BritCham Mongolia

2 weeks ago

Catherine West: Mongolia and Great Britain should first of all work together to reduce air pollution and traffic congestion
( ikon.mn/n/37w9 - translation of this article)

Catherine West, Minister for Indo-Pacific Region of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is visiting our country on August 22-23.

During this period, he planned to participate in the "World Women's Conference" and meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, B. Battsetseg, and the Minister of Education, P. Naranbayar, to exchange views on cooperation between the two countries.

Let me tell you that I had a brief conversation with Mrs. Catherine West, who is making her first foreign visit to our country.

- Thank you for visiting our country. What activities are you planning for this visit? Let's start the interview with what are the expected results of the visit.

- I am extremely happy to begin my first visit to Mongolia after taking office as the minister responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. This shows that Great Britain attaches great importance to being Mongolia's third neighbor . Great Britain was the first Western country to recognize Mongolia's independence and establish diplomatic relations, and we have always been a democratic partner.

The main purpose of my visit is to participate in the First Global Women's Conference under the auspices of the President of Mongolia on the theme "For a Green Future".

The forum is seen as a wonderful opportunity to meet with Mongolian and international women leaders and decision-makers to promote gender equality, empower girls and women, discuss solutions to global challenges, and exchange best practices to build a fairer and more equitable society. It is very important for the government to be gender sensitive in performing its duties . No country can develop without harnessing the resources and skills of its women, who make up half of its population.

British companies have been successfully investing in Mongolia. We hope that our country will cooperate with Mongolia in the fields of rare metals, renewable energy, infrastructure and education and become a partner country of the UK Development Programme. Mongolia's rare metal resources can play a key role in transitioning to clean energy .

- Girls face many obstacles in order to get an education and not drop out of school, and this situation is particularly severe for socially isolated groups such as the disabled. Some of these barriers stem from gender stereotypes. For example, it is believed that girls should do housework from a young age or that boys should be more educated. Also, there are many cases of early marriage and childbearing that prevent girls from getting an education.

Great Britain supports girls from all over the world to get proper education . Educating girls is a challenge we all face and will make the most progress towards gender equality.

- For Mongolia, it is a big success that women will make up 32 percent of the members of parliament in the 2024 elections. However, international experts said that special messages aimed at women are needed during the elections. What measures are there to increase women's participation in decision-making in the UK?

- Our government puts women and equal rights at the core of its agenda, and an important part of this is to increase the participation of women in the decision-making process.

Under section 106 of the Equality Act, we have a duty to publicly disclose information about the gender balance of election candidates from political parties, and we regularly comply with this duty.

We are proud that the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Finance (the first female finance minister) are women . Also, we have equal representation in the Cabinet, and for the first time in history, we have succeeded in having the largest number of women working in the Government . We want to strengthen this success and support other countries in this regard.

- On the one hand, women should be supported, but on the other hand, it makes no sense to support one gender, and it is believed that those who are capable should get the position. What do you think about this?

- Unfortunately, there are systemic barriers that prevent girls and women from equal participation in all spheres of life. Therefore, we must pay attention to this issue.

Education for girls is not just about getting a diploma. Education brings changes from individual to family and society .

- You are one of the thousands of women who are still fighting to solve the problems of society. Can you share your experience and journey so far?

- I spent my childhood in Sydney. She began her career as a social worker helping people who had been sexually abused at a young age. After teaching English in Nanjing, China, she moved to Britain with her husband and obtained a master's degree in Chinese studies. The year he came to London, he became a member of the Labor Party and was a member of the People's Representative Council for more than 10 years.

In 2015, he was elected as a Member of Parliament and served as the Minister of the Shadow Opposition Government, including the Minister of the Indo-Pacific Region.

- Let's return to the issue of the World Women's Conference. One of the major topics to be discussed at this conference is climate change. I read in your report issued in the summer of 2024 that you actively work in this direction. How will you continue to focus on mitigating the negative impacts of climate change?

- Failure to act on the climate crisis will fuel displacement, conflict, famine and environmental destruction around the world.

Our government strives to take the lead in combating climate change and actively involve girls and women in these efforts.

We are working on an energy transition with the new UK-ASEAN Green Transition Fund, which will support green development and support countries most affected by the climate crisis. Also, during the upcoming COP29 conference in Azerbaijan, we can further strengthen cooperation with our international partners. We are constantly focusing on climate change and natural disasters.

- In the 2024-2028 Government, Mongolia has a ministry in charge of climate change. We hope that our two countries have a lot of opportunities to cooperate and implement projects and programs to reduce the negative effects of climate change. Can you share your opinion on this?

- Great Britain wants to cooperate with Mongolia in fighting the climate crisis . We will not be able to address the urgent challenges of the climate crisis unless we work with countries most affected by climate change and learn from global coordination. There is no doubt that Mongolia has suffered significant damage due to the effects of climate change.

In winter, Ulaanbaatar city faces a major problem of air pollution. Therefore, I think that first of all, we should work together to reduce air pollution and road congestion . One example is that we can cooperate in building the subway in Ulaanbaatar. It is also very important to help increase the ability to cope with the effects of natural disasters and desertification . ... See MoreSee Less

BritCham Mongolia

3 weeks ago

Essential foods, Analysis of UK vs Mongolian Prices:

Based on the comparative analysis shown in the infographic and table:

Mongolia is generally more expensive for many of the items, especially staples like butter, chicken breast, and tea. Items such as salted butter, chicken breast portions, and black tea are significantly more expensive in Mongolia compared to the UK.

However, some items are cheaper in Mongolia, such as cabbage and carrots. But overall, the higher cost of key staples in Mongolia suggests that the average consumer might face higher grocery bills for many everyday items.

In conclusion, Mongolia appears to be more expensive than the UK for many common grocery items, particularly for items that are imported or processed. ... See MoreSee Less