Opening remark by Nashida Sattar at the social media training for UB City khural councillors

Jan 23, 2020

Shangri-La Hotel

Dear khural councillors from all across Ulaanbaatar,

A pleasant morning to all.

Democracies, governance and elections all have a gendered dimension. Women are vastly under-represented in elected office worldwide; making up just 24% of elected officials in national parliaments globally. In Mongolia – 95 years after gaining the right to vote and be elected – women make up only 17% of parliamentarians, and we still don’t have any female aimag governors. 

The reasons are deep rooted. It is woven in our cultural and traditional practices; and are embedded in our laws, policies and plans as well.

The solutions to address them need to come from us. We are today living in a rapidly changing world, that has seen and continue to see great technological advances and innovation. While we have seen instances globally where social media has been and is used to harass and abuse women, we have yet to find effective ways to harness this potential to advance the role of women and gender equality.

We are here today to try and do this. To build your capacity you can use social media as a tool to disseminate your messages, share the excellent work you are doing in your communities. So that it reaches a wider audience by taking advantage of Mongolia’s strong online presence. So that we are able to support and empower you to be more effective leaders. 

As you are aware, this collaborative partnership with the State Great Khural and UNDP is to support women councillors across Mongolia. So that you are empowered and have greater participation in local decision-making processes. 

Through our project, UNDP is proud to have trained over 2,000 elected female representatives in Mongolia’s local khurals. From ending poverty, to protecting the planet and promoting peace, you have shared great stories with us. And it is time for people to hear of the central role women like you are playing in implementing Sustainable Development Goals.

I wish you a pleasant and successful workshop and thank you for making the commitment to engage in this critical effort to strengthen democracy and gender equality in Mongolia.

Thank you.