Ulaanbaatar, November 8, 2017 - On October 31, local non-governmental organizations competitively selected to carry out independent policy evaluation of national programs on health and education presented their proposed methodology and design to district and local authorities in Ulaanbaatar City, as well as sector representatives. The NGOs, which include the Tungaamal Center, the Mongolian Education Alliance, the Independent Research Institute of Mongolia, and Strategy Academy, received feedback from participants.
The Law on Development Policy Planning, approved in 2015, stipulates that an independent review of policy documents must be carried out, to enhance policy formulation and implementation. Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Mainstreaming Social Accountability in March 2017, the mayor’s office of Ulaanbaatar city and the World Bank have jointly undertaken external evaluation sub-projects of national programs related to health and education in Chingeltei, Songinokhairkhan and Bayanzurkh districts of Ulaanbaatar city. They are also collaborating to introduce and demonstrate the best practices from these sub-projects at the local and national level.
Third-party policy evaluation enables the participation of citizens’ voices in policy making. As part of the Mainstreaming Social Accountability in Mongolia Project jointly funded with SDC, the World Bank provides capacity building to NGOs, civil servants, and representatives from research and academic institutions, on how to formulate the methodology for policy evaluation. Similar initiatives are planned in other sectors.
“Ulaanbaatar city has enormous potential but also faces challenges in infrastructure development, environment, service delivery and job creation. Today’s workshop is a platform to discuss how policy evaluation could be practically implemented, so that its results can be used for improved service delivery and evidence-based policy making,” said the World Bank Country Manager James Anderson.
Website: www.worldbank.org/mongolia
Facebook: www.facebook.com/worldbank
Twitter: www.twitter.com/WorldBankMGL
YouTube: www.youtube.com/worldbank
