One of these advancements has been the introduction of the Local Development Fund (LDF) - a pool of state funds that enables Mongolian citizens to participate in identifying priorities for public investment. People are more aware of, and are largely satisfied with, the LDF and its investment in priority areas that have been identified by local communities.

“When we speak to local people, we are repeatedly told that an official sitting in Ulaanbaatar doesn’t know as well as the local population what is needed in local areas, for example for a school or a hospital”, said Diepak Elmer, SDC in Mongolia Deputy Director of Cooperation.

The Office of the President, a pioneer in the implementation of direct democracy in Mongolia, together with Mongolian civil society organisations, is willing to go beyond consultation and establish citizen participation as a right of citizens and a duty of local governments. The model of the 200-year-old popular referendum in Switzerland is being used as a point of reference.

Two Swiss experts from the Centre for Democracy Studies in Aarau travelled to Mongolia in January on a week-long advisory mission. Together with Mongolian legal experts and civil society democratic leaders, they analysed how to legally formulate a referendum mechanism that would work for both citizens and local governments. They also explored its inclusion in a draft of the Law on Public Participation.

At a public discussion in January focused on how direct democracy can be incorporated into a representative democracy, Professor Auer from the Institute of Democracy Studies in Switzerland shared the Swiss experience and examples of how representative and direct democracies can complement one another.

Professor Auer highlighted that direct democracy was not unknown to the Mongolians, referring to the Article 3 of the Constitution of Mongolia. He said the direct participation of citizens in state affairs as a way of exercising state power was mentioned before the representative system.

SDC’s Governance and Decentralisation Programme is supporting the drafting of the Law on Public Participation, which it is hoped will be passed by the Parliament in 2015.

On request from Mongolian authorities, SDC funded a documentary film that captured Mongolia’s direct democracy practices and experiences. Directed by internationally awarded film director S. Byamba, the film focused on the introduction of decentralisation and citizen participation in decision-making in Mongolia.

Tov, Mongolia– After graduating from university in Mongolia’s capital Ulaanbaatar, D. Bertsetseg returned to her hometown of Zuunmod soum, Tov aimag where she worked in education for 30 years. “I came back to my hometown to educate the future of Zuunmod–its school students,” Bertsetseg explains. Zuunmod soum is comprised of more than 4,600 households, with a population of 16,000 inhabitants.

Bertsetseg was drawn into politics during Mongolia’s democratic transition in the 1990s. After working as an election campaign manager and being twice nominated herself, she was eventually elected into the soum’s Citizen Representative Hural in 2012. 

Following her appointment, Bertsetseg took part in a National Training Programme, as part of the Capacity Strengthening of Local Self-Governing Bodies Project implemented by UNDP and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, for all khural representatives. The tailored training includes topics such as citizen participation in decision-making, public financial management, ethics, green development, human rights, and gender. 

Bertsetseg also participated in the country’s first nationwide Women’s Leadership Training organized by the Project. “The Training affected us women in a very positive way since there are 14 women representatives in Zuunmod soum hural,” said Bertsetseg.

The Training will reach all women representatives in Mongolia and its curriculum includes leadership, power dynamics, and human rights.

“I hope the Trainings' impact will continue to empower women representatives.  Women are the backbone of the family and the bedrock of a community. With more women in power, I believe we would have more harmony, more engagement, less suffering, and less conflict.” 

For Bertsetseg, a khural representative means, “Being a responsible leader, ensuring a better future for the community, while also voicing people’s needs when shaping local policies.”

By: Philippe Long