New brucellosis laboratory improves Mongolia’s diagnostic capacity

Press release, 07.09.2015

A Livestock Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis opened at the Mongolian State Central Veterinary Laboratory on September 3, 2015 will improve the country’s capacity to diagnose the disease in animals in line with international standards.

brucellosis-lab
Bacteriologist J. Munkhgerel explains the functions of equipment at the newly established laboratory for brucellosis. © SDC

“We are now able to  diagnose livestock  brucellosis at world standards” said State Central Veterinary Laboratory Director Ch. Ganzorig.

“This means we are making a step forward in improving food security for consumers and are safeguarding public health issues.”

The MNT 200 million (CHF 100,000) laboratory was backed with international expertise and trainings for laboratory staff.

“We received numerous trainings by international experts on using the cutting-edge technologies and equipment in brucellosis diagnosis thanks to support from the Swiss-funded Animal Health Project,” said bacteriologist J. Munkhgerel.

Ms Munkhgerel said the state-of-art diagnosis of brucellosis would help to improve the national brucellosis control strategy. “It will also help to eliminate human brucellosis in the future.”

SDC in Mongolia’s Head of Programme Daniel Valenghi said: “It is a part of the technical assistance from the Swiss Government to Mongolia in reforming the veterinary sector. With the collaboration in improving Mongolia’s diagnostic system, we envision a dramatic drop in the incidence of human brucellosis, which is currently about five percent of the entire population.”

More about the SDC's Animal health project in Mongolia 

Press release, 11.11.2015

ULAANBAATAR —The World Bank and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) today launched a US$3 million project to boost social accountability in Mongolia in the next four years.

socia-accountability
SDC in partnership with the World Bank launched a project to support social accountability in Mongolia.

The Mainstreaming Social Accountability in Mongolia (MASAM) project seeks to support government efforts to increase transparency and accountability, and give impoverished communities a greater voice on issues affecting them.

“The project builds on years of innovating and experimenting on social accountability in Mongolia by citizens and government bodies, and follows last year’s Glass Account Law that we consider an enabling legal reform for transparency,” said James Anderson, the World Bank Mongolia Country Manager.

“Through MASAM, we hope to facilitate concerted action around institutionalizing social accountability at all levels.”

MASAM will focus on building skills and capacities of citizens and civil society groups in poor and vulnerable regions of Mongolia, and working with local governments to enable sustained outcomes throughout the project.

“We believe that civil society and citizens have an important role to play in strengthening the accountability of public officials, reducing corruption and improving public service delivery,” said Markus Waldvogel, Director of Cooperation of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

“This project will encourage citizens and civil society to exercise their rights to do so.”

The MASAM project will be implemented over four years in 10 aimags and districts of the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. It will benefit poor and marginalized groups by involving them in social accountability processes, empowering them to hold public officials accountable for improving the quality, access and delivery of services in their communities.

The participating aimags and districts will be selected according to poverty rates, health-related risks and access to education, as well as the commitment by local governments to implementation.

At the national policy level, the project will work with the Ministry of Finance and the Cabinet Secretariat to institutionalize social accountability measures in formalized and sustainable ways.

Contacts:                    

Tina Puntsag + (976) 7007-8207, tpuntsag@worldbank.org

For more information, please visit: www.worldbank.org/mongolia

Soyolmaa Dolgor + (976) 11- 341422, soyolmaa.dolgor@eda.admin.ch

For more information, please visit: www.eda.admin.ch/mongolia