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YAY! It’s UB Marathon week. This Saturday, thousands of runners will fill the streets as the annual UB Marathon returns to the capital, bringing road closures across the city center and the city’s car-free day. Whether you’re planning to run, spend the day out with the kiddos, or simply enjoy a quieter Ulaanbaatar, it might be a good time to plan your routes and your weekend ahead. 😎

What’s inside today’s edition…

• ✈️ Direct Flights Between Astana and Ulaanbaatar

• 🐪🌍 The Silk Road Caravan: Bridging Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar 

• 🗣️ UN Human Rights Chief Concludes Visit to Mongolia

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s get moving. 🐐

MARKET

KZ: Direct flights between Astana and Ulaanbaatar are set to launch this June, operated by Kazakhstan’s SCAT Airlines, which has maintained international operations since 1997.

MNG: Since 2017, Mongolia’s budget transparency score has steadily increased to 64, ranking the country 5th out of 23 Asian nations in budget transparency.

MNT: Within a year, MNT-denominated savings deposits increased by ₮5.5 trillion, or 25.1%, while corporate MNT deposits nearly doubled, surging 84.3% to exceed ₮5.1 trillion.

🐪🌍 The Silk Road Caravan: Bridging Riyadh to Ulaanbaatar 

A symbolic journey linking COP16 in Riyadh to COP17 in Ulaanbaatar officially began on May 13 in Antalya, with the launch of the Silk Road Caravan.

• 🌱 The Road to COP17: Spanning a 6,000-km route, the Silk Road Caravan will travel across 9 countries, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Türkiye, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Mongolia, linking former Silk Road hubs, drylands and pastoral regions before culminating at COP17 in Ulaanbaatar.

🐫 Reviving the Silk Road for Rangelands 

For centuries, the Silk Road served not only as a trade route, but as a corridor through which ideas, cultures and technologies moved across Eurasia. Today, that same route is being revisited to draw attention to one of the world’s most overlooked ecosystems: rangelands.

• Rangelands cover more than half of the Earth’s land surface and support the livelihoods of over 2 billion people, particularly pastoralist communities across dryland regions. Yet despite their economic and environmental importance, they remain increasingly vulnerable to degradation, desertification and climate pressure.

📍 A First for the UNCCD

The caravan marks the first time the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has organized a cross-continental expedition connecting 2 consecutive COP summits. The initiative also coincides with the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026, strongly backed by Mongolia.

🎥 People, Land and Storytelling

Traveling through countries historically connected by trade and migration, the caravan brings together pastoralists, researchers, UN representatives and filmmakers. Along the route, participants will document traditional herding knowledge from Mongolia and Central Asia, land restoration projects and local responses to desertification and climate change.

Why Mongolia Matter? For Mongolia, where nomadic pastoralism remains part of daily life and rangelands account for more than 70% of national territory, COP17 represents more than a diplomatic gathering. It offers an opportunity to position the country’s long-standing land stewardship practices within a broader global climate and sustainability discussion.

⭐ Selected for you

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

• Uzbekistan and Mongolia Target $100 Million Trade Turnover. (TimesofCenralAsia)

• TMK Energy Records Strong April Gas Production as Mongolia Power Talks Advance. (TradingView)

• Mongolia’s Budget Projections Prioritise Recurrent Spending Over Strategic Development. (GoGoMongolia)

• SouthGobi Secures RMB235M Loan from Khan Bank to Support Mongolian Operations. (MSN)

POLITICS

• 8+1: The New Geometry of Mongolian Foreign Policy. (TheDiplomat)

• There's an Elephant in Mongolia's Parliament. (ThinkMongol) 

• Goyang City Hosts Mongolian Urban Development Delegation for Benchmarking of Urban Planning and Smart City Best Practices. (AsianBusinessDaily)

• WHO Advances Partnership for Science and Research in Mongolia. (WHO)

CULTURE & LIFESTYLE

• Kazakhstan Showcases Educational Programs at Study in Kazakhstan Exhibition in Mongolia. (Kazinform)

• The Steppe Is Not a Fortress: What Mongolia Can Learn from Iran’s Mosaic Defense. (SmallWarsJournal)

• When 1,500m of Fencing was Removed from the Trans-Mongolian Railway, a Long-Lost Animal Reclaimed its Native Lands. (DiscoverWildlife)

• Korean Air's Tree Planting in Mongolia. (TheKoreaTimes)

• The Mongolian American Football Association was Officially Accepted as a Member Federation of the Mongolian National Olympic Committee. (IFAF)

 🗣️ UN Human Rights Chief Concludes Visit to Mongolia

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk concluded his official visit to Mongolia, marking the first visit by a UN human rights chief to the country in 26 years. Describing Mongolia as “a remarkable example in the region” for preserving its human rights system, he praised the country’s democratic institutions, active civil society and legal framework.

• Still, his assessment came with a clear warning: Mongolia’s challenge is no longer the absence of laws, but implementation.

📌 Strong Democratic Scores, but Growing Concerns

Mongolia remains classified as “Free” with a score of 84/100 in Freedom House’s 2025 assessment. However, international democracy indexes have pointed to declines in press freedom, civic space and freedom of expression over the past 5 years. Volker Türk stressed that democratic space “cannot be taken for granted,” calling for stronger institutional checks, judicial independence and public trust in the rule of law.

• ⚖️ Corruption Remains a Key Concern: Mongolia’s corruption score stagnates at 33 for third consecutive year. Referring to concerns raised by civil society organizations, he described corruption as “the biggest bottleneck” to the country’s development and emphasized the importance of strengthening public trust in state institutions.

• 🌍 Climate, Mining and Human Rights: Climate-related risks also featured prominently during the visit. The 2023-2024 dzud killed 8.1 million livestock and pushed agricultural GDP down by 27%, highlighting how climate change is increasingly becoming a human rights issue in Mongolia. He also called for stronger human rights oversight around large-scale mining and infrastructure projects, particularly those affecting herder communities.

🤝 Toward a Regional Human Rights Hub

During the visit, Mongolia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the OHCHR signed a MoU to develop a roadmap for establishing a regional human rights training and research center in Ulaanbaatar, an initiative linked to Mongolia’s earlier commitments made during the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Overall… Mongolia continues to stand out regionally for its human rights framework and democratic institutions. Yet the gap between legislation and enforcement remains one of the country’s biggest challenges, particularly in cases involving power, political influence and institutional accountability.

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Publisher: Ts.Ankhbayar
Writer: M.Khulan
Graphics by: Ts.Tselmeg

Disclaimer: The information Inside Mongolia provides is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be or constitute financial advice, trading advice, or any other advice. The decision whether to consider the information we provide is solely our readers' independent decision.