Foreign Cooperation

The Government of Mongolia and the Government of Australia have commenced the three year Australia-Mongolia Extractives Program (AMEP) to assist Mongolia to sustainably manage its resource-led growth in 2015. Its Goal is to help to ensure that Mongolia’s citizens experience equitable and sustainable growth from their mineral resources.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australian Government has contracted Adam Smith International as the Implementation Service Provider for AMEP.

AMEP will support strengthened mining governance and stakeholder collaboration in the extractive sector of Mongolia. To that end, AMEP has provided technical assistance on the following areas in 2015-2016 for MRPAM.

• A revision of the existing safety regulation for mineral processing plants. This regulation will serve to improve the safety and operation of Mongolia’s mineral processing plants, contributing to a zero tolerance health and safety record, better quality product, and increased quantities. This task has been completed with the support of the School of Geology and Mining, Mongolian University of Science and Technology.
• Assessment of mineral valuation codes and introduction of appropriate mineral valuation system in Mongolia. A prescribed and standard approach in mineral valuation would ensure mining projects are valued according to an accepted and adopted methodology, in line with international good practice and minimize the chance of disputes and help Mongolia a planning of taxation to be collected from minerals. International and local mineral valuation experts developed the following reports:
  • Assessment of Valuation Codes for Mineral Deposits and Draft Mongolian Mineral Property Valuation Standards
  • Draft Mongolian Mineral Property Valuation Guidelines (AMEP MONVAL).
• Supported Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority of Mongolia in their communications strategy and implementation to disseminate comprehensive, relevant, utilizable information about entire value chain of extractive sector. This strategy will support effective implementation of the national mining legislation and policy. This task has been completed with the support of the Mongolian Mining Journal.
• Supported the Mineral Resources and Petroleum Authority of Mongolia in their efforts to deliver an efficient service to the exploration companies. AMEP facilitated a training session to 500 staff of 300 exploration companies on how to submit geological exploration reports using a newly established e-reporting database of MRPAM. This task has been completed with the support of Smart Green Technology company.

In 2017, AMEP is planning to provide technical assistance to MRPAM to support the establishment of the National Geo-Information Database. First task of this assistance is to develop a web-based catalogue (WebGiS) for Mineral Resources Information Technology Center to create opportunity for users to search metadata about geo-information./

The Mongolia: Enhancing Resource Management through Institutional Transformation project (MERIT) is funded by Global Affairs Canada to l help to revive Mongolia’s economy and establish sustainable growth in 2016-2022 by building the capacity of the public sector and
local community groups for effective management of the Mongolian extractive sector. The МERIT project aims to enhance public sector management of the Mongolian extractive sector so as to maximize its contribution to sustainable economic and social development.

Key activities include:

• Transfer of skills and best practice of international standards in the extractive sector,
• including environmental management, laboratory upgrades, risk management, responsible
• business practice, corporate social responsibility, EITI reporting etc.
• Project management, monitoring and evaluation.
• Human resource, organizational and financial management (including leadership training).
• Strategic planning.
• Information management (knowledge management, IT and GIS skills, software and technical support).
• Communications, improved public relations and multi-stakeholder consultations, increased awareness in the local community and civil society of impacts and opportunities from extractive sector activities.
• Support improved participation of women in the extractive sector.

The Strengthening Extractive Sector Management in Mongolia (SESMIM) project, funded by the Canadian Government, aims to build Mongolian public sector capacity for transparent and effective policy implementation in supporting sustainable growth in the extractive sector in 2015-2020. The objective is to improve public sector governance in the extractive sector through three intermediate outcomes: improved implementation of extractive sector policies and regulations; improved coordination between ministries and key stakeholders in the extractive sector; and stronger evidence-based decision-making that supports extractive sector management in a gender-sensitive, socially and environmentally sustainable way. The project will be implemented by Agriteam Canada Consulting Ltd (Agriteam); counterparts in Mongolia include the Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry; the Ministry of Environment and Tourism; the Ministry of Finance; and the Minerals Resources and Petroleum Authority of Mongolia. Other partners include the Government of Alberta, the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.

This is an international project involving 5 countries that seeks to create a modern integrated geological basis for Northern, Central and Eastern Asia and an atlas of general geology by collecting geological and mineral data on overall geological structures that is reflective of the comprehensive level of geology in the area. In this project, Mongolia is processing its regional geophysical survey data (magnetic and gravity) to develop its 1:5 000 000 general geological map that will be integrated with Russian and Chinese maps. Geological, tectonic and metallogenic maps will be developed for area A1 ( Mongol Altai Zone,M-45, M-46 and L-46) and area 1-2 (the Mongol- Agnurian regions, M-45, M-46, L-46) of Mongolia at a scale of 1: 1 000 000, as digital data, that will be integrated with the Russian and Chinese map of the same scale.

Southern And Eastern Mongolia 1:50 00 Geological Map And Mineral Research

The KIGAM project is conducted in cooperation with the Republic of Korea and aims to provide r 1: 50 000 geological mapping and mineral surveying in southern Mongolia. Project Parties signed a cooperative agreement (31 March 2016) that officially kicked off the project in southern Mongolia . MRPAM, in partnership with KIGAM, have completed a second year field survey in Tsogttsetsii soum, Umnugobi aimag. Materials collected from the field survey have been transferred for processing. 

http://www.kigam.re.kr/

In partnership with MRPAM, the Swiss Development Cooperation have been implementing a Sustainable Artisanal Mining Project, with financing from the Swiss Government, starting in 2005. The project targets small-scale artisanal miners and aims to contribute to learning international best practice on artisanal small-scale mining and bring benefits to the target group. It will be implemented until 2018. 

Project objectives:

• To support the establishment of a transparent and straight-forward regulatory framework for artisanal mining, setting favorable conditions to legalize informal mining activities and to establish a transparent and fair regulatory and policy framework for artisanal mining. 
• To transfer skills and know-how to artisanal miners and other stakeholders for better performance and safer operations; to encourage the formation of institutional structures and organizations within artisanal mining and related sectors; and to encourage cooperation at all levels. 

Expected outcomes:
Outcome 1: Human rights-based artisanal small-scale mining policy and community mining.
Outcome 2: Economic strengthening of all formal supply chain stakeholders.
Outcome 3: Knowledge sharing and knowledge hub for artisanal miners.

This project formally began with parties signing an agreement on the 17th of September, 2014. 

The project is to support the MRPAM in increasing their capacity as a professional service provider for the Mongolian mineral resources sector and to comply with the mandate to regulate and promote the sector.

There have been several important activities in phase 1 of the project, such as building MRPAM staff capacity, professional training, studies of minerals types, publication of an information bulletin and creation of databases. 

Phase 2 is planned to start in the second quarter of 2017, and the following interventions have been proposed:

• To introduce ways of economic valuation of exploration projects and build staff capacity.
• To Improve the development of feasibility studies of mineral projects, identifying their scope and increasing knowledge and skills of staff responsible for accepting feasibility studies.
• To support of development of geological and mining database.
• Field survey and in-depth mineral research (on some types of minerals).
• Build capacity of external market studies and analysis.
• Other necessary training.

1:50 000 Scale Geological Mapping; General Survey For Studying Mineral Distribution Structure; And Assessing Perspectives In Khasagt Khairkhan Area, In Cooperation With Poland 

The final results of the Mongol Altai-50 project for 1:50 000 scale geological mapping and general survey in cooperation with the Czech Republic, financed by the government and external partner agency, was discussed on the 11th and 12th of April, 2016, followed by formulation of all necessary documents such as inspection meeting notes, project introduction, staff-related data and other info. The final report was revised and sent on to the National Mineral Reserve Council, which discussed the report at its third meeting (22 September 2016). 

Final reports for the Khasagt Khairkhan-50 project, jointly implemented by Mongolia and Poland, was received and sent on to the Central Geological Archive of MRPAM.