Mongolia: Expanding Economic Opportunity in Peri-Urban Areas

The population of Mongolian cities is expanding at an alarming rate, and represents a great majority of the country’s total population of 2.5 million. Short term economic shocks such as the severity of recent winters coupled with drier than average summers, and collapsing commodity prices have severely limited economic opportunities in the countryside, and have accelerated the movement of people to the main cities – notably Erdenet, Darhan and Ulaanbaatar.

Overpopulation and the limited employment opportunities in the cities have resulted in a rapidly deteriorating quality of life for Mongolian households in the country’s urban areas. In the early 1990s, Mongolia gained its independence, but lost a third of its national income that had previously been provided by the Soviet Union. A newcomer to the market economy, Mongolia has steadily recovered and found its feet, but as is typically the case in times of transition, many individuals find themselves without secure livelihoods or the means to obtain one.

One such group is made up of peri-urban (Ger Area) residents surrounding Mongolia’s largest cities, and it is with these people that CHF Mongolia works. These formerly nomadic people continue to settle in Ger Areas in the outlying districts of Mongolia’s Major cities. Ger areas are comprised of thousands of small, fenced-in plots of land, and remain isolated from the main commercial activity and public services. The Ger areas are the fastest growing population in the country, resulting in markedly higher rates of unemployment, poverty and other social problems than the population living in the city centers.

CHF International is implementing two programs to improve the quality of life for Ger residents and vulnerable urban populations by supporting local entrepreneurship and facilitating employment opportunities for thousands of residents; and strengthening business cooperatives.

Find out more by visiting http://www.chfmongolia.org/