S. Oyun has been a Member of Mongolia’s Parliament since 1998. She was the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and is presently the outgoing Minister of Environment and Green Development. She is one of the country’s highest-ranking officials, and has had a long history of supporting cooperation with SDC in Mongolia, dating back to 2005 when she headed the Swiss-Mongolian Parliamentary Group tasked with further strengthening Swiss-Mongolian relations at the parliamentary level. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs, she contributed to the advancement of bilateral relations between the two countries in the sphere of foreign policy. As the Minister of Environment and Green Development, she has frequently engaged with SDC in relation to Mongolia’s environmental agenda.

Oyun is also the founder and head of the Zorig Foundation, a Mongolian NGO that advocates for democracy and youth development that is named after her brother – murdered pro-democracy leader S. Zorig.

SDC has been supporting the Zorig Foundation’s youth programme since 2007 through funding for its Scholarship Programme. The programme has made it possible for more than 800 academically gifted students from low-income families to pursue university studies. Recent studies have found that more than 80 percent of scholarship recipients were employed after graduation.  

To mark the 10th anniversary of Swiss Development Cooperation with Mongolia, ‘Onsite Insights’ invited Minister S. Oyun for an interview to highlight SDC’s presence in Mongolia, particularly her impressions of SDC’s environmental work.

You know that SDC is this year celebrating the 10^th anniversary of its cooperation with Mongolia. What are your thoughts on the Swiss-Mongolian partnerships? Is there anything specific that you would like to highlight?

In general, SDC projects are well targeted, and I greatly appreciate what SDC does in Mongolia. It sees the needs of local communities and responds to them with timely and targeted support. Specifically, desertification is one of the most pressing environmental problems we face in Mongolia. I can only comment on the significance of SDC’s support in advancing our policies and approaches to prevent further desertification. We have greatly valued the studies and recommendations from SDC’s Coping with Desertification Project throughout the past eight years. We have received a lot of information that is of great value. Mongolia has been more affected by the negative consequences of global climate change. Ever-expanding desertification is clearly one of the negative impacts on our country. SDC’s project was successful in dealing with these issues, particularly in reversing trends in arid areas and pasture degradation. This is an important issue for Mongolia’s long-term priorities.

You are also familiar with the SDC-financed eco-schools – a youth environmental movement aimed at promoting green development in Mongolia. What are your thoughts?

Soon after I became the Minister of Environment and Green Development, I visited the eco-schools. I understood that environmental education for young children is the foundation for Mongolia’s future green development. After becoming acquainted with eco-schools and the concepts of eco-education, we named 2013 the Year for Eco-education, advocating environmental education for youth and the public as the basis for building green and eco-friendly communities.

Our cooperation with SDC has further developed into a broader programme on Education for Sustainable Development. This is a joint programme between our ministry, the Ministry of Education and Science and SDC which will incorporate environmental education into the secondary education curriculum. This will lay a strong foundation for Mongolia’s future green development. I see an even greener future when youth are educated through environmentally friendly curricula in their schools.

What is your impression of SDC’s cooperation in terms of the Scholarship Programme?

SDC and the Zorig Foundation have been cooperating for nine years, providing well-targeted scholarships for more than 800 university students from low-income households. This programme is unique and significant in the way that it also provides the scholarship awardees with an opportunity to implement social projects that contribute to communities. The awardees are encouraged to work in teams to undertake research and implement a small-scale community project. Through these projects, they are also paying back what they have received, and it also contributes to the strengthening of their social skills.

I strongly believe that intellectual investment is more valuable than any other investment. Natural resources are important for our nation’s development, but intellectual resources are the key to our development.

Thank you.

In attendance at the Ulaanbaatar awards ceremony were high-ranking Austrian and Mongolian dignatories, including the Vice-President of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Richard Schenz; Austrian Ambassador to Mongolia residing in Beijing, Irene Giner-Reichl; and the Mongolian Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ts. Oyungerel.

Mr Schenz presented the award to MNEC director M. Badarch and L.Shinetsetseg, Project Officer at MNEC.

“It is a great recognition of our efforts to create greener schools and communities in Mongolia, working with children,” M. Badarch said. “We take great pride in being awarded the Energy Globe – the most prestigious environmental prize worldwide – and in being chosen from more than 160 participating countries and 1000 project submissions annually.

The award is given each year to projects that conserve such resources as energy or which utilise renewable or emission-free forms of energy. The aim of the Energy Globe is to raise public awareness about sustainable environmental solutions and to motivate people to become active in this sphere.

Mongolia’s Eco-schools Development Project was selected on the basis of its success in mobilising 166 schools and in teaching young children about the importance of environmental issues and possible solutions to the challenges being faced. The project aims to improve the environmental education and knowledge of youth, and develop a national network focused on creating a better and healthier living environment.

“We are living in a world that requires new thinking about the responsible use of our natural resources. However, change will only happen if awareness about current issues and alternative solutions is raised with as many people as possible” said the the Energy Globe Foundation on its web regarding the work of the Eco school project.

“This is especially true for our young generation, who are the decision-makers of tomorrow. This year’s National Winner of the Energy Globe Award in Mongolia is paving the road to creating greener communities in Mongolia. Congratulations on this initiative.”

SDC has been supporting this movement of eco-schools since 2007.

Project highlights

• 166 eco-schools in 18 aimags (18.3 percent of all secondary schools)
• Dust reduction: 23 eco-schools could reduce dust sediments by 50 percent by greening the area
• Energy saving initiative by an eco-school in Bayankhongor aimag: Replacing red bulbs with fluorescent ones and by installing electric meter in carpenter classes saved MNT 5.6 million on electricity cost.
• Water saving initiative in Bayankhongor aimag’s Nomgon school: repairing water sink and plumber pipes saved MNT 3 million.
• ‘Family Garden’ initiative involved 340 families who have planted more than 4500 seedlings in their gardens.