Statement for the 7th session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction by H.E. Mr. Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan, deputy prime minister of Mongolia

From Risk to Resilience: Towards Sustainable Development for All in a COVID-19 Transformed World

Distinguished guests and representatives,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Government of Mongolia and myself, I am delighted to start this speech with vote of thanks to the Government of Indonesia and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction for hosting the 7th World Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction for High-level Disaster Safe, Sustainable, Sustainable, Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Development.

The Government of Mongolia has fully supported the UN-sponsored Sendai Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the Sustainable Development Goals-2030, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We will continue to make greater efforts at the national and international levels to ensure that the objectives of these documents are consistent and effectively implemented.

Climate change and disaster damage are slowing down the international pillars of social, economic and infrastructure development, the three pillars of sustainable development. While adaptation to climate change is important, it will have a positive impact on long-term development by ensuring coordination between the region and the international community to accelerate sustainable development by reducing disaster risk, and defining and implementing a common framework for global implementation.

One of the priorities of our government is to create a safe and peaceful living environment for citizens and the public, to protect the environment from natural and other disasters and catastrophes, and to reduce the risk of disasters.

Mongolia has completely reformed the legal environment of its disaster protection sector, established and strengthened a new disaster risk management and coordination mechanism, and is working in line with the goals and objectives of the Sendai Framework for Action on disaster risk reduction.

The National Strategy for the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Action in Mongolia was approved in 2017, and implementation reports are posted on a regular basis in the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s database.

The strategy is implemented on partnerships and collaborations between government and local governments, science, civil society organizations, citizens, the public and international organizations.

Our country’s lack of human and technical capacity to introduce science-based research, innovation, and technology, to ensure disaster preparedness, and to build and strengthen infrastructure, poses certain challenges to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Action.

These challenges are also observed in landlocked and developing countries due to transportation, logistics and trade tariffs.

The world may face new emergencies and threats due to recent international tensions and armed conflicts between nations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to bring international and regional disaster risk reduction partnerships into a new level, enriching and expanding projects and programs and cooperation platforms that support all types of disaster management policies and investments.

Mongolia also fully supports a UNDRR global initiative on Making Cities Resilient for reducing disaster risks and ensuring sustainable development in urban areas by joining all its cities and province centers and works to develop risk informed urban plans.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

We have been going through a tough time s together In the last two years, countries around the world have been plagued by pandemics, and we are. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the United Nations and its specialized agencies for their special role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, for uniting and supporting its members, and for providing them with information and guidance.

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of global health, the economy, society and politics, and has dealt a severe blow to human resources, infrastructure, and international trade and supply systems in the health sector.

Since the first case of the pandemic was registered in our country on November 12, 2020, to protect the health of the population, to limit the operation of border crossings, to immunize the population, to adapt to the new situation, and successfully implemented a five-step strategy to revitalize production, service and education facilities to further support livelihoods, return to normalcy, and prevent the recurrence of infections.

The main means of protection against the COVID-19 pandemic was immunization, and the COVAX program, which aims to increase equal access to vaccines all around the world which is supplied by friendly countries such as the Republic of India, the United States, Japan, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, has provided invaluable support to middle-income developing countries.

The main means of protection against the COVID-19 pandemic was immunization, and the vaccines supplied to the world under the COVAX program by friendly countries such as the Republic of India, the United States, Japan, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, which aims to increase equal access to vaccines has been an invaluable support to citizens of middle-income developing countries.

Today, in addition to the COVAX program, Mongolia has covered 65 percent of its population with the full dose of the vaccine as a result of support from other countries and government procurement.

As a result of the decline in the spread of the virus as a result of immunization, our government has taken steps to transition to a normal life, including the opening of service centers, the introduction of classrooms for all levels of education, increasing the number of international flights and promoting tourism.

After fighting the pandemic for more than two years full of mistakes and lessons, the Government of Mongolia has faced enormous challenges, but has implemented a five-step strategy to overcome them with minimal damage in the short term: 1. Put the economy second and close the border to protect the health of the people and not to spread the infection internally. 2. Intensify vaccination and reduce mortality and complications. 3. Protect the health of the citizens and revitalize the economy. 4. Due to the fact that the virus has mutated and it is not clear when it will end, we have implemented an adaptive coping strategy, intensified community initiatives and vaccinations, and all sectors have returned to normal operations.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we were able to control the spread of the infection for some time by establishing a strict quarantine regime and the biggest lessons learned from this were the need to modernize the health care system, and to develop human resources, pharmaceutical resources, e-services, and databases.

Prior to the pandemic, the use of information technology was only deeply ingrained in economic, business, and financial relations, but during the pandemic, it was expanding into innovative forms such as remote diagnosis, treatment, trade, e-learning, and remote work.

As part of the e-government development measures, the Government of Mongolia has developed an e-mongolia system, and by 2024, at least 90 percent of public services will be included in the e-Mongolia platform, and all public services will be digitalized.

Over the past two years, we have struggled to overcome the social and economic hardships caused by the pandemic. Due to transportation and logistics problems, foreign trade, especially exports, has been disrupted, and schools and businesses have been disrupted. At a time when it is unclear how long the pandemic will last and how much damage it will cause, the coincidence of armed conflicts in the region, which have shaken the world’s geopolitics, has led to misunderstandings around the world, creating shortages of goods and creating economic crises in landlocked countries.

To avoid this situation, it is necessary to create a stockpile of consumer goods and strategic inventory.

Distinguished guests and representatives,Ladies and gentlemen,

The types, forms, scale and frequency of disasters and catastrophes are increasing year by year, which has a negative impact on the sustainable development of countries. Due to climate change and global warming disaster risks and vulnerabilities overlap, and new and increasingly complex alternatives emerge as a result of their interactions. Desertification, which threatens Mongolia’s ecosystem, and the dust storms caused by it, are a pressing issue for us. Currently, Mongolia’s climate is warming at a rate that is twice as fast as the world average, and a significant percentage of its territory is affected by desertification and land degradation.

The most effective way to reduce desertification is to plant trees, and on September 22, 2021, at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, Mongolia announced that it would launch a billion-tree planting movement by 2030.

The “One Billion Trees” movement implemented by our country is Mongolia’s efforts and contribution to disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation in the region.

Because of climate change there is no substantive decrease of forest and steppe fire.

In terms of their frequency and consequences. Therefore, Mongolia proposes to set up an international management networking for landscape fire.

I am confident that today’s conference will be an important forum for assessing and discussing progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Action on Disaster Risk Reduction, planning future actions, and intensifying global cooperation on disaster risk reduction.

Distinguished guests and delegates, I wish you all the best and good luck in the conference

Thank you for your attention!