The conference invited Mongolian and international human rights activists, environmental activists and lawyers engaged in public interest litigation on environmental issues to share their experiences of protecting people’s right to environmental justice.

While there are laws in Mongolia and it is party to almost all of the international human rights treaties and environmental conventions and declarations, there are loopholes and weakness in the application of the laws, reports CHRD. Monitoring of law enforcement is also a big concern. Violation of environmental laws has never been adequately monitored and effectively addressed when violation of laws occur, say CHRD.

CHRD notes “the intensification of mining, construction and tourism sectors to increase the economic growth in Mongolia for the last decade has brought drastic negative consequences on the environment. As a result of mining activities, many fertile pasturelands in water basins have been degraded irreversibly. In some gold mining areas, pollution of water and soil by toxic heavy metals, including mercury, used in gold extraction is reaching critical levels.”

Over 100 Mongolians from affected communities, civil society, government and judiciary participated in the conference. The keynote speakers of the conference included Ms. Ts. Oyungerel, Advisor to the President of Mongolia, Mr. Svein Ole Saether, Norwegian Ambassador to Mongolia and Prof. Emeritus Dr. Ole D. Mjøs, Immediate Past Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. International speakers came from Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Philippines and Thailand.

Prof. Mjøs remarked “in country after country, climate-related issues are moving up the political agenda. Those who attach importance to human security argue that the main thing is to protect individuals. The chief threats may be direct violence, but deaths may also have less direct sources in starvation, disease, or natural disasters. A goal in our modern world must be to maintain human security in the broadest sense. Environmental problems certainly affect human security in this broad sense.”

Prof. Mjøs said, “It is not only the Norwegian Nobel Committee that sees interrelations between nature and the environment, war and conflict. So does the UN Security Council. The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, said in his careful way that ‘when resources are scarce — whether energy, water or arable land — our fragile ecosystems become strained, as do the coping mechanisms of groups and individuals. This can lead to a breakdown of established codes of conduct, and even outright conflict’. Climate and the environment have thus become one of the threats to international peace and security.”

Ms. Erdenechimeg Dashdorj, Program Coordinator of CHRD (left) and Ms. Urantsooj Gombosuren, Chairperson of CHRD (right) give a press conference.

(From left) Mr. Helge Espe, FK Deputy Director General; Prof. Emeritus Dr. Ole D. Mjøs, Immediate Past Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee; and Mr. Svein Ole Saether, Norwegian Ambassador to Mongolia.

Prof. Emeritus Dr. Ole D. Mjøs, Immediate Past Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee gives an interview.

 















Prof. Emeritus Dr. Ole D. Mjøs, Immediate Past Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee (left) and Ms. Nina Roer, Environmental Counselor of the Norwegian Embassy (right).