Opening Remarks by Mr. Jaap van Hierden UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia

High-Level Forum on Mongolia’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Shangri-La Hotel | 5 November 2025 | 14:00 – 18:00

Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

I am pleased to join you today for this High-Level Forum on Mongolia’s Third Nationally Determined Contribution or, as we have come to call it, the NDC 3.0.

Let me begin by extending heartfelt congratulations to the Government of Mongolia and in particular to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change for reaching this important milestone. The Cabinet’s endorsement of the NDC 3.0 in September, and its forthcoming submission ahead of COP30, reflect Mongolia’s leadership and commitment to global climate action.

By now, we have all heard about the targets: the percentages, the sectors, the figures. So rather than repeat them, I would like to reflect for a moment on what this milestone truly represents. It represents continuity with more than a decade of steady progress since Mongolia’s first NDC. It represents coherence with an ambition that is fully aligned with Vision 2050 and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. And it represents collaboration with the extraordinary effort of ministries, research institutions, civil society, and development partners working together for a common purpose.

Please allow me to recognize UNDP for its outstanding technical leadership and coordination in developing the NDC 3.0 together with GIZ, ADB, FAO, UNICEF, and many others. Behind every chart and target are teams of Mongolian experts who translated data into strategy, and policy into possibility. This achievement belongs to all of you - to everyone who contributed their expertise, energy, and conviction to shaping Mongolia’s response to the climate crisis.

The NDC 3.0 is more than a set of commitments; it is a framework for connection. Connection between policies and budgets. Connection between investment and innovation and connection between national ambition and local action.

The challenge ahead is to turn this framework into a living process - one that drives implementation across ministries, mobilizes finance, and inspires the private sector, youth, and communities to take part. This is the spirit of whole-of-society partnership that the United Nations seeks to foster.

We stand ready to work with all of you - government, development partners, and the private sector - to align financing, strengthen institutions, and translate climate goals into tangible results.

Such transition also opens up tremendous opportunities. Opportunities to expand renewable energy and green technologies. Opportunities to promote sustainable agriculture and restore ecosystems. And opportunities to build a just transition - one that creates decent jobs and empowers women, youth, and rural communities.

For that, we need partnerships. Partnerships across government, business, and civil society. Partnership across borders. And partnership between generations.

The United Nations remains fully committed to walking this journey with Mongolia. We will continue to help strengthen institutional capacities, connect financing opportunities, and ensure that climate action accelerates progress across all dimensions of sustainable development - from health and education to equality and livelihoods. In doing so, we aim to support not only a greener Mongolia, but also a more resilient and inclusive Mongolia.

Excellencies, colleagues

The NDC 3.0 is a proud achievement, but it is also a call to persistence. The targets are in place. Now comes the test of implementation. Let us seize this moment to turn ambition into action, to turn commitments into investment, and to turn plans into lasting change.

Together, we can ensure that Mongolia’s journey toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient future leaves no one behind.

Together, we can ensure that our collective efforts today will be remembered as the decade when Mongolia transformed vision into reality.

Thank you – Bayarlalaa (bayrl-laa).