Attachments
OVERALL PROGRESS
Context
In the first half of 2023, Mongolia grappled with intense and multifaceted disasters that tested the nation’s resilience and adaptive capacities. From January to June, the country experienced extreme climatic variations, including harsh winter conditions, known locally as “Dzud”, which significantly impacted over 115,956 people from the rural and nomadic populations, leading to substantial livestock losses. From December 2022 to May 2023, around two million livestock perished, representing 1.4 per cent of the total livestock in Mongolia. In contrast, some regions faced unusually warm and dry conditions, accelerating desertification and exacerbating water scarcity issues. These adverse weather patterns were further complicated by the increased frequency and intensity of wildfires, ravaging vast expanses of Mongolia’s unique ecosystems, and disrupting lives and livelihoods.
The Mongolian Red Cross Society implemented a response programme to address humanitarian needs. A total of 4,800 herder households received cash assistance, food parcels, hygiene, and animal kits with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Amidst these climatic adversities, Mongolia also battled public health challenges. A resurgence in COVID-19 cases placed additional strains on the healthcare system and necessitated stringent public health measures to curb the spread of the virus. Concurrently, Mongolia was also on high alert due to reported cases of infectious livestock diseases, adding another layer of complexity to the disaster situation. The compounded impacts of these disasters have heightened vulnerabilities, particularly among marginalized communities, necessitating urgent humanitarian assistance and robust disaster risk reduction strategies to safeguard lives and livelihoods in the face of an uncertain and tumultuous future.
Key achievements
The Mongolian Red Cross has been implementing a livelihood recovery programme, using livelihood graduation tools with the cooperation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Mongolia since July 2022. This programme aims to assist 1,520 households in Bayanzurkh, Songinokhairkhan, and Chingeltei districts, which are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic’s socio-economic impacts. Since the beginning of 2023, the National Society has trained 1,520 households on business management and vocational skills and provided the asset sets for their households’ businesses.
A seed funding project was implemented in seven mid-level branches to enhance the resource mobilization capacity of the branches, with the support of the Australian Red Cross Society. The resource mobilization team has been providing technical support to mid-level branches, in cooperation with the Development Solutions NGO, and has jointly developed a business plan.
With the support of IFRC, the Mongolian Red Cross finished reviewing and revising its Statutes. This was the third time that the National Society had revised its statutes, contributing to the continued consolidation and improvement of its’ position in Mongolia.
Changes and amendments
There have been no changes to the 2023 Unified Plan for Mongolia.