Mongolia

The ILO has been active in Mongolia for several years with regard to disability issues. Some of the more recent activities are described below.

Working with the social partners

After the government included disability provisions and a quota system in its labour law, the ILO sponsored tripartite meetings with both the Mongolian Employers Federation, (MONEF) in 2000 and the Confederation of Mongolian Trade Unions (CMTU) in 2001 to discuss the implications of the ratification for its social partners.

As a follow-up, the ILO worked closely MONEF in the sponsoring of two workshops. The first workshop, Building Capacity of Employer and Human Resource Managers to Address Disability in the Workplace, helped launch MONEF’s Disability Committee. It was held in November 2003. The meeting resulted in a strong set of recommendations for all the social partners and a course of action for MONEF’s Disability Committee. A second workshop at the provincial level resulted in the formation of a tripartite plus disabled persons committee in Hovd, to address the employment and training needs of disabled persons in this remote area of the country.

Technical cooperation projects

These activities are being followed up as part of Mongolia’s participation in two ILO projects. Mongolia was a targeted country in the ILO/Korea Fellowship programme, which addressed disability policy and vocational training issues. A delegation from Mongolia attended both of the fellowship training workshops held in Seoul during 2005.

Mongolia is also participating in the inter-regional project Promoting the Employability and Employment of People with Disabilities through Effective Legislation (PEPDEL) project. Through this project, the ILO provides technical assistance to stakeholders to enhance their capacity to promote disabled job seekers’ access to equal job and training opportunities through effective national laws and policies. IA National Project Advisory Group is chaired by the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour with representatives for the employers’ and workers’ organizations and disabled persons’ organizations. The group is currently finalising a joint project action plan for 2006-2007 to be carried out with support from the project.

Technical assistance

During 2002 and 2003, the ILO provided technical assistance to the Asian Development Bank funded project, Expanding Employment Opportunities for Poor Disabled Persons. The project has been engaged in a variety of activities in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour. It has translated many ILO materials to support the work of the employment services office, as well. The PEPDEL and ADB’s social protection project will continue to collaborate to address the needs of disabled persons.

In 2003, Mongolia’s delegation to the ILO Technical Consultation on Vocational Training and Employment of People with Disabilities included government, trade union and employer representation. The Mongolian team developed furthered interest in disability issues and collaborated on a strong action plan. It included the translation of the ILO video AbilityAsia into the Mongolian language as well as the ILO Code of Practice on Managing Disability in the Workplace. The Government’s employment services office worked actively with the Asian Development Bank Project to train and place people with disabilities in formal sector and self-employment positions.

To learn more about one of the Mongolia’s NGOs that provides an excellent example of mainstreaming people with disabilities in vocational training, consult the following:

• Training and Employment of People with Disabilities in Mongolia, 2003: DRAFT
• Norwegian Lutheran Mission
  Spinning Wool into a Better Way of Life---Including People with Disabilities into Mainstream Training Programmes in Mongolia
  (pdf)

For more information about disability related laws and policies and the country consult our National Laws and Information pages.

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