Mr. Deputy Mayor

Just a short post this morning.  I received an invitation to meet with Deputy Mayor Purevdavaa, the newly elected mayor of the captial city of Ulaanbaatar at 11:00 a.m. today!  I'm very excited to meet with him.  I wonder if the issues and challenges he faces are similar to those of our mayors?  The mayoral candidates run on a slate of candidates from each political party so it is very partisan. 

 

Davaakhuu Purevdavaa, Vice-Mayor of Ulaanbaatar City in charge of Industry and Ecology

(Note:  In Ulaanbaatar, the mayor and deputy mayors are all referred to as mayor. Mayor Purevdavaa is deputy in charge of industrial and ecological sectors of the city's administration. We had a productive meeting. He asked to continue our discussion and asked if KLC would be interested  in a cooperative agreement so that we could exchange information about public participation and engagement in some of their thorny issues such as public concerns over environmental issues related to the booming industrial and mining sectors. He is a very intense gentleman with many responsibilities. We had a thirty minute discussion which is an eternity for any mayor!)

In the August 2012 elections, the Democratic Party, also known as the Reform Party, won the national races for the first time since 1996.  Every person I've met this week has expressed the uncertainty that looms over Mongolian politics and there seems to be an uneasiness in the capital city among the NGO's and technocrats which is understandable.  Really, not that much different from the US following an election in which party control changes hands.

Immediately following the meeting, Hatnaa and I will travel to Khar-knorum, the ancient capital city of Chenggis Khan and the Mongolian Empire for the weekend.  It's about a 7 hour drive.  We'll visit some of the villages and soums (small cities) along the way.  We're staying with some of Mongolia's nomads in a Ger camp which are essentially tent cities.  I'm not talking about camping tents either.  They are about as big as a small house back in Kentucky.  Can you believe some of them have wi-fi?  Even the nomads are "connected."

Here are a couple of photos of a Ger tent. One of the community development organizations that I met with yesterday has its office in a Ger.

I'm looking forward to this adventure, and I'll take plenty of pictures.  I'll be out of touch for a bit, and the blog will resume when I get back.  I hope everyone has a great weekend!  Talk with you soon.

We're Going to the Parliament!

Hatnaa, Einkhtaivan (our driver) and I were finishing up lunch at the New Century Restaurant (real Mongolian cuisine) when Hatnaa's phone rang.  He talked excitedly for a few minutes and then announced "Let's finish up.  We've been invited to Parliament.  MP (Member of Parliament) Sundui Batbold wants to meet with us!

I don't know about you, but I've never been invited to meet a member of the US Congress much less an MP in Mongolia.  We're about to have an incredible experience - maybe once in a lifetime experience.  The State Great Hural consists of 76 elected representatives in a unicarmel legislative body.  It is rare for "outsiders" to be invited.  We sent our credentials to the Government House security agency.  Twenty minutes later, I'm presenting my passport and being ushered in to MP Batbold's office.

MP Batbold is also chair of the Parliament's Local Development Committee.  When it comes to local economic and community development in the national government, he's the man you want to meet.  We spent about 30 minutes discussing local reform in Mongolia and administration of local government in particular.  The government wants to empower local decision making, and the 2013 federal budget greatly increases the amount of discretion that local authorities have in terms of their own growth and development.  Currently, local elected leaders have little to no real power to effect change in their own communities without the direct say-so of the central government.

We discussed the difficulty in building local capacity to implement reform and the challenges of training local leaders and citizens in an environment where there is no experience in transparency and accountability.  Many cities lack even the most basic infrastructure to build upon let alone improve the quality of life amenities that Americans take for granted like roads, parks, sidewalks, water and sanitary sewer systems.

I really appreciated the opportunity to meet and discuss these issues with MP Batbold.  I learned a lot about the stark realities and challenges that he and his fellow legislators face in transforming a nation from a communist form of governance to a democracy and free market economy.  These are issues that I've encountered in every single meeting that I've had while in Mongolia. 

 

MP Sundui Batbold, State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia

 

Several foreign delegations are in UB this week.  The Thailand delegation is staying at my hotel.  On the way to Parliament, we caught a glimpse of the military band preparing for a state welcoming ceremony in front of Government House.  They were decked out in their traditional Mongolian regalia.  Very cool!

 

 

Mongolian State Ceremony on Sukhbaatar Square in front of Government House

 

 

My good friend Marco Polo and me hanging out in Parliament!

 





The Golden Buddha and Zaison Memorial

 

The Golden Buddha of Ulaanbaatar (UB) stands 27 metres and is located at the southern edge of the city.  A few short years ago, this park was surrounded by open space.  Now, high rise apartment buildings and condos almost dwarf the statue in shadow.  Still a very impressive sight!

 

 

 

 

The Zaison Memorial Park is dedicated to the alliance of Mongolia with the Soviet Union during World War II.  The park is on top of a hill at the edge of the city providing a sweeping panoramic view UB.  The memorial features a 360 degree mural painting depicting the two nations joining to defeat the Axis Powers (Germany and Japan) and reflects the strong bonds between the two countries. 

 

 

 

 

Check out all of the new growth and development taking place!  Can you see the Ger tent in the foreground?  Several of these ger camps are being overrun by urban sprawl.  Gentrification in the making.

 

 



 





Ulaanbaatar - At Last!

"Welcome to Ulaanbaatar!" said the Korean Air flight attendant.  And not a moment too soon.  Twenty-seve hours after taking off from Lexington, I stepped off the plane and caught my first glimpse of my new world. 

As I proceeded to Customs and Immigration, I noticed that most of the signs were in Mongolian and English.  Though I recognized a few of the Mongolian words (the most important ones anyway), the sight of English hammered home the fact that this country and the English-speaking world are becoming more connected.  Customs was a quick process. Baggage claim however was not.  I was a little surprised that so many people were on the plane.  We flew from Incheon on an Airbus 300 - eight seats across - and it was jam-packed.  Not an empty seat so about 260 passengers.

Hatnaa and his brother-in-law were at the airport to greet me!  I was so happy to see them.  We gathered my belongings and off we went to downtown Ulaanbaatar.  By midnight Sunday morning, I had traversed the globe more than 8,000 miles and arrrived at my new home for the next two weeks.  Check in at the hotel was fairly quick and soon I was sleeping in the Land of the Blue Sky!

I woke up this morning around 8:30 a.m. and caught my first glimpse of Mongolia during the daylight hours.

View from the Ramada Hotel Ulaanbaatar

 

 

I'm meeting Hatnaa for lunch and then off for a city tour and a visit to the National Museum!  Only three weeks ago, the newly elected government opened the National Museum to the general public for the first time so this is a real treat.  Hatnaa snagged us a couple of tickets, and I can't wait to see the historical artifacts of this former empire of Chengis Khan.

 

I'll have more pics later, but for now, it's time to hit the shower and get ready for my first adventure out in the big city. 

 

Talk with you soon! 

Баяртай (Goodbye!)