-ployment and social protection. The mission wascoordinated under the Prime Minister's office andworked closely with the Ministries of Health andSocial Welfare, Education and Environment. Itwill receive periodic input from the AdvisoryGroup of the Economic and Social Growth ThinkTank and PAPO.

The papers produced by the mission will besubmitted to UNDP Mongolia and the UN Execu-tive Agency under SPPD in hard and soft copiesas well as in English and Mongolian.

The mission will be working in the periodfrom 4 May-September 1998.

Blue Sky Bulletin

Internal Newsletter of UNDP's Partnership for Progress in Mongolia * Issue #6 * May/June 1998

Urban poverty continues to rise News in a flash

Hunger and malnutr i t ion are press-ing issues for Mongolia during the tran-sition. These children receive three mealsa week - for some the only food they canget - at a soup ki tchen in the northeastof the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Many of theresidents can't receive social servicesbecause they do not have permission tolive in the capital. According to the gov-ernment's own figures, the number ofpoor in the capital grew by 30,000 in 1997,

despite Tg 150 mill ion beingspent on poverty alleviation.By the end of 1997, 117,860persons of 26,186 Ulaanbaatarhouseholds were living inconditions below level of theminimum subsistence level(MSL), according to the Capi-tal City Statistics Service. Bythe level of indigence,Nalaihk is leading among theCapital city districts with 55.7percent of its residents livingunder MSL. The MSL is set atTg 10,400 per person permonth. Compared to 1996, thenumber of beggars was up by51.8 per cent, and the level ofindigence rose 6 per cent

reaching 18.5 per cent. Poverty has in-creased 150 per cent since 1994.

The United Nations is currently work-ing on a Memorandum of Understandingwith the Mongolian Government on FoodSecurity and Nutrition, two issues singledout in the 1997 Mongolian Human Devel-opment Report that threa ten the healthof future generations. The MOU will helpto focus efforts to address the nutrit ionand food needs of Mongolians.

Hot talk on new hotlineThe red phone rings every minute or so

and is quickly answered by a medical studentsurrounded by safe sex posters. Tucked awayin a cramped office in downtown Ulaanbaataris a new phenomenon for Mongolia: the tel-ephone advice hotline. In operation sinceMarch of this year, the Adolescent YouthHotline has received close to 400 phone callsfrom Mongolians seeking the latest infor-mation on sex and sexuality.

The calls can range from skin problemsto depression to sexually transmitted diseases(STDs) and HIV/AIDS. In one call, a cleanerwas worried she could contract HIV fromcleaning toilets. Four callers have wanted tocommit suicide. The most common call re-lates to birth control and how to avoid preg-nancy.

While the main target for the hotline isyouth - 70 per cent are secondary schoolstudents - the counselors have received callsfrom all ages, including senior citizens and aseven-year-old boy.

Down the hall is a new walk-in clinicalso established by the hotline's NGO, theAdolescent Futures Centre. The clinic pro-vides free examinations and birth controllike condoms.

The hotline operates from 8 am to 8pmseven days a week. Most calls are in the af-ternoon.

The telephone counsellors are medicalstudents from UB's main medical school. Forthem working for the hotline has been aneye-opener . They receive two weeks of train-ing before taking calls.

"I once got a call from a middle-agedman who wanted to know how to decide if hewas homosexual . Homosexual i ty at f irstseemed strange but now that I have read aboutit, it is not so strange," says 21-year-oldmedical student Ms. Tumerbat. She has foundmost callers want a follow-up examinationin the clinic.

Medical student Ms. Titmerbat talksstraight on sex

The hotline was set-up by an NGO, theAdolescents Future Centre, with seed moneyof US $4,500 from the United Nations. Itwas founded by a group of doctors, includingDr. Lkhasuren. director of the UB medicaluniversity, Dr. Altanchimeg, editor-in-chiefof the Mongolian AIDS Bullet in and nowwith UNFPA, and gynecologist Dr. Ayush.The success of the hotline has attracted sup-port from Ulaanbaatar's mayor, who haspromised to provide additional funding.

UNA1DS, the United Nations agency tocombat STDs/HIV/AIDS, has had an officebased in Mongolia at the Medical Universitysince the end of last year.

Hotline number is 312151

Canadian State Secretary of the Foreign AffairsMinistry, Raymond Chan, visited in late Mayan energy-efficient health clinic being funded on acost-sharing basis by Canada and UNDP. Thebuilding is insulated using strawbales. an inno-vative building technique that gives the buildingextraordinary insu la t ion . Bu i ld ings usingstrawbale technology have been shown to save upto 45 per cent of the budget of social services;precious funds that once went up the chimney inMongolia's harsh continental climate. Mr. Chan'svisit also included an hour-long meeting with theUNDP Resident Representative and four Canadi-ans (including two United Nations Volunteers)working on UNDP projects. Canada has had rela-tions with Mongolia since 1973. but only estab-lished an honourary consulate in February of thisyear. Mr. Chan expressed an interest in the foodsecurity situation in Mongolia and how Canadacould help.

This workshop was organized by theUNDP Poverty Alleviation team andconducted by Christine Musisi, UNV Gen-der in Development Specialist on 15 May1998. The aim of the workshop was tointroduce gender concept to UNDP staff,discuss the importance and share under-standing of gender analysis, which providesa framework by which to compare the rela-tive advantages and disadvantages faced bymen and women in various sphere of life,such as the family, the workplace, the com-munity and political system and preparedraft gender mainstreaming strategy docu-ment of the country Office based on thesuggestions and proposals of group discus-sions of participants on the inclusion ofgender issues in all projects, program ac-tivities. Issues on what is gender, genderrelations, triple role of women in the soci-ety and practical and strategic gender needswere touched during the workshop.

K ofi Annan, the Secretary General ofthe United Nations has sent a messageto Mr.Tsahiagiin Elbegdorj., Prime Minis-ter of Mongolia extending his congratula-tions and best wishes on the assumption ofthe office of Prime Minister of Mongolia.The UN Secretary General noted in hismessage that Mongolia was an active par-ticipant the United Nations' conferencesof such important issues as social develop-ment, environment, children, gender andpopulation. He stresses that the United Na-tions family stands to support MongolianGovernment in any way possible in meet-ing the commitments that Mongolia hasma