Mongolia Secures $100 Million ADB Loan to Strengthen Disaster Readiness

Mongolia faces risks from dzuds, droughts, floods, wildfires and earthquakes, with the scale of recent losses showing how deeply disasters affect households and the wider economy.

Mongolia will upgrade emergency equipment, strengthen early warnings and prepare more communities to handle disasters through a $100 million loan approved by the Asian Development Bank. The investment will help the country move from responding after emergencies occur toward reducing risks in advance, giving first responders and residents better tools, information and training to protect lives and livelihoods.

The Strengthening Mongolia's Disaster Resilience Capacity Project will support the National Emergency Management Agency, known as NEMA, and local communities through modern technology, stronger institutions and more inclusive preparedness. Its financing combines a $48.5 million regular ordinary capital resources loan with a $51.5 million concessional ordinary capital resources loan, complemented by $16.61 million in counterpart funding from Mongolia's government.

Mounting Losses Put Preparedness in Focus

Mongolia faces risks from dzuds, droughts, floods, wildfires and earthquakes, with the scale of recent losses showing how deeply disasters affect households and the wider economy. Between 2015 and 2024, more than 40,500 disasters caused by natural hazards resulted in 726 deaths, the loss of 11.5 million livestock and estimated economic damage of MNT1.9 trillion, equivalent to about $540 million.

Disaster management systems face fragmented risk information, shortages of emergency equipment and insufficient early response capacity in many parts of the country, limiting their ability to protect communities when hazards emerge. ADB Country Director for Mongolia John Juhyun Jeong said increasingly frequent and severe disasters threaten lives, livelihoods and long-term development, linking stronger preparedness, emergency response and risk information systems with lower economic losses and more resilient communities.

Modern Equipment and Earlier Warnings for Emergency Teams

The project will finance modern firefighting vehicles and equipment and strengthen search and rescue operations, helping emergency personnel respond more effectively when people need assistance. These investments address practical equipment gaps alongside the institutional and information systems that support decisions before and during disasters.

Upgrades to NEMA's Integrated Disaster Management System will introduce advanced digital technologies, including geographic information systems, remote sensing and artificial intelligence-based tools, together with improved early warning capabilities. Better risk information will support the broader shift toward proactive preparedness, helping emergency managers understand threats and organize responses with a more complete picture of conditions.

Community Volunteers Become Part of a Stronger Response Network

By 2031, the project is expected to train and equip 200 community volunteer groups in high-risk areas across 120 soums, or subdistricts, strengthening local participation in emergency preparedness and response. Giving these groups skills and equipment will extend the first responder network into communities exposed to hazards, making local readiness a central part of the national effort.

Increased participation and leadership by women will be promoted across disaster preparedness and response activities, supporting a more inclusive network of people involved in protecting their communities. A new national emergency response training center will provide modern training in disaster preparedness and resilience to natural hazards, creating a dedicated base for developing the capabilities needed to sustain these improvements.