The Mongolian Mining Journal is adding another feather to its cap as it prepares to organise a forum to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the modern Mongolian mineral sector. We shall be working in conjunction with the Office of the President and the forum will be held at the Government Palace in November 2013.
Now in the 5th year of its productive and acclaimed publication, the journal, the first professional mining magazine in Mongolia, is justly proud of how well-known it has become among both domestic and foreign readers who follow developments in the mining sector.
The forum is being planned to involve not only those active in the field but also decision-making government officials. The wide-ranging interaction between the two sides is certain to lead to a sober and non-partisan analysis of what has gone wrong, as well as of what has gone right. There are lessons to be learnt from both mistakes and successes and the most important thing now is to ensure that the government adopts the best policy and takes the right decisions.
Even as we acknowledge that the Mongolian mineral sector has 90 years of rich history, the forum will focus on the last 20 years as that is the period in which the sector has been propelled to a new level of development. A review of the experience of these two decades, identifying both progress and setbacks, is vital to determine the best path of development for our basic economic sector. The exercise takes on added importance at a time when the government has presented the new mining sector policy document to the Great Hural and inputs from various sides are needed to give final shape to the new mineral law.
Based on our previous experience of co-organising forums together with the Office of the President, we are confident that discussions in the present event will be free and fair, will be conducted honestly and professionally, and will contribute much of serious import for the consideration of those entrusted with taking decisions affecting the mining sector.
We invite you to be an active participant in the forum, where deliberations will have the following special features:
- They will go beyond the purely academic and deal realistically with practical issues.
- Those with direct experience of the past 20 years will be heard with special attention.
- All opinions will be expressed against the backdrop of the impending new mining law.
The Appendix below names companies that have already pledged to participate and the topics they would bring up. Several events will be organised during the forum to keep delegates busy and occupied.
The Office of the President has assured us that it is giving the forum its special attention and will present papers for open discussion in it.
The forum will be called “The 20th Anniversary of the Modern Mongolian Mineral Sector” and will comprehensively cover three main themes:
- Did Mongolian companies grasp the opportunities offered by the “super cycle” that has marked the world mining sector for some 20 years and is about to end?
- How can we use the lessons of the mistakes and successes of Mongolian mining in the last 20 years in developing our mining sector to world standards, with special attention to risk evaluation?
- How should Mongolian companies prepare to be internationally competitive?
The following is a list of companies already registered to attend the forum and the topic they would present:
Erdenet Uildver Ltd
Erdenes MGS Ltd
Mongoliin Alt Ltd
Energy Resource Ltd
Oyu Tolgoi Ltd
Gobi Geo Ltd
Shariin Gol LLC
Altan Dornod Mongol Ltd
Darkhan Tumurlugiin UildverThe Tavan Tolgoi power plant (
to be represented by M. Enkhsaikhan): “Mega-projects”.
The Mongolian Railroad Engineers Association
(to be represented by its Director, L. Purevbaatar): “The mistakes, successes and lessons in the modern railway sector, and our future approach.”
The Mongolian National Mining Association
(to be represented by its Chief Policy Advisor, B. Bold): “The mistakes and successes of the last 20 years in the modern mining sector”.
All papers presented and speeches delivered at “The 20th Anniversary of the Modern Mongolian Mining Sector” forum will be published in a special issue of The Mongolian Mining Journal, which will also be available online. This way we shall reach members of Parliament and government, and management of various companies, as well as the general public.
“Hugjil” studio will work alongside The Mongolian Mining Journal to make a documentary covering what companies participating in the forum have to say about their operational mistakes and successes, and also about government policies.
The following activities of interest will take place during the forum. These will be designed to highlight the forum and make it more effective, and also to reach the public by widely involving the media with the end result of establishing a right and realistic understanding of the mining sector in society.
1. A photo exhibition on the theme “I am a miner”The MMJ endeavours to keep a photographic record of hard-working individuals involved in all stages of production in geology and mining.
Any picture taken in the labour field of mining and geology is a part of Mongolian mining history. It can represent memorable moments in an individual’s professional life or document unique aspects of the mining industry or record the life of local people affected by mining, or show social changes. We shall judge all “mining” photographs submitted at the forum by workers and professionals of the geology and mining sector and announce winners. The best photographs will be displayed at an exhibition.
2. Mining Journal Awards 2013 The Mongolian Mining Journal will be organising its 4th annual “Mining Journal Awards” ceremony to recognise the best in the mining sector in the preceding year. This eagerly awaited event will take place on the last day of the forum.
This year’s awards will be presented in the following categories:
- Eco mining
- Risk management implementation
- Operational safety measures, and
- Others yet to be decided.
The country is at a crossroads, and it is essential for those with influence in the mining sector, researchers, the media and all professionals attending this jointly sponsored event to disseminate a clear understanding of how the sector has fared in the past 20 years, so that the coming decades will take the country on the path to prosperity.
The Mongolian Mining Journal