The Economic Policy and Competitiveness Research Center (EPCRC) with a support from the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation, Governor’s Office of Khovd province and Khovd branch of the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry held the “Western Region Competitiveness Forum 2019” in Khovd city, Khovd province on 23-24 October, 2019.

The objective of the forum was to discuss and improve the linkages in regional cooperation and development policies in Bayan-Ulgii, Gobi-Altai, Khovd, Uvs and Zavkhan provinces in the western region on tourism, green development, challenges in the development of SMEs, and further steps.

During the forum, governors from Western region’s five provinces (Bayan-Ulgii, Gobi-Altai, Khovd, Uvs and Zavkhan), Chairmen of Citizen’s Representative Khural and other local officials took the floor and expressed their views about the development of their respective provinces and how to address key challenges. Also in attendance were the senior representatives from the National Development Agency, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund and local and Ulaanbaatar-based media and press . 

During the event, business communities in five western provinces organized a fair trade with their local brand products, mostly food items and handicrafts.

As mentioned during the forum, the members of the Parliament elected from the western region jointly need to cooperate with the provincial Governors to lobby for their projects, and to work on a one-to-one session, submit their main projects of legal environment, decentralization of regional zoning, tax incentive and other policies. The western region infrastructure and heat-related issues which has not been resolved since 10 years ago were discussed during the forum.

 For more information about provincial competitiveness forum , please contact 976-11-321927 or visit www.aimagindex.mn, e-mail to info@ecrc.mn.