ADB and Mongolia kick off workshop aimed at strengthening water governance

The technical assistance project will help strengthen water governance and river basin water planning in Mongolia.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Mongolia today marked the beginning of a $1.4 million technical assistance project with a workshop aimed to strengthen water governance at the river basin level and scale up lessons learned for application across Mongolia.

“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 Ms 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.”

A total of 70 people attended the workshop in Ulaanbaatar, including Ministry of Environment and Tourism Director General Ms Bulgan Tumendemberel.

The technical assistance project will help 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 Government of Mongolia, through 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 (JFPR) and the High-Level Technology (HLT) Fund. Financed by the Government of Japan, JFPR was established in May 2000, providing direct grant assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable groups of ADB’s developing member countries while fostering long-term social and economic development.

Over the past 17 years, JFPR has supported over 48 projects in Mongolia dealing with poverty alleviation, livelihoods, and the environment. Since its inception in 2017, the HLT Fund has been providing grant support to 15 projects, including three in Mongolia. It seeks to address various development challenges in ADB’s developing member countries by promoting the integration of technology and innovative solutions into ADB-financed and administered projects.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region. In 2017, ADB operations totalled $32.2 billion, including $11.9 billion in co-financing.