Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC member
countries.
The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADRC.
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on the maps in thereport also do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the ADRC.

COUNTRY REPORTContents:
1. Mongolia: General Information
2. Natural Hazards
3. Disaster Management System
4. Disaster management Strategy, Policy & Plan
5. Budget Size on National Level
6. Progress of the Implementation of Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)
7. Recent major projects
8. Organization name & contact information

1. General Information
Mongolia is located between 41° and 52°N latitude and between 87º and 120º E longitude.
Mongolia is a land area of 1,564,100 sq km. largest city, is home to about 45% of the population.
Mongolia's political system is a parliamentary republic. The capital is Ulaanbaatar. 96 percent of
2,647,545 population are the Mongolian, the rest being Kazakh, Chinese, and Russian. The country
contains very little arable land, as much of its area is covered by steppes, with mountains to the northand west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Approximately 30% of the population are nomadic or seminomadic. The predominant religion in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhism, and the majority of the state's
citizens are of Mongol ethnicity, although Kazakhs, Tuvans, and other minorities also live in the country,
especially in the west.
1-1. Geographical Data
Mongolia isalandlocked
country
in Central
Asia,
strategicallylocatedbetween China and Russia. The terrain is one of mountains and rolling plateaus, with a high degree ofrelief. Overall, the land slopes from the high Altay Mountains of the west and the north to plains anddepressions in the east and the south. The western Mongolia on the Chinese border is the highest point(4,374 metres). The lowest is 518 metres, an otherwise undistinguished spot in the eastern Mongolian
plain. The country has an average elevation of 1,580 metres. The landscape includes one of Asia'slargest freshwater lakes (Lake Khuvsgul), many salt lakes, marshes, sand dunes, rolling grasslands,
alpine forests, and permanent mountain glaciers. Northern and western Mongolia are seismically active
zones, with frequent earthquakes and many hot springs and extinct volcanoes. The nation's closest
point to any ocean is approximately 960 kilometres (600 mi) from the country's easternmost tip
bordering northern China to Chongjin in North Korea along the coastline of the Sea of Japan.
Topography
Mongolia has three major mountain ranges. The highest is the Altai Mountains, which stretch
across the western and the southwestern regions of the country on a northwest-to-southeast axis.
The Khangai Mountains, mountains also trending northwest to southeast, occupy much of central andnorth-central Mongolia. These are older, lower, and more eroded mountains, with many forests andalpine pastures. The Khentii Mountains near the Russian border to the northeast of Ulaanbaatar, arelower still. Much of eastern Mongolia is occupied by a plain, and the lowest area is a southwest-tonortheast trending depression that reaches from the Gobi Desert region in the south to the eastern
frontier. The rivers drain in three directions: north to the Arctic Ocean, east to the Pacific, or into thedeserts and the depressions of Inner Asia. Rivers are most extensively developed in the north, and thecountry's major river system is that of the Selenge, which drains into Lake Baikal. Some minor
tributaries of Siberia's Yenisei River also rise in the mountains of northwestern Mongolia. Rivers innortheastern Mongolia drain into the Pacific through the Argun and Amur (Heilong Jiang) rivers, while
the few streams of southern and western Mongolia do not reach the sea but run into lakes or deserts.

1-2. Climate information
Mongolia is high, cold, and dry. It has an extreme continental climate with long, cold winters andshort summers, during which most precipitation falls. The country averages 257 cloudless days a year,
and it is usually at the centre of a region of high atmospheric pressure. Precipitation is highest in thenorth, which averages 200 to 350 millimetres (7.9 to 13.8 in) per year, and lowest in the south, which
receives 100 to 200 millimeters (3.9 to 7.9 in). The extreme south is the Gobi Desert, some regions ofwhich receive no precipitation at all in most years. The name Gobi is a Mongol word meaning desert,
depression, salt marsh, or steppe, but which usually refers to a category of arid rangeland withinsufficient vegetation to support marmots but with enough to support camels. Mongols distinguish Gobifrom desert proper, although the distinction is not always apparent to outsiders unfamiliar with the
Mongolian landscape. Gobi rangelands are fragile and are easily destroyed by overgrazing, which
results in expansion of the true desert, a stony waste where not even Bactrian camels can survive.
Average temperatures over most of the country are below freezing from November throughMarch and are about freezing in April and October. January and February averagesof −20 °C (−4 °F) are common, with winter nights of −40 °C (−40 °F) occurring most years. Summer
extremes reach as high as 38 °C (100.4 °F) in the southern Gobi region and 33 °C (91.4 °F) in
Ulaanbaatar. Most of Mongolia is covered by discontinuous permafrost (grading to continuous at highaltitudes), which makes construction, road building, and mining difficult. All rivers and freshwater lakes
freeze over in the winter, and smaller streams commonly freeze to the bottom. Ulaanbaatar lies at
1,351 meters (4,432 ft) above sea level in the valley of the Tuul River. Located in the relatively wellwatered north, it receives an annual average of 310 millimetres (12.2 in) of precipitation, almost all ofwhich falls in July and in August. Ulaanbaatar has an average annual temperatureof −2.9 °C (26.8 °F) and a frost-free period extending on the average from mid-June to late August.

1-3. Demographic data
Mongolia is a parliamentary republic. The president is directly elected. The people also elect the
deputies in the national assembly, the State Great Khural, which chooses the prime minister, whonominates the Cabinet in consultation with the president. The Khural confirms the ministers.
Mongolia is divided into 21 provinces (aimags), which are in turn divided into 329 districts(sums). The capital Ulaanbaatar is administrated separately as a capital city (municipality) with
provincial status.

Number of population 2009-2012
Area
2009
Western
367.948
Khangai
523.554
Central439.282
Eastern188.104
Ulaanbaatar
1.172.227
Total
2.691.115

2010
361.171522.684446.814187.333
1.220.620
2.738.622

2011
356.662522.752
453.453
187.680
1.265.770
2.786.317

2012
358.587526.981461.614189.915
1.302.615
2.839.711

Nationality

noun: Mongolian(s)adjective: Mongolian

Ethnic groups

Mongol (mostly Khalkha) 94.9%, Turkic (mostly Kazakh) 5%,
other (including Chinese and Russian) 0.1% (2000)

Religions

Buddhist Lamaist 50%, Shamanist and Christian 6%, Muslim
4%, none 40% (2004)

2. Natural hazards in Mongolia
Mongolia is a country where the following natural disasters occur frequently: meteorologicalsuch as blizzard; heavy snow; dust storm; "zud"; rain water flood; dibasic flow; snow melt flow; andothers such as earthquake; wildfire; drought; and desertification.

A natural disaster is a natural phenomenon or phenomena occurred covering relatively large
territories and leading to human casualties or substantial damages to property and causing thereby
serious obstacles to smooth operation of the society. That whether this or that phenomenon is a natural
disaster or not depends upon not only its intensity but much more upon its socio-economic andecological consequences. In view of this, the issue of natural disaster shall be considered in association
with the social economic situation at the level of a given country’s development, the people’s life styles,
infrastructure development, etc. For example, the phenomenon of so called “white zud” (severe winterconditions) when pastures are snow-drifted due to heavy snowfalls taken place in winter-spring
seasons is referred to the category of natural disaster only under the conditions of our country with its
transhumance cattle-breeding economy and would not be regarded as a natural disaster in any othercountries with the settled type of civilization.
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Line 1 2377 2068 2338 2722 2659 3072 2759 2468 2976 3548 4047

Figure 1. Number of hazards in Mongolia /2002-2012/

2-1. Natural hazards likely to affectThe global warming and climate changes are possibly to become the following negative
influence:• Decrease the rainfall and increase the air temperature• Summer rainfall types (cloudburst, gentle and continuous rain etc.) changes slowly• The overheat will be occur during the summer season• Land degradation, increase of water evaporation• Glaciersmelts could cause and increase the sudden floods dangerAs above mentioned, the frequency of the natural disaster increase the social existence, further,country’s economy will still depend on environmental and climate changes.
Mongolian most populated provinces that situated near the bigger river blanks and also thenomads that move frequently around the 4 seasons, especially in fall and summer season on the mountgap, dry pebbles, valley, nearby river are causing and increasing in the flood risk.

300
250
200
150
100
50
0
number

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

151

137

180

187

219

264

247

223

213

237

Figure 2. Number of killed people /2003-2012/

2-2. Recent major disasters
 Dzud 2009-2010:
Dzud is the Mongolian term for a severe winter weather disaster that places livestock andpastoral livelihoods at risk. In the severe dzud of 2009-2010, around 20-30% of Mongolia's livestock
perished, affecting the livelihoods of over a quarter of the country's human population. A dzud, an
extreme winter phenomenon with temperatures -40 -47 degrees C
That was affected 80.9 % area of Mongolian total area. Perished 9.7 million livestock. Damage
is 526 billion MNT, spent 30.2 billion MNT.
More than 1.6 million people have been affected and where 100,000 homes have beendamaged.
 Explosive in 2012:
Gas 5 liter contain explosived in apartment Darkhan sum of
Darkhan-Uul province in 21 January 2012. 3 person
injured.Evacuated more 100 people of 33 household.

This is a ceiling

Explosive occurred in Flour factory Darkhan sum of Darkhan-Uul province in 26 January
2012. 30 meter high 500 ton contain wheat construction destroyed to explosive. One
person injured.

This is Flour factory

Steppe fire in 2012:

Fires occurred Bayandun soum of Dornod
province in 4 May 2012.
4 firefighters killed when they was work to
extinguish. 1 firefighter injured.

3. Disaster Management System
The
Law
on
DisasterProtectionwascreated
in
June
2003.
In the Mongolian Constitution Article 6-(4) stipulates that the State regulates the economy of the country
with a view to ensure economic security of the nation, the development of all modes of production, andsocial development of the population. There are laws on civil defense, air pollution, use of water
resource, hydro-meteorology and environmental monitoring.
Chart 1. Structure of Emergency Management Service’s organization

3-1. Administrative system
Mongolia is divided into 22 major administrative units comprising of 21 aimags and the capital
city of Ulaanbaatar. All are governed by 'Khurals', or elected bodies. Aimag populations range between
12,500 and 122,000 people. They also vary in size with the largest covering as much as 165.4 square
kilometres of territory. An aimag consists of up to 27 'soums', including the aimag centre. Soums in turnare comprised of 'baghs'. In Mongolia there are 331 soums and 1550 baghs. Also the capitalcity,Ulaanbaatar, is subdivided into 121 districts called 'khoroos'.
In the country, the aimag centre is the administrative seat of local government, and the home of
the aimag's legal bodies, theatres, hospitals, businesses, schools and industry. Most of the aimag
population work in light industry, services and small business enterprises. Bagh populations tend towork in agricultural and animal husbandry. Baghs residents mainly lead a nomadic life. They migratewith their herds depending on the change in season and weather conditions. Typically their seasonal
camps are located within the borders of their soum and baghs, though droughts, dzuds, and othernatural disasters, can push them to different areas.
In Aimags, the capital city, Soums and Duuregs there shall be Khurals (Assemblies) ofrepresentatives of the citizens of respective territories;
In Baghs and Khoroos - general meetings of citizens.
between the sessions of the Khurals and general meetings their Presidiums shall assume
administrative functions.
Khurals of Aimags, the capital city, Soums and Duuregs enjoy considering and deciding all
problems, which do not depend on higher stage of Khurals or other organizations, in its territory. The
main form of local self-government is the Khural. In between the sessions of the Khural and general
meetings the presidiums shall assume administrative functions. The memberships of the Khurals aswell as those of aimags, the capital city, soums and duuregs, baghs and Khoroos are different. For
example: In aimags and the capital city Khurals' Presidium of Representatives of Citizens is composedof 5-9 members, whereas, in soums and duuregs 5-7 and in baghs and horoos 3-5 members, including
the chairman and secretary respectively. Regular meeting of the Khurals of Aimags, the capital city,
Soums and Duuregs shall be convened once every year and of the Khurals of Baghs and Khoroos shallbe convened less than twice every year.
3-2. Legal system and Framework
The Law on Disaster Protection was approved by the Parliament of Mongolia on 20 June, 2003.
Following the Law on Disaster Protection, Mongolian Government established the National Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA) on 7 January, 2004. According to the Law on Disaster Protection, NEMA
is responsible for implementation of the State disaster protection policy and legislation, as well as forthe professional organization of nation wide activities.
The role of the National Emergency Management Agency of Mongolia is defined primarily byfour basic laws: 1) The Law on Disaster Protection, 2) Law on Fire Safety, 3) The Law on State
Reserve. It is through these four major laws and other emergency directives that NEMA will be called
on to provide oversight, coordination and direct assistance in the event of a major catastrophe.
Amended Laws:•Law on Government of Mongolia;•Law on Management and Financing of State Agency;•Law on State service;•Law on Pension and Benefits of Military Serviceman etc.
The Earthquake Preparedness plan has been developed by the National Emergency
Management Agency of Mongolia and the National Research Center of Astronomy andGeophysics, and approved by the Government in 2010.
Legal Documents:•On implementation activities of Law on Disaster Protection•On Establishment of State Disaster Protection Service•On Approving Personnel of State Emergency commission and its activities•On Emergency service day•Program on Strategy and Structure changes of NEMA
•Rule of NEMA
•Rule of Internal Affairs of NEMA
•Regulation on Guard service of NEMA
•Regulation on Parade•Regulation on Discipline etc.

3-3. Structure of Disaster management
The state administrative organization in charge of disaster protection is the organization
responsible for the implementation of the state disaster protection policy and the legislation on disasterprotection and the organization of nation-wide disaster protection activities and provision withprofessional management.
The disaster protection resources shall be emergency management institution, disasterprotection state services, entities and enterprises and specialized units and volunteers (from the Law on
Disaster Protection).

Emergency resources
National emergency management agency
Totally 3299 emergency personnel (rescuers and firefighters) nationwide working in a local
emergency management divisions or departments.
• On duty Emergency Motor Depot where the emergency trucks are dispatched and repaired.
• Rescue Special Unit (SAR team’s and Firefighters)• Firefighting stations in each area
• Additional resources possibly mobilized by the Armed force in accordance with the mutual
agreements.

4. Disaster Management Strategy, Policy, Plan
Strategic Goal 1
A risk management policy of disaster and natural environment is reflected in the program of
implementation of the government established as a result of the election and also integrated into theGovernor’s action of plan in the local level, as well as the 5 year term of “Comprehensive National
Development Strategy of Mongolia”, which the program of implementation is revised annually.
In particular, there are more than 10 articles are included in the program of implementation of thegovernment which is focused to reinforce the implementation of disaster prevention, risk reduction,
preparedness and reducing vulnerabilities.
Strategic Goal 2
Considering the importance of strengthening the capacity of overcoming the natural andmanmade disasters at the local level, the emergency management branches in each 21 aimags/administrative unit/ are functioning for disaster mitigation and also obliged to organize the activities
such as disaster prevention, post-disaster early recovery, risk and vulnerability reduction, analyzing theoverall disaster response operation after the disaster. The emergency management branch operates
with the status of implementing agency under the local governor’s office, and is state funded.
In order to protect the vulnerable groups of the population and to improve the livelihood /animalhusbandry and agriculture/ of the population, and to strengthen the capacity of disaster response at the
local level, the Government of Mongolia is creating partnership groups through coordinating the effortsof herder households.
In the framework of implementing the community based disaster management activities, over 40 herder
partnership groups established aiming to reduce the disaster risk which involved 600 herders from 300
herder households and as a result of funding the herders with issuing the micro-loan, herders haveestablished there own joint disaster relief fund, which strengthened their capacity of responding todisaster phenomena and livelihood is increased 10-50 percent.
Strategic Goal 3
The capacity to cope with disasters is being enhanced at the national and local levels by
establishing disaster risk reduction funds with a certain amount of government investment that are to be
used for recovery measure in case a major disaster hits.
Government issued rules about “Disaster early warning”, “Evacuation”, “Mobilization” in 2011.

Ikh hural adopted “State Disaster Protection policy”, “State Programme on Strengthening theDisaster Protection Capacity” in 2011.
- State Disaster Protection policy is based on Mongolia Constitution and National Security
abidance principle Mongolia legislation and International contract adherence qualified basic document.
- State Disaster Protection policy more focus on strengthening disaster management system,
train public on safety living education and reduce disaster vulnerability, support efficient participation ofDisaster Protection activities through local governance, agencies, private sector and local citizen,
improve preparedness, in order to ensure sustainable development of country’s socio-economic.
Government of Mongolia adopted resolution about Disaster protection strategy, policy and plan/in 2012-2020/.
•
This plan included 5 groups:
1. Community Participation in Disaster Risk Mitigation
2. Risk assessment, analysis and disaster risk mitigation
3. Legal system upgrade
4. Early warning system upgrade
5. Disaster protection capacity strengthen•
National second plan for Community Participation in Disaster Risk Mitigation•
Government adopted to reform Disaster protection national 13 services in 2012.
Added Mining and Population and social protection services

Name of State Services

Leading State Administrative Organization

1.

Natural and chemical danger
assessment and information service

Ministry of Nature and Tourism

2.

Health protection service

Ministry of Health3.

Food and agriculture service

Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light
industry

4.

Fuel and power service

Ministry of Fuel and Power

5.

Radiation protection service

Nuclear Energy Agency

6.

Road and transportation service

Ministry of Road, Transportation, Construction
and Urban Development

7.

Construction and urban development
service

Ministry of Road, Transportation, Construction
and Urban Development

8.

Professional inspection service

State General Professional Inspection Agency

9.

Information and communication
service

Information, Communications Technology andPost Authority

10.

Order service

General Police Agency

11.

Public awareness service

Chief of Government Press Office

12.

Mining service

Mining Agency

13.

Population and social protection
servicePopulation and Social Protection Agency

5. Budget size on National level
Year

MNT
/million/

USD /million/

JPN /million/

2011

3.304

5144.328

52.864

2012

4.630

7208.91

74.08

2013

5.223

8132.211

83.568

As of 22 Aug 2013: 1 USD = 1557 MNT 1 JPN = 16 MNT

6. Progress of the implementation of Hyogo framework for action /HFA/
1. NEMA of Mongolia developed National Platform for Strengthening Disaster Protection Capacityof Mongolia 2006-2015 cohered with the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015.
2. NEMA of Mongolia pays attention to define and assess disaster risk, monitor and improve early
warning system. Besides, we developed Procedure on Disaster assessment and approved it by
the Government of Mongolia.
3. Legislative environment of the coordination for capacity activity was created. According to theresolution of the Government of Mongolia, ministries and agencies, which have main roles
using the professions and support in the possible disaster period or disaster period, wereappointed.
4. Some amendments were included in the Disaster Preparedness Plan in order to make disaster
response immediately. All levels of the local preparedness plans were renovated and they haverevision plans.
5. We take into account increasing community participation in the disaster protection activity. The
understanding of the word “Volunteer” was defined in the Law on Disaster Protection. NEMA is
implementing the UNDP Project “Strengthening the Disaster mitigation and management
system in Mongolia” and in the framework of the project, the commencement of the developing
disaster management on the base of local community for supporting community initiative wasmade.
6. We carry the policy to be included risk into the insurance. We have begun developing the draftof the Law on Disaster Insurance with the Insurance organization.
7. Emergency management units three districts of Ulaanbaatar and three search and rescue andfire squards have been connected to the Contingency control center and the integrated
geographic information database via high-speed fiber-optic cable.
8. Emergency situation resource mobilization and evacuation procedures have been developed.
These procedures detail the process to evacuate and deploy the population in emergency
situations.
9. Measures to improve public education on disaster risk reduction are being conducted at theprovince, soum and bagh levels aiming to maximize outreach based on their respective internal
capacities. We regard that the public has acquired a certain level of understanding about risk
reduction.
7.Major projects- UN specialized agencies- International Civil Defence Organization ICDO
- Asian Disaster Reduction Center ADRC
- Asian Disaster Preparedness Center ADPC
- International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA
- International Fire Chiefs’ Association of Asia IFCAA- The International Association of Fire Chiefs

-KOICA, JICA, TICA, SDC“Korea Telecom” company project “Earthquake early warning system”
Mongolia became ADRC member in 1998. ADRC organized in Visiting researcher programmeparticipation from Mongolia totally 5 staff.
Cooperation ADRC and NEMA of Mongolia:
The Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) participated in the 10th Regional Consultative
Committee (RCC10) co-hosted by the United Nations office for International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UNISDR), the government of Mongolia, and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center*(ADPC), which was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on 25-27 March 2013.
At the request of the Mongolian government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA) Mongolia Office, Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC) sent Senior Research Masaru
Arakida to Mongolia on 22-26 June 2013. In a two-day seminar, he gave earthquake policy
presentations based on Japan's experience with the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, explaining how
earthquakes are generated, discussing government preparedness measures for future earthquakes,
and identifying earthquake preparedness measures that can be taken by individual households.

8.ADRC counterpart
Address:- NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY OF MONGOLIA- Patrizan street, Sukhbaatar district- Ulaanbaatar-210644, Mongolia- Web: www.nema.gov.mn