ADB and Mongolia sign $1 million grant to combat domestic violence

“This additional financing complements ADB’s ongoing projects promoting gender equality in Mongolia that are financed by the Government of Japan through the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction,” said Mr Ramachandran.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Mongolia today signed an additional $1 million grant for an ADB project to combat domestic violence against women and children. Minister of Finance Javkhlan Bold and ADB Country Director for Mongolia Pavit Ramachandran signed the agreement in Ulaanbaatar. 

“This additional financing complements ADB’s ongoing projects promoting gender equality in Mongolia that are financed by the Government of Japan through the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction,” said Mr Ramachandran. “It is closely aligned with one of the key operational priorities of ADB’s Strategy 2030—to accelerate progress in gender equality—and will continue supporting Mongolia’s efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5 on eliminating violence against all women and girls.”

The additional financing is introducing new components to foster digital transformation and expand community initiatives and training programs for frontline service providers to enhance access to services for victims of domestic violence in the post-pandemic period.

Innovative features include expansion and upgrade of the domestic violence hotline operations by launching artificial intelligence-based systems, as well as legal and psychosocial counselling for rural, remote, and underserved communities and for people with disabilities. The additional financing will also support the adoption of the international standards on information security management systems (ISO 27001) for the hotline operations and a referral to multidisciplinary services through an emergency reporting system.

An initial $3 million grant was signed in December 2018 to strengthen the quality of and access to prevention and multidisciplinary responses to domestic violence. The funds have been used to establish shelters in three provinces and two districts, develop institutional capacity and empower survivor women economically.