LocationsOpening remark by Ms. Nashida Sattar, DRR UNDP Mongolia,
at the training of “Chemicals management and operational safety in mining sector”
Ulaanbaatar, 6 November 2019
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
I am delighted to welcome you all here today to discuss one of the most critical challenges a resource-dependent country like Mongolia faces, the management of the environmental impact of extractive industries.
As Mongolia makes advances in economic growth and while industries flourish, it is important to ensure that this growth is sustainable and does not negatively impinge on our health and wellbeing and destroy the environment we cherish.
This training workshop on chemical and waste management in mining operations is therefore critical as efforts are needed in Mongolia to ensure chemical waste disposal is regulated and these regulations are supervised to mitigate any potential harmful effects.
This workshops is a part of broader effort by UNDP with the support of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to strengthen the environmental, gender, human rights and rule of law dimensions in large-scale mining sectors. Targeting four countries including Colombia, Kenya, Mongolia and Mozambique
In Mongolia, the Environmental Governance Programme, UNDP together with Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), Ministry of Mining and Heavy Industry (MMHI), General Agency for Specialized Inspection (GASI), and National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia (NHRCM), is working to improve the environmental policy and legislation in the mining sector, to enhance the stakeholders capacity and coordination on enforcement of the related environmental laws, and reduce the mining related human rights violations, reduce the scale of land degradation and prevent future cases of degraded and abandoned land caused by large scale and illegal mining.
I would like to thank the General Agency for Specialized Inspection for their support in implementing the project
Together we have conducted
o environmental monitoring trips in response to mining pollution,
o assessment of environmental damages caused by mining companies,
o training workshops on abandoned land census and enforcement of the newly adopted Law on Offences and development
o published a benchmark for responsible mining for the private sector
o AND today this training focusing not only on chemicals and waste management but also the broader responsible mining concept for state inspectors from all 21 aimags including the capital city.
Responsible mining and chemical management issue cannot be solved alone – only when all relevant sectors including the government, mining companies and civil society come together can a comprehensive and systematic solution that is sustainable and environmentally sound be implemented.
We believe this 3-day national training on chemicals and waste management and mine reclamation will provide an important knowledge and capacity that would support your daily work and efforts towards strengthening of the law enforcement, environmental governance, human rights and sustainable resource management in the mining sector of Mongolia.
UNDP sees Mongolia as one of the most promising countries in proactively pursuing a path towards sustainable development based on a responsible extractive industry. I wish you all a fruitful discussion today and hope we can work together through our platform in identifying and implementing an effective solution going forward.
Have a good workshop.
