Two workshops aimed at helping rural communities get better access to key services are being held inMongolialater this month.

The workshops, on Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning (IRAP), will train local officials in Jargalant Soum (district) and Batsumber Soum on 5-7 and 9-11 October respectively.  The aim is to help them improve links between rural people and key services like medical care and education. 

InMongoliapeople frequently have to travel long distances to reach essential facilities such as clean water, health centres, schools, jobs, markets and shops.   Inadequate transport services and poor road conditions make things worse.   This isolation from goods and services aggravates poverty, so addressing the issue of access can help in reducing want and hardship as well as isolation and exclusion. 

The workshops will train bagh and soum officials in gathering local information and applying it using IRAP planning tools, to improve access in realistic, sustainable ways. It will also help local people identify and prioritise investment and development opportunities in their areas.   

The workshops  - which are the final elements in a series of training sessions that began at the start of 2005 -  are organized by the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Informal Economy, Poverty and Employment Project, working with the ILO’s Advisory Support, Information Services and Training—Asia Pacific Programme (ASIST-AP). 

“The IRAP gives local government officials a set of tools that can help them make better decisions on where to invest and in what,” said Mr. Chris Donnges, Senior Development Planner, ASIST-AP.  “Making sure that access issues are properly understood and integrated into the planning process, means that investment can be improved and directed to meet the needs of rural people.” 

Mongoliais in the process of decentralising its planning system.  The National Sustainable Livelihood Support Programme, under the Office of the Prime Minister, set up local councils and planning offices to recommend priority investments in areas such as road and bridge construction,  and restoring schools, water supplies and health centers. However there is limited capacity for planning and setting priorities and no clear guidance.

The project is funded by the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID).  The Household Livelihood Support Programme (HLSP), the ILO’s main partner in implementing the work, is funded by the World Bank. Those taking part have included local government officials, members of district and provincial council, officials from Tuv aimag administrations and the Ministry of Social Welfare and Labour.

For more information please contact:

Ms. Shurenchimeg Zokhiolt
National Project Coordinator
Informal Economy, Poverty and Employment Project
Tel./Fax. 976 11 330 631

Ms. Chloe Pearse
Infrastructure Services Specialist
Tel: +662 288 1683; Fax: 662 288 1062