Ulaanbaatar, 23 February 2021: The speed, dynamics and complexity of today’s challenges are impacting the world on a planetary scale demanding more integrated, innovative and grassroots driven solutions. There is an urgency to reimagine development in the 21st century.

UNDP Mongolia launched its Accelerator Lab making it one of the youngest members of UNDP’s network of 92 Accelerator Labs serving 116 countries. Dubbed as “fast and curious”, Accelerator Labs provide partners with new approaches to explore, experiment, and scale a portfolio of complimentary solutions to address complex development problems.

Climate change, biodiversity crisis, land degradation, inequality, and digital transformation are some of the complex challenges that require timely solutions in Mongolia. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating inequality through its unprecedented socio-economic impact on the Mongolian people and threatening to not only slow down but also roll back the achievements Mongolia made towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP Mongolia’s Accelerator Lab has identified digital transformation in public service as a frontier challenge and will be working with various partners on innovative solutions to create inclusive digital transformation in public services. Additionally, this focus will support the country’s progress towards SDGs aligned with Government of Mongolia’s prioritization towards digital governance to accelerate development.

“As we only have less than nine years to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the launch of the Accelerator Lab in Mongolia could not have been timelier since we aim to disrupt the way we think, invest, deliver and manage to perform faster, better and at a scale not seen before to further support Mongolia” said Elaine Conkievich, UNDP Resident Representative in her opening remarks.

The Accelerator Lab will build on the Sensemaking journey initiated at UNDP Mongolia through its Sounding Board that emphasized the importance of collective deliberation through systems thinking when addressing Mongolia’s complex challenges. It will allow UNDP to identify local innovations, to accelerate development and ultimately – solidify UNDP as a facilitator of development solutions. The successful solutions could potentially support the Government of Mongolia to further improve the access to quality and inclusive education, sustainable livelihood, digital literacy and reduced poverty for Mongolian women, men, girls, and boys.

“Digital transformation has been at the forefront of the Government of Mongolia’s priorities since 2020, and we are focusing on data and technology driven innovation in public services, which not only would increase the accessibility of public services but also its accountability and transparency” said Bolor-Erdene Battsengel, Chairwoman of the Communications and Information Technology Authority of Mongolia.

“The Accelerator Labs have the potential to be catalysts for a next generation of development solutions.

Germany continues to be a resolute supporter of UNDP and its important mandate in helping to deliver an integrated response to intertwined development challenges” said Jorn Rosenberg, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Mongolia.

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UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at mn.undp.org or follow at @UNDPMongolia.

The UNDP Accelerator Lab Network is made up of 92 teams serving 116 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean. UNDP Accelerator Labs provide partners with new approaches to address complex development problems unleashing the power of local innovations, collective intelligence and experimentation. The Federal Republic of Germany, the Qatar Fund for Development and UNDP’s founding partners are the founding investors of the Accelerator Lab Network.

For further inquiries:

Erdenesukh Otgonbayar | Communications Analyst | UNDP Mongolia | erdenesukh.otgonbayar@undp.org