Open Society Forum

In an effort to help Mongolia avoid the uneven development, corruption, and inequality that the mining of the county’s large mineral reserves could bring, the Open Society Forum focused on mining-sector policy issues. The foundation helped facilitate a national dialog on the role of mining and developed analyses of minerals taxation, use of mining revenues and transparency of payments, contracts, and licensing processes. Other foundation-supported activities included increasing government budget transparency, monitoring social services for disabled people, establishing legal aid centers, and promoting local economic development.

The following briefs describe some of the forum’s activities and achievements in 2006.

Public Benefits from Improved Oversight of Mining Industry

Civil society groups working with the Open Society Forum and Revenue Watch Institute engaged in activities that resulted in revision of the national mining law, new natural resource tax policies, and progress toward full implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The changes enlarge the state’s share of royalties and taxes from increasingly profitable mining operations and provide more money for local development programs. Mining companies are compensated with lower corporate and VAT taxes, but have to publicly disclose sales figures and other financial information in accordance with EITI requirements.

People with Disabilities Obtain Better Services

Monitoring social services for people with disabilities revealed problems ranging from disrespectful treatment by social workers to inaccessible agency office buildings. The Tumur Foundation, an NGO supported by the forum and founded by disabled citizens, publicly presented its findings through newspaper articles and interviews. The government responded by making offices accessible to the disabled, forming a social welfare committee to work with disabled constituents, and considering new efforts to provide wheelchairs to impoverished disabled citizens.

Officials Required to Disclose Income for First Time

Anticorruption efforts received a significant boost with passage of a new law requiring government officials for the first time to publicly disclose their assets and income. Official statements about assets and income will be published in the legislative quarterly and will also be available on the Internet. The forum contributed to these efforts by advocating that the law include regulations for conflict of interest and asset disclosure.