Economic Policy Reform and Competitiveness Project

Workshop on Joomla! content management system held for GoM website administrators

On 19 and 26 May, EPRC sponsored a workshop on the Joomla! Content Management System (CMS) at the Academy of Management for twenty-five administrators from four government ministries and twenty-one government agencies. The workshop was part of “e-Government Training Week” for government administrators held from 18 to 29 May. The training provided detailed information on various topics including free, open-source Joomla! CMS, recent web development trends, and the advantages of using open-source software for government organizations.

May

2009

Initial demand analysis for proposed Zamyn Uud PPP Logistics Park completed

With assistance from international expert Patricio Mansilla, the project concluded an initial analysis of charges for road-to-rail and rail-to-rail cargo trans-shipment in Zamyn Uud. Using data collected from customs and railways, the project processed and analyzed monthly data of the last five years of operations to arrive at initial estimates of revenue of the “core” business of the proposed logistics park—trans-shipment charges—and prepared thirty-year projections of revenue streams, under different scenarios, for the proposed PPP (Public-Private Partnership) facility.

May

2009

Workshop on energy issues held for journalists

On 8 May 2009 in cooperation with the Press Institute and the Energy Regulatory Authority (ERA), the project co-sponsored a half-day workshop for journalists on the “Energy sector financial situation and tariff issues.” Nineteen journalists from eight newspapers, six TV stations, two radio stations, two magazines and the MONTSAME News Agency attended the event.

May

2009

Broadcast of ‘Hot Topix’ TV Program on UB Heating demand and conservation

During the week of 4 May and as part of the ‘Hot Topix’ TV series, the project broadcasted a TV program focused on household energy conservation. Mongolian National TV aired the program three times and UBS TV four times. The Ulaanbaatar Heating Network (UBHN) sponsored the TV program and worked closely with the EPRC production team to develop the program content.

Apr

2009

Corporate Governance Development Center launched

On 9 April 2009 the Financial Regulatory Commission (FRC) and the Institute of Finance and Economics (IFE) organized the second Mongolian Corporate Governance Forum to launch the Mongolian Corporate Governance Development Center (MCGDC). The program included a public presentation of the concept for the Center and an initial business plan.

Apr

2009

Workshop on energy market design held

On 2 April the Energy Regulatory Authority (ERA) and the project held a workshop for officials from the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MMRE) and the State Property Committee (SPC) on the general design of the new electricity market and bilateral contracts. The workshop was part of the series of workshops and presentations to stakeholders of the Central Electricity System (CES) that the ERA and EPRC have been conducting for the last several months.

Apr

2009

Workshop for GoM webmasters held

On 2 April 2009, twenty-four webmasters from three ministries and twenty-one government agencies participated in a one-day, hands-on workshop on the Joomla! Content Management System (CMS) held at the Information Technology Park. The workshop featured a comparison of the existing Joomla! Mongolia International Edition with the latest release of Joomla! CMS (the 1.5.10 version) and encouraged the migration to the latest Joomla! CMS 1.5.10 edition to take advantage of the version’s improved website administration and native Unicode support.

Apr

2009

Credit Information Center LLC holds workshop

On 6 April, following its official registration as the Credit Information Center LLC (CIB) five days earlier, the CIB, with assistance from the project, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Mongolia Bankers Association (MBA), held a day-long workshop for members of Parliament. The main goal of the workshop was to provide participants with information about the operations of credit bureaus around the world and the need for such enabling legislation in Mongolia.

Apr

2009

Journalists visit Erdenet to get first hand information on impact of recession on tax collections

As a follow up to the 8 April 2009 workshop on tax issues, EPRC co-sponsored a two-day workshop with the Press Institute and GDT in Erdenet town on 17-19 April 2009. Twenty-two journalists from eight newspapers, six TV networks and two radio stations, including Mongol Radio, visited Erdenet Ore Dressing Plant (ODP), which historically has contributed over forty percent of Mongolia’s corporate income tax.

Mar

2009

Officers from Zamyn Uud General Agency for Specialized Inspection complete IT training workshop

In accordance with the MoU signed on 20 February 2009 between GASI and the project, IT specialists from both organizations visited Zamyn Uud during 16 through 20 March to provide assistance with the installation of a local area network (LAN). The Fifty-three inspection officers from the GASI Zamyn Uud office received a two-day, hands-on IT workshop under project sponsorship. The workshop was designed to facilitate the installation and security of the local area network (LAN) of the GASI Zamyn Uud office.