Steps Without Borders NGO

Ms N. Bayarsaikhan is the director of the Steps without Borders NGO and coordinator of the Publish What You Pay Mongolia Coalition. Publish What You Pay works with the Civil Society Council Coalition to address issues related to transparency and accountability within the mining industry.  It is a work in progress to improve civic participation in the local decision making process on issues that impact the environment, economic development and quality of life particularly in the countryside.

 

Ms. Bayarsaikhan is the director of Steps Without Borders NGO

 

Steps without Borders seeks to protect the cultural values of the people of the countryside.  The encroachment of the mining sector on the nomads' grazing lands is having unintended consequences that Steps without Borders hopes to address before it's too late.  The Mongolian people, in general, are close to nature.  It is a critical part of the national identity.  Since the transition to a market economy, the sense of local community and heritage has been lost.  Previously, local communities were very dependent on the central government.  All decisions were made by the central government and everything was very planned and fixed.  Now, planning issues have shifted to the local level.  No history of experience in dealing with planning issues exists on the local level.

 

Steps without Borders is working to change the mindset of people by encouraging them to express their opinions and act to solve their own problems.  People have grown to believe that mining revenue is the answer to everything and will always be around to provide funding for the communities needs.

 

The local and national leadership should be directing their attention to the future.  What happens when mining revenue decreases?  This is an inconvenient truth that politicians do not want to think about.  The country needs to quickly diversify its economy during the good economic times in order to soften the blow when the minerals are gone. 

 

The agriculture sector is focusing on planting practices and improved methods of crop production.  The Ministry of Economic Development is beginning to create industry focused on finshed-product manufacturing instead of exporting the country's raw material.

 

Local communities do not have any options for capturing revenues generated as a result of mining.  All of the revenue goes to the central government.  The Steps without Borders NGO belives that this revenue should be set aside for future development.  There is a lack of political ill to do anything.  Public input on budget issues is very limited.  The government gives the impression that it is beholden to the mining interests.  Steps without Borders NGO is working to open the national dialogue about these and many other issues that affect the future well-being of the country.