Mongolia Humanitarian Background

For more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters:

EMDAT information on Mongolia

Calamities and Seasonal Affects

NOTE: During the celebration of Naadam (July 11-13th) and Lunar New Year it can be difficult to find transporters.

Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response

Government

The State Emergency Commission (SEC) chaired by the Deputy-Prime Minister is the lead decision maker for both political and operational issues during a national emergency.  The SEC is responsible for raising issues brought forward by NEMA and the wider humanitarian community with the government such as funding requests and asset requirements.  This is activate when an emergency has occurred. The SEC is comprised of 10 key Ministries/Agencies that are responsible for disasters and crisis management.  The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is tasked with supporting the SEC in overall crisis management, including interdepartmental and inter agency planning, and is responsible for first response search and rescue. There is an Earthquake commission which is a working group comprising representatives from various ministries and agencies which provides recommendations to the GOM.  At the provincial level the governor of each province would lead the emergency response. During emergencies, requests for assistance from the armed forces must be approved by the President.  To use military assets such as vehicles or airports all requests must be made through the SEC (State Emergency Committee).  They would operate as a separate response unit that would be appointed by the Ministry of Defence to provide transport and manpower.

For information on Mongolia Government contact details, please see the following link:

4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List

Humanitarian Community

There is a Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) comprised of NEMA, UN agencies in Mongolia, the IFRC, World Vision and Save the Children International.  Line ministries act as co-leads of the various clusters. There is only a small number of humanitarian agencies in Mongolia.  Few agencies hold contingency stock or have warehouse space.

 For information on Mongolia Humanitarian contact details, please see the following link:

4.2 Mongolia Humanitarian Agency Contact List

For information on Mongolia humanitarian background additional information, please see the following link: 

 Mongolia Additional Humanitarian Information

Mongolia Earthquake Risk

Mongolia Emergency Clusters

Mongolia Linkages Between Clusters and Government Ministries

Mongolia Minimum and Maximum Temperatures

Mongolia Severe Winter Dzud 2010

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately

Mongolia Regulatory Narrative

For information on Mongolia National Regulatory department contact details, please see the following link: 

4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List

Mongolia Customs Information

The Customs General Administration sits within the Ministry of Finance.  It is governed by the Customs Law of Mongolia - 2008. During an emergency the law allows for the movement of goods across the border without the normal customs procedures.  When a shipment arrives it may be released before all customs procedures are completed and the paper work for clearing can be done after the fact. It was indicated that there would be no need to apply to the Ministry of Finance for exemption of taxes as would be the normal procedure in non-emergency situations.  To clear goods, consignees contact the Customs General Administration of Mongolia directly.  The Customs General Administration would then alert the port of entry to facilitate customs clearance. 

There is an agreement by the government that during a humanitarian emergency customs and all other agencies at entry points would operate 24 hours a day. Taxes and duties that apply to standard shipments are - 10%VAT and 5% import tax. At each point of entry there are representatives from Customs, Immigration, Border Protection and Agency for Specialized Inspection. UN Agencies and a number of the INGO's in Mongolia have Special Status Agreements with the Government for tax exemption on humanitarian shipments.

Duties and Tax Exemption

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below: 4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List

Emergency Response:

[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to ‘crisis’ times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government.  When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.]

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response): 

[Note: This section should contain information on the usual duties & taxes exemption regime during non-emergency times, when there is no declared state of emergency and no streamlines process (e.g. regular importations/development/etc.).

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure: 

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

If freight charges are not included in the invoice then the invoice for freight charges must be presented also.

Customs Clearance

1. Organisation prepares a letter requesting tax exemption for their shipment.
2. All necessary documents are presented to the general customs in Ulaanbaatar. They will then issue a letter of exemption.
3. All necessary documents and the letter of exemption from general customs is to be presented to the respective customs centre (ie: Ulaanbaatar Airport). The respective customs centre will issue a customs clearance form that is to be presented for release of goods at the dispatch point.
4. At the dispatch point a customs official will be appointed who will take you to your shipment and release it.

Clearance of goods through customs take a minimum of 10 days.

General Information 

Customs Clearance Document Requirements

NOTE: Food, medicine, seed and second hand clothing must be inspected by the General Agency for Specialized Inspection. A sample from each shipment must be lab tested. The General Agency for Specialized Inspection has a representative at each border crossing these are the Department of Border Specialized Inspection (quarantine). If a large shipment of food or medicine is to be imported the consignee can contact the agency and arrange for a sample to be tested in advance. Additionally items such as food, medicine, hospital equipment and second hand clothing requires an import license that must be applied for at the Ministry of Health. If grain is being imported into Mongolia or transited through, a fumigation certificate must be provided.

Transit Regime

Goods being transited through Mongolia will be registered at the port of entry by the customs office. This shipment will then be tracked by the Customs General Administration of Mongolia. Once it gets to the port of exit it will be stamped and the file will be close.  This is all done through an online system that links the various customs offices around the country.  A freight forwarder is responsible for the safety of the goods.

For information on Mongolia Customs contacts and focal points, please see the following links: 

4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List

4.2 Mongolia Humanitarian Agency Contact List

For information on Mongolia Customs additional details, please see the following documents: 

Mongolia Customs Information by Entry Points

Mongolia International Entry Points

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately

Mongolia Port Assessment

The closest ports to Mongolia are:

Tianjin, China - approximately 1700km from Tianjin to Ulaanbaatar

Website for Port of Tiajin

Vladivostok, Russia - approximately 3,800km from Vladivostok to Ulaanbaatar 

Website for Port of Vladivostok

For transit times and costs to move cargo from these ports see road and railway assessment sections.

In Russia there is also Nahodka, Vaninoand, Vostochny, all on the Sea of Japan; St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea and Novorossiskon the Black Sea.

Bulk cargo cannot be transported through China as they have no bulk cargo handling capabilities.

Mongolia Aviation 

For information on Mongolia airports contacts details, please see the following link: 4.4 Mongolia Airport Company Contact List

Key airport information may also be found at: World Aero Data information on Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar receives 98% of international flights. Khovd, Choibalsan, and Ulgii have scheduled international flights. Khovd and Choibalsan to Inner Mongolia and Ulgii to Kazakhstan. In the event of Ulaanbaatar International Airport being rendered inoperable, there is a reserve military airport that is administered by the Ministry of Defence. It is located 45km from Ulaanbaatar (near Nalayh) and has a runway length of 3000m but is not of a significant width to land anything over a C130. There is limited information known about this airport, but logistical gaps may include cargo handling equipment, aircraft handling equipment and inadequate storage (none of which is heated).

Few domestic airports have infrastructure that complies with the International Civil Aviation Organization standards, but they mostly have sufficient infrastructure to accommodate the few scheduled domestic services that operate. Mongolia has a total of 21 licensed domestic airports (see annex - Domestic Airports of Mongolia). Nine of these have paved/asphalt runways, and only these and one other have runway lighting. All nine paved/asphalt runways exceed 2,200 m in length and the sixteen unpaved runways exceed 1,600 m. Grass/gravel runways are used for operations by un-pressurized turbo-prop aircraft, such as have been used on domestic services for the last three decades.

Operations during winter can severely hamper air traffic due to inadequate snow clearing and deicing equipment. Domestic air traffic control services were upgraded through an Asian Development Bank loan during the 1990s and are generally now adequate. Mongolia is Signatory to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation from 1989 and number of International Treaties. Mongolia is a party to the International Air Transit Agreement of 1944 from 2004 and a party to the Cargo only related Protocol of the Multilateral Agreement on the Liberalization of International Air Transportation (MALIAT). Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia (CAAM) sits within the Ministry of Road, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development. They are responsible for aviation safety, airports in Mongolia, registration of aircraft, security. All aircraft handling charges are levied by them and are the same for all airports in Mongolia.

Procedures for Foreign Registered Aircraft

To register a foreign aircraft, the interested party must apply to the Civil Aviation Authority.  A form 'B' must be completed (see annex - Flight Request Form).  The following documents must also be submitted via email (fpd@mcaa.gov.mn):

• air operator certificate
• aircraft registration certificate
• airworthiness certificate
• radio station license
• pilot license
• pilot medical certificate
• confirmation of A/C ACAS/TCAS and GPWS equipment

This information must be submitted at least 3 days prior for processing.

For information on Mongolia airports contacts details, please see the following link:

4.4 Mongolia Airport Company Contact List

For information on Mongolia domestic airports details, please see the following document:

Domestic Airports of Mongolia

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately

Mongolia Road Network

For information on Mongolia Road Network contact details, please see the following link 4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List

Mongolia has a state road network of just over 12,660km, of which only about 2,244 km are paved, 1,440 km has a gravel surface and 1,346 km has an improved earth surface. Over 6,900 km is earth tracks. Most overland roads in Mongolia are gravel roads or simple cross-country tracks, and most of these are not reliable year-round; consequently, loading capacity is limited. Lack of snow or ice clearing in winter and no system of sanding or gritting road surfaces leads to ice formation that lasts for a long time and slows traffic. At present only two paved road leads to a border post, the road from Ulaanbaatar to the Russian border and the road to the Bulgan border post with China in the west of Mongolia. The road south to the Chinese border at Zamyn Uud currently has about 450km of unpaved road. Other paved roads from Ulaanbaatar exist but are very limited (500 km westward and 250 km eastward). Some road construction projects are currently underway (construction of the east–west so-called Millennium Road) and others are under consideration (a third paved border road, in Western Mongolia linking China to Russia).

Road construction and maintenance fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Road, Transportation, Construction and Urban development of Mongolia. TRANSIT TIMES/COST - trucks are approximately 2 times more expensive than train. From Tianjin - Zamyn-Uud by truck is 2-3 days. Before embarking on any journey, local advise is to seek information from bus or trucking companies to determine the latest conditions. Distances can be deceiving. 100 km can take anything from one to four hours depending on the road and weather. Often there will be 30 or 40km of paved road leading away from a town such as Khovd or Saishand but then it will turn into a braiding of dirt track for hundreds of kilometres where the driver will choose one of several tracks running through open ground. There are few bridges on the dirt roads so fords are common. Traffic is very light, ranging from one to twenty vehicles per hour. Ministry of Road, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development of Mongolia manage the process.   Private licensed companies, through a tender process maintain and build the roads. Funding for road development projects is through loans, technical assistance, grants, and other aid received sources such as the World Bank, Asian Development bank,European Union, Japanese Government, and Kuwait fund for Arabic Development.

Distance Matrix

Travel Time Matrix

Road Security

Road security is good though there are safety issues due to cold temperatures in winter and the isolated nature of many roads.  Some humanitarian agencies require that travel to areas that are not on the main roads are done in a two car convoy and many cars are equipped with GPS.

Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits

There are no weighbridges in Mongolia. In rural Mongolia there are no axle load limits.  Trucks over 2mt are not permitted in the inner city of Ulaanbaatar. There are also no axle load limits on the roads from borders posts with Russia or China.

Road Class and Surface Conditions

Mongolia Railway Assessment

For information on Mongolia Railway contact details, please see the following link: 

4.9 Mongolia Railway Company Contact List

The Mongolian rail network comprises 1,815 km of broad gauge track, of which 1,110 km are on the main line linking Russia to China, 238 km are on a separate network in Eastern Mongolia that has its own link to the Russian railway, and the remaining 477 km are branches from the main line (going to Erdenet and Baganuur). Erdenet is 164km south west of Darkhan (off the main Sukhbaatar - Zamyn-Uud Lint).  Baganuur is 94km east (off the main Sukhbaatar - Zamyn-Uu d Line).  It branches off between UB and Choir. The Trans-Mongolian railway is a single track, has  a limited capacity and is vulnerable to damage from natural disasters such as earthquake. The gauge is the same as that in Russia but there is a different gauge in China. Therefore, each carriage (freight and passengers) needs to have its bogies changed at the Chinese border which can take several hours.

Maximum train weights have now reached 6,000 gross tons. Transit rail freight has increased from about 15 percent of total rail freight ton km in 1990 to about 25 percent by 2005, and it now provides an even larger share of railway freight revenue. With the additional new prospect of transporting significant mining output to China, the existing single track railway linking Russia to China through Ulaanbaatar has not sufficient capacity to transport all the available freight. The maximum capacity of the railway per year is 25 million tonnes. Currently approximately 18 million tonnes are moved per year. In 2007, rail transport carried 93% of Mongolian freight and 43% of passenger turnover (in tons/km and passenger/km, respectively). During heavy rain bridges can be damaged. Snow and blowing snow can cause delays. 

TRANSIT TIMES: Tianjin to UB: 8 - 10 days and Vladivostok to UB: 8 - 10 days

Travel Time Matrix

Railway Companies and Consortia

All of the railway lines that are currently in Mongolia are maintained and owned by Ulaanbaatar Railway.  This is a joint venture between the governments of Russia and Mongolia who each hold a 50% share. Russia and Mongolia signed an agreement for the development of an additional 6,000 kilometres. Russia’s railway monopoly OAO Russian Railways is prepared to invest US$1.5 billion towards this train network to help boost trade between the two countries. The extensions to the line are to be build by a recently formed organisation Mongolian Railway. This is 100% owned by the Mongolian Government. The two countries also signed an agreement to extend the Ulaanbaatar Railway network, which is a Russian/Mongolian joint venture, by a further US$250 million in capital to extend capacity to the Tavan Tolgoi coal deposits in the South Gobi.

Phase 1 of the extension of the railway network is:

1. Dalanzadgad – Tavan Tolgoi – Tsagaan Suvarga – Sainshand (555 km);
2. Sainshand – Baruun-Urt (350 km);
3. Baruun-Urt – Khuut (140 km);
4. Khuut – Choibalsan (150 km).

Capacity Table

Key Route Information

The Trans-Mongolian railway runs from Sukhbaatar on the border with Russia, through Ulaanbaatar to Zamyn-Uud on the border with China. It consists of 1,110 km of single track line. It is has a gauge of 1520mm (4 ft 11 5⁄6 in) as does Russia. China's rail system has a standard gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2in) so the bogies must be changed when trains move between these two countries. This can take several hours. Each day there are between 11 and 18 trains running on this line. There can be issues during winter with snow on the tracks causing closures for up to a couple of days at a time. There can also be issues with blowing sand on the southern section of the line in the Gobi Desert. This section of railway line has 4 large bridges that are 100-150 metres long. If they were to be damaged, Ulaanbaatar Railway does not have the capacity to repair them and so the line would be closed for an extended period of time. There are customs clearance facilities in Sukhbaatar, Ulaanbaatar (City Customs), Darkhan, Erdenet and Zamyn-Uud. Approximate transit time from Tianjin - Ulaanbaatar is approximately 10 days by train.

The Trans- Mongolian Railway runs from Beijing through Ulaanbaatar and onto a junction called Zaudinsky, near Ulan Ude in Russia. Here it meets the Trans-Siberian line which continues onto Moscow to the west and Vladivostok to the east. China - The transit time from Tianjin (port near Beijing) to Ulaanbaatar is approximately 8-10 days by train. Generally freight is trucked to the Mongolian border and then loaded on trains at Zamyn-Uud to be freighted through to Ulaanbaatar. The cargo handling capacity at the Mongolia/China border is limited and there can often be delays in loading containers onto the train. The averaged cost to ship a 20ft container from Tianjin to Ulaanbaatar is $3000 USD and $4500 USD for a 40ft container. China does not have wagons to carry bulk cargo such as wheat.  Russia - Freight can be brought from Vladivostok to Ulaanbaatar (approximately 8 days) and the average cost for a 20ft container is $4000 USD and $6000 USD for a 40ft container. This will depend on railway wagon availability and rental charges. Freight via train is considerably cheaper than via trucks, though often takes longer

Key Stations

For information on Mongolia Railway contact details, please see the following link: 

4.9 Mongolia Railway Company Contact List

Mongolia Waterways Assessment

For information on Mongolia Waterways contacts details, please see the following link 4.3 Mongolia Port and Waterways Company Contact List

Mongolia has a total of 580 km of waterways but only Lake Khovsgol (North/North-West, Russian border) has boats that operate on a regular basis.  The lakes and rivers freeze over in the winter and are usually open between May and September.

Lake Khovsgol

The lake is 101km north of Moron and is 2140m above sea level. It is 136km from south (Hatgal) to north (Hanh) of the lake. Most of these boats that travel on the lake are charted for tourist travel. The largest boat operating on the lake is the Sukhbaatar, that can carry 140 passengers and is operated by Nomin Company. It takes approximately 7 hours (and one tonne of diesel) to get from Hatgal to Hanh. There are approximately 30 smaller motor boats that have a carrying capacity of 5-12 people. These can be rented on an hourly basis.

Other Waterways

The Selenge (270 km) and Orkhon (175 km) rivers are navigable but see little boat traffic. There is a customs boat that patrols the Selenge to the Russian border.

Company Information

Travel Time Matrix

For information on Mongolia Waterways contacts details, please see the following link: 

4.3 Mongolia Port and Waterways Company Contact List

Mongolia Storage Assessment

For information on Mongolia Storage company contact details, please see the following link: 

4.5 Mongolia Storage and Milling Company Contact List

Storage can be difficult to find. There is a lack of good quality storage in Mongolia.  There are older concrete structures that are often used for storing stock feed.  Most warehousing in Mongolia has no temperature control which poses a challenge during winter where temperatures can drop to minus 45. NEMA is able to make storage space available in most provincial centres but these are generally used to store fodder and are of varying quality. There are 24 companies which have been certified to operate customs bonded warehouses in Mongolia (see annex - Customs Bonded Warehouses and Temporary Storage). Commercial companies such as Tavan Bogd Group and Tuushin Co and government ministries may be able to provide space in secure locations for the erection of mobile storage units.

The approximate rates:

• Standard warehouse 1m2 - 5,000 tg per month
• Refrigerated warehouse 1 ton - 1,750 tg per day

Commercial Storage

There are a number of larger holding companies such as Nomin and Tavan Bodg Group that have public storage including cold storage and temperature controlled warehouses. Most of this is located in Ulaanbaatar.

Storage Used by Humanitarian Organizations

The humanitarian community in Mongolia does not currently have large amounts of storage facilities.

Public Sector Storage

NEMA has storage in Ulaanbaatar and a number of aimags, that can be made available for a humanitarian response.  In the Dzud response of 2010 other public space such as schools and hospital storage areas were utilized.

Cold Chain

UNICEF and the National Centre for Communicable Diseases (Ministry of Health) have established theNational Vaccine Store facility in Ulaanbaatar. Ulaanbaatar Impex (part of Nomin Holdings) has 4 cooling storage facilities: 470-ton capacity and 3168 square meter area cooling storage facilities for storing frozen food at -12C to 25C.

Mongolia Milling Assessment

For information on Mongolia Milling contact details, please see the following link: 

4.5 Mongolia Storage and Milling Company Contact List

There are 72 mills in Mongolia with the capacity to produce 532.8 thousand tons of wheat flour per year in Mongolia by 2009. Mills are located in 15 provinces as well as in Ulaanbaatar city. It was estimated that 25% and 15% of flour need were supplied by Altan Taria and Ulaanbaatar Flour Mill (owned by Tavan Bogd Group) mills respectively. Alan Taria has a mill in Ulaanbaatar and Sukhbaatar while Ulaanbaatar Guril has a mill in Ulaanbaatar and is soon to open another in Darkhan.

Milling Company Altan Taria

Altan Taria is one of the largest milling companies in Monoglia. They have a mill in Sukhbaatar and Ulaanbaatar. 

Milling Company Ulaanbaatar Flour Mill (Tavan Bogd Group)

Ulaanbaatar Flour Mill is owned by Tavan Bogd Group.  They currently have 2 mill sites (1km apart) 4km west of the centre of Ulaanbaatar.  By early 2012 they hope to open another mill in the city of Darkhan, 219km north of Ulaanbaatar (on the railway line from Russia to China).

Maintenance

Monthly capital maintenance on mill equipment. There is also an engineer and mechanics on at all times.

Brick

For information on Mongolia Milling contact details, please see the following link: 

4.5 Mongolia Storage and Milling Company Contact List

Mongolia Fuel

For information on Mongolia fuel contact details, please see the following link: 4.6 Mongolia Fuel Provider Contact List

Mongolia relies heavily on its northern neighbor for its fuel supply.  90% of fuel is imported from Russia making Mongolia vulnerable to supply shortages.Availability can be  an issue due to temporary limitation/restrictions.  In the first half of 2011 fuel reserves got dangerously low, leading to rationing of fuel and a permit system being introduced. There are approximately 10 large companies that import fuel into Mongolia.  A number of them have depots close to Ulaanbaatar and in aimag centres (see annex - Customs Bonded Warehouses and Temporary Storage for a list of locations and capacity of the fuel storage of various companies). The government does not have any large fuel depots. There are a number of importers and distributors of fuels.  Each company arranges importation of fuel (primarily from Russia) and has their own storage depots from which they arrange distribution around the country.  Most fuel is imported by train and then delivery around Mongolia is done by truck. The main fuel suppliers are NIC, MT, Just, Sod Mongol and Petro Jump.

Information may also be found at: http://www.mytravelcost.com/Mongolia

Fuel Pricing

Fuel pricing is monitored by the Mongolian Fuel Agency.  There is 15% tax applied to fuel - 10% VAT and 5% import tax.

Seasonal Variations 

During Spring (sowing) and Autumn (harvest) there can be shortages in fuel and an increase in price. Local supply (domestic refinery production and imports combined) doen not meet the needs of the country, especially for aviation and ground fuels.

Fuel Transportation

Most of the fuel that is imported from Russia is transported to local Mongolian depots via train.  Once in Mongolia trucks are used to transport it around the country. The capacity of these trucks is approximately 20mt.  Transportation infrastructure and fleet are sufficient to handle current domestic needs as well as increased demand from the humanitarian community.

Standards, Quality and Testing

For information on Mongolia fuel contact details, please see the following link: 

4.6 Mongolia Fuel Provider Contact List

Mongolia Transporters

There are few large trucking companies. Most trucking is done by owner operators. Mongolian trucks are able to travel into both Russia and China to collect cargo and at both entry points there are large numbers of empty Mongolian trucks waiting to travel into these two countries to collect freight. Transport rates for a 2.5 ton trucks (without refrigerator) is 40,000-60,000 MNT per day + petrol/diesel. To arrange large numbers of trucks it is best to go through a freight forwarding agent.

Generally the trucks are of the following makes and capacities - Russian Zil 130 - 5 tonnes wagons (up to 10 tonnes), Kamaz - 20 tonnes (10 + 10 - twp trailers), Chinese trucks - Up to 60 tonnes with option for + 40 tonnes wagon (100 tonnes total), Ulaanbaatar Water Supply Company has trucks that are able to transport water. The following companies all have more than 15 trucks but it is difficult to ascertain the condition of them and if they are equipped for winter operations.

• Auto 5 +976 11 70172741
• MTT +976 11 243980
• Material Impeks +976 11 305305
• Express Trans +976 90039002
• Auto Khishig +976 99106405
• Altai Bugat +976 11 631550
• Altai Three Bogd +976 99789020
• BMA +976 99998623
• Dem Khoshuu +976 99118434
• JABB +976 99099044

For information on Mongolia transporter contact details and fleet size information, please see the following link: 

4.7 Mongolia Transporter Contact List

Mongolia Additional Service Providers: Vehicle Rental, Taxi Companies, Freight Forwarding Agents, Handling Equipment, Power Generation and ISPs. 

For information on Mongolia additional service provider contact details, please see the following link: 

4.8 Mongolia Additional Service Provision Contact List

Vehicle Rental

There are a number of rental car companies in Ulaanbaatar.  For travel out of the capital a 4WD vehicle is recommended.

Taxi Companies

Ulaanbaatar and a couple of the larger city have taxi companies, but generally any car on the street is a taxi.  You just flag down a car that will stop.

Freight Forwarding Agents

There are a number of freight forwarders in Mongolia that are able to provide a variety of services.  Sukhbaatar, Zamyn Uud, Bulgan and Ulaanbaatar ports of entry all have freight forwarders at the border/airport.

Electricity and Power 

Electricity in Mongolia is 230 volts. The primary source of electricity is coal. Power in the western provinces is supplied from Russia. Electricity - production: 4.5 billion kWh (2010, Mundi Index). The primary source of electricity is coal. Power in the western provinces of Uvs, Bayan Olgii and Khovd is supplied from Russia.

Energy sector:

• Ulaanbaatar Electricity Distribution Network Joint Stock Company
• Baganuur and East-Southern Region Electricity Distribution Network Joint Stock Company
• Power Plant IV Joint Stock Company
• Erdenet Power Plant Joint Stock Company
• Baganuur Power Plant Joint Stock Company
• Hovd Electricity Distribution Network Joint Stock Company
• Western Region Electricity Transmission Networks Joint Stock Company
• Uvs, Ulaangom Electricity Distribution Network Joint Stock Company

Electricity - imports: 214.1 million kWh (2010, Index Mundi)
Electricity - exports: 20.7 million kWh (2010, Index Mundi)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

There are a number of ISP providers in Mongolia. Magicnet was the first ISP provider company in Mongolia and holds significant market share in terms of providing internet access in Mongolia. Internet usage has grown rapidly in the last few years. In 2000, there were 30,000 users, but by 2007 there were more than 250,000 users.

For information on Mongolia additional service provider contact details, please see the following link: 4.8 Mongolia Additional Service Provision Contact List

Mongolia Manual Labor Costs

The unemployment rate in Mongolia is under 10% (2011) and is slowly decreasing.  In most urban areas including Ulaanbaatar and provincial capitals there is a ready supply of informal workers. Each aimag (province) has its own regional union.  There are also 12 sectorial unions such as those representing teachers, service workers, energy/geologist/miners, agricultural/environmental workers etc.  Many of these unioins are resonably new and as yet are not very active but increasingly they are becoming involved in brokering enterprise bargain agreements for their members.

People tend to use word of mouth, local papers and other forms of classifieds to find work rather than relying on employment agencies. The monthly wage (40 hour week) for an unskilled labourer is approximately 140,000 but for workers in construction it can be up to 500,000.  The minimum wage for unskilled labour is set at 835.7 T an hour. Mining in the south of the country is causing the price of labour to increase in those areas.

Mongolia Telecommunications 

For information on Mongolia Telecommunications contact details, please see the following link 4.8 Mongolia Additional Service Provision Contact List

Landlines : There are approximately 175,000 fixed-line phones main lines in use though that number is decreasing. The Mongolia Telecom Company is the national telecommunications company. There is good mobile coverage throughout the country. There are 4 mobile phone providers – two of which (G-mobile and Skytel) are on the CDMA network. At the end of 2009, the total number of mobile users was estimated at 1,850,000 (, 1,050,000 Skytel: 255,000 Unitel: 375,000 G-Mobile: 175,000.) (Source: Wikipedia)

Mobile Operators:

• Mobicom Corporation (GSM) - The first mobile operator. http://www.mobicom.mn/index.html
• Skytel (CDMA) http://www.skytel.mn/
• Unitel (GSM) http://www.unitel.mn/home
• G-Mobile (CDMA) http://www.g-mobile.mn/

Telecommunication Regulation

The Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC) is an independent Mongolian Government regulatory agency. The Commission was established by the Communications Act of 2001, and is charged with regulating and supervising of competition issues, the provision of networks and services for fixed line and wireless telecommunications, television, radio, and satellite transmission, spectrum management, postal services and the internet. The CRC’s jurisdiction covers each region of Mongolia. The Commission consists of seven commissioners, appointed by the Prime Minister for six-year terms. The Prime Minister nominates the Chairman and 6 non-executive Board Members shown below.

NOTE: You renew licences every year, pay for licensing, all regulated by CRC.  For UN agencies this process is free of charge.

Existing Humanitarian Telecoms Systems

There is no UN repeater in Mongolia.  Frequencies and channels have been allocated and all security management team members have access to radios.  There are 5 frequencies and 3 channels. Satellite phones and GPS are generally carried by humanitarian agencies on trips to the field.

For information on Mongolia Telecommunications contact details, please see the following link 4.8 Mongolia Additional Service Provision Contact List

Mongolia Food Suppliers, Accommodation and Other Markets

For information on Mongolia Food Suppliers, Accommodation and other Market contact details, please see the following link 4.8 Mongolia Additional Service Provision Contact List

There a number of large importers of both foods and NFI's that have warehouses in Ulaanbaatar and distribute goods around Mongolia. There are a number of large supermarkets in Ulaanbaatar as well as several department type stores that supply both food and other consumer goods.

Main Food Suppliers

Staples in Mongolia are wheat flour and meat. In summer and autumn vegetables are available. During the dzud of 2009/10 the food package distributed included - sugar, flour, rice, veg oil, iodized salt, tea. Most Aimags have milling facilities. Most foods are imported from Russia and China - eg: sugar, rice, vegetable oil. In UB there are a number of wholesalers and supermarket chains where goods can be purchased. In the event of an emergency local supplies would be insufficient.

Accommodation

Accommodation is reasonably easy to find.  Most provincial centres have a number of hotels or guest houses.  There is also a number of ger camps around Ulaanbaatar and throughout the country.

For information on Mongolia Food Suppliers, Accommodation and other Market contact details, please see the following link:

4.8 Mongolia Additional Service Provision Contact List

Mongolia Government Contact List