ILO and Mongolia take cooperation to the next level

ULAANBAATAR (ILO News) -- Mongolia and the ILO recently agreed to jointly promote decent employment in small- and medium sized enterprises operating in selected economic sectors. ILO is adapting some of its global tools for enterprise development and skills training to the Mongolian environment.

ILO Regional Director Mr Yoshiteru Uramoto visited Mongolia on 15-16 September 2014 to reciprocate the visit by Prime Minister of Mongolia H.E. Norovyn Altankhuyag to Geneva last June to address the International Labour Conference.

During the Conference, the Government of Mongolia and the ILO signed a Memorandum of Understanding advancing their cooperation in areas such enterprise development and skills training for economic diversification, labour market governance, social protection and employment policy.

“We look forward to close cooperation with Mongolian government,” said Yoshiteru Uramoto, ILO Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific during his recent meeting with the Prime Minister of Mongolia H.E. Norovyn Altankhuyag. “It is important to extend our support to various industries of the country, eg. cashmere production, food-processing, construction materials.”

Mr Norovyn Altankhuyag expressed his Government’s full commitment to the objectives and the financial aspects of the project, which will initially run over a period of 1 year with options for extension.

Mongolia is a middle income country home to close to 3 million people, boasting one of the highest growing economies in the world. Mongolia’s main economic growth driver is mining. Economic diversification is key to making economic growth sustainable and more inclusive. Currently, 9 out of 10 Mongolians are employed in SMEs without strong linkages to the mining sector.