Workshop held to improve water governance

A total of 70 water specialists and government officials took part in Asian Development Bank (ADB)’s workshop for strengthening water governance at the river basin level and scale up lessons learned for application across Mongolia on October 9.

ADB conducted the workshop to mark the beginning of the bank and Mongolian government’s 1.4 million USD technical assistance project.

“The project builds on ADB’s country water security assessment and the Ulaanbaatar 2020 Master Plan and Development Approaches for 2030,” said ADB Country Director for Mongolia Yolanda Fernandez Lommen. “Further, it converges with ADB’s Water Operational Plan, which aims to enhance water governance and resilience to water-related disaster risks and the capacity for climate change adaptability of developing member countries.”

The technical assistance project is expected to strengthen water governance and river basin water planning in Mongolia, empowering authorities to address water challenges and improve decision making on strategic investments necessary to support growth, health, and the well-being of communities.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism will help develop the capacity of the river basin council and river basin authority, as well as other key stakeholders to manage water resources better through environmentally sustainable and disaster resilience efforts.

The technical assistance project is funded by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction and High-Level Technology Fund.

Over the past 17 years, the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction has supported over 48 projects in Mongolia dealing with poverty alleviation, livelihoods, and the environment. Since its inception in 2017, the High-Level Technology Fund has been providing grant support to 15 projects, including three in Mongolia.