[Ulaanbaatar, May 10, 2017] – A delegation from the U.S. government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) led by Fatema Z. Sumar, Regional Deputy Vice President for Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America, visited Mongolia this week to discuss progress in developing an MCC compact with the government of Mongolia to prepare for approval in 2018.
During their visit, the U.S. delegation met with senior Mongolian government officials – including Minister of Foreign Affairs Ts. Munkh-Orgil, Minister of Environment and Tourism D. Oyunkhorol, Deputy Minister of Finance Kh. Bulgantuya, and Ulaanbaatar City Mayor S. Batbold – to discuss priority areas for investment in the water sector, including needed policy and institutional reforms. Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, faces imminent water supply and water treatment shortages, and demand for water is expected to exceed the supply of safe water by 2021.
“We are pleased to be back in Mongolia as we continue our work with the government to design an investment program that will improve sources and availability of water over the long term,” Sumar said. “Our work together is strengthening the relationship between Mongolia and the United States around our shared goal of building sustainable institutions that can deliver much-needed services to the Mongolian people.”
Using a country-led approach that reflects a country’s own priorities, MCCprovides time-limited grants and assistance to developing countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, from fighting corruption to respecting democratic rights. Working with local partners, MCC tackles some of the most pressing challenges that developing countries face, like access to electricity, clean water, land rights, and roads.
During the compact development process, MCC and partner governments jointly identify the country’s greatest barriers to economic growth and develop a program specifically aimed at addressing them. This analysis allows countries like Mongolia, in partnership with MCC, to determine compact activities most likely to contribute to sustainable, poverty-reducing growth. Compact development includes a consultative process, engaging civil society and the private sector. Mongolia’s Constraints to Growth Analysis report can be found on the websites of MCC, the Mongolian Foreign Ministry, and the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar in Mongolian and English.
Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (Mongolian)
http://www.mfa.gov.mn/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Mongolia-CA-Report-Mon-Aug-2016.pdf
U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar website (English and Mongolian)
http://photos.state.gov/libraries/mongolia/231771/pdfs/MCC_Mongolia_CA_English.pdf
http://photos.state.gov/libraries/mongolia/231771/pdfs/MCC_Mongolia_CA_Mongolian.pdf
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The Millennium Challenge Corporation is an independent U.S. government agency working to reduce global poverty through economic growth. Created in 2004, MCC provides time-limited grants and assistance to poor countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, from fighting corruption to respecting democratic rights. Learn more about MCC at www.mcc.gov.
