A ‘New Era’ for Mongolia?

ATLANTA (HN, March 14) – The future of Mongolians may rest in its younger generations, according to new US ambassador to Mongolia, Dr. Jonathan Addleton, who was in Atlanta on March 2 to speak with a group of local business and civic leaders.

Only three months on the job, Addleton brings several years of work experience to his new diplomatic posting in Mongolia after migrating from aid-specific work during the last two decades.

“Although (Mongolians) had years of isolation, it is a forward looking country with people very interested in the modern world,” Addleton told HUM News on the sidelines of his group discussion in Atlanta. “For the younger generation, it’s a new era.”

A native of the US state of Georgia but born to missionary parents in Pakistan, Addleton has spent most of his life overseas in countries few Westerners visit such as Cambodia, South Africa, Kazakhstan and Yemen. He made a career with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which first took him to Mongolia from 2001 to 2004. 

At that time, he oversaw development projects geared toward building up the country’s banking and economic sectors. A country the size of the US state of Alaska, but with a population of only about 2.5 million, Mongolia is a landlocked country sandwiched between Russia and China. 

“It has one foot in northeast Asia, and another foot in Central Asia,’ Addleton said.

Now he is back in Mongolia, which he says is emerging as a global economic force.

While most foreign investment comes from China, Mongolia has a “third-neighbor policy,” which the ambassador said is based on cultivating relationships with the rest of the world. Major mining companies from Canada have invested millions, for example, and multi-national companies like Caterpillar and Coca-Cola have both increased business dealings there.

Democracy

This year brings 20 years of democracy to Mongolia, which has a parliamentary system of government. The US-educated president, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, is a member of Mongolia’s Democratic Party and heads the country’s coalition government, but most members of parliament (MPs) belong to the opposing Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party.

The ambassador also discussed what he called the “five areas of activity” in terms of Mongolia and US relations.

Development is one. But a new approach, he said, is the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which, in Mongolia’s case, is meant to reduce poverty through economic growth. A $285 million foreign-assistance compact signed by the US and Mongolian governments in 2007 will be distributed over a five-year timeframe.

The MCC’s compact with Mongolia will invest in improving the effectiveness and capacity of the country’s critical-rail system, the backbone of Mongolia’s economy.  MCC is also working with Mongolia to improve the ability of Mongolians to register and obtain clear title to their land, reform the vocational education system to meet the demands of the market, and improve the health and well-being of the labor force by reducing non-communicable diseases and more.

As Mongolia opens its doors to the world and looks to join international markets, HUM News asked the ambassador what checks and balances are in place to make sure Mongolia is rewarded along the way.

According to Addleton, Mongolia is “ready to take the risk, while at the same time getting what they need out of it. The Mongolian man on the street wants to see transparency.” 

Addleton explained that President Elbegdorj is involved in a global-transparency campaign to monitor the mining investments, environmental issues, and community relations. The community has a part in the discussion, as their involvement is hoped to reduce graft.

“There are multiple voices around that table,” he added.

Deadly Winter

Mongolia is facing its harshest winter in 10 years, with temperatures reaching minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 Fahrenheit) in some expanses of the country. The weather pattern, known as a ‘dzud’, is a combination of a summer drought that limits grazing, followed by heavy snow and extreme cold. Dzuds are unique to Mongolia and do not occur frequently.

This disaster is affecting about a quarter of the population – mostly herders who are at risk of losing their livestock to the cold. The government has arranged a donors meeting with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and governments around the world to help. The US has provided some assistance, channeling $50,000 in relief through UN Children’s Fund (UNCEF), and another $25,000 to Mercy Corps, an international medical-aid group.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has started a $4 million, ‘cash-for-work’ scheme that pays herders to collect and clear out the dead livestock, like goats, camels, horses and yaks, as some 2.7 million animals have perished so far this winter. 

Ambassador Addleton said that while the situation is dire, NGOs are in place to offer assistance and, ultimately, the problem is a long-term rangeland issue, as uncontrolled populations of livestock have taken over the area and are overgrazing what grass was left.

-- Courtney Body, reporting. Photo by Les Neuhaus.