Mongolia

The general objectives of the Ulaanbaatar Services Improvement Project are to assist the Government to: (i) address the inequity of services between ger and formal housing... Show More + areas, thereby improving the quality of life of the low-income population; (ii) restore levels and quality of water supply services in the Municipality and make that supply accessible to the ger areas; and (iii) develop more efficient and autonomous, performance-oriented institutions, with a view to eventual privatization. Project's specific objectives are to: (i) improve the quality, quantity and reliability of water supply; (ii) substantially lower the unit cost of water supply to ger areas; (iii) improve ger area infrastructure; (iv) arrest the deterioration in, and improve the reliability and quality of, the city water distribution system; (v) reduce water wastage, the production of nonrevenue-producing water, and water production costs; (vi) replace the current norm-based water and sanitation billing system to one that is quantity-based; and (vii) develop the water and sanitation company of Ulaanbaatar's (USAG's) capabilities for financial and operational management and convert it into a self-financing commercially-oriented public utility. The project will include: 1) physical investments such as strengthening of water supply distribution network, concrete reservoirs construction, insulated pipelines, water leakage and wastage reduction program, equipment and tools for maintenance and meter repair workshops, sewer observation and cleaning equipment, and Ger Area Infrastructure Upgrading Program; and 2) institutional component consisting of technical assistance in project management, institutional strengthening of USAG, studies reviewing the long-term development and planning of ger areas and definition of appropriate levels of public services, and development of and training in a computerized USAG billing and collection system for metered supplies. Show Less -

The overall development objective of the Poverty Alleviation for Vulnerable Groups Project is to mitigate the adverse effects of Mongolia's economic transition on the... Show More + poor segments of the vulnerable groups. The project will contribute to the developmet of the institutional framework for implementing and coordinating the National Poverty Alleviation Program (PAP) and facilitate community participation. As the first donor-assisted project to be processed through the PAP framework, the project will demonstrate the implementation process of the PAP, while focusing on short-term, quick impacts with a view to: 1) creating gainful employment and income for the poor and absolute poor in particular; 2) raising enrollment in basic education; 3) reducing maternal and other mortality and morbidity; and 4) providing assistance to handicapped and mentally retarded children and disabled persons. Show Less -

The objective of the Economic Transition Support Credit Project is to finance imports and technical assistance to Mongolia in order to maintain and develop key sectors... Show More + of its economy. It will finance the import of equipment, materials, spare parts and other inputs needed in coal and copper mining and the transport sector. Mongolia has one of the lowest population densities in the world. In addition, the geography and infrastructure of the country make access to foreign markets difficult and costly. Mongolia followed the Soviet model of a centrally planned command economy. In 1990 an elected coalition began a program of economic transformation to a market based economy. The economy has suffered from external shocks, although a pickup in activity in the emerging private sector, industry and agriculture production has been constrained by shortages of intermediate goods and spare parts. The government has been implementing privatization, price liberalization, changes in laws and regulations to stabilize and transform the economy since 1990. This project's scope and content takes into account assistance planned or already underway by other bilateral and multilateral agencies. Show Less -