Disaster risk governance in Mongolia: Institutional Effectiveness and Adaptation Strategy

Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction considers strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk as one of the four priority areas where there is a need for action to achieve desired outcomes of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and sustainable development. Disaster risk governance in Mongolia has evolved through management of disasters and adoption of best relevant practices in risk reduction. It encompasses developing legal, policy, and institutional frameworks, ensuring vertical and horizontal allocations of responsibilities, improving planning and implementation capacities, ensuring participation from all stakeholders and actors as well as engaging with international actors, institutions, and states for cooperation in DRR. Climate change is a complex challenge that Mongolia faces which has led to unpredictability and intensification of major disasters in the country. Mongolia’s changing urban landscape and demography, increasing number of livestock, environmental degradation, and socio-economic vulnerability have led Mongolia to adopt an adaptation strategy in the face of climate change. The chapter examines the effectiveness of institutional framework, capacity and implementation of plans and strategies for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in Mongolia. It highlights the significant milestones that Mongolia has achieved in risk governance and risk reduction. It also delves into the limitations that this landlocked country faces in terms of implementation, decentralisation and strengthening of local capacity, in addition to analysing the risk reduction related clarity among actors with regard to responsibilities, operational readiness for recovery and reconstruction, limited human, financial, and technical resources. As such the chapter provides a holistic approach to analyse the ongoing disaster risk governance in Mongolia.