English: Album description

USAID has supported the democratic transition in Mongolia since the earliest days of the democratic era. On September 28, 2012, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Asia Foundation and Mercy Corps announced the launch of two USAID-funded democracy and governance projects: the Strengthening Transparency and Governance in Mongolia (STAGE) project, implemented by The Asia Foundation, and the Active Partnerships and Public Engagement for Accountable Localities (APPEAL), implemented by Mercy Corps.

The two projects will benefit from an unparalleled level of coordination between The Asia Foundation and Mercy Corps, which brings the strengths of these long-time partners in Mongolian development together for the first time.

The Asia Foundation’s STAGE project will focus on and coordinate with central-level institutions and agencies, while Mercy Corps will use its national network to partner primarily with soums and aimags and engage selected national-level authorities to promote greater implementation of national good governance policies. The shared goal of The Asia Foundation and Mercy Corps is to promote greater transparency and accountability and to foster good.

The newly-arrived U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia, Ms. Piper Anne Campbell, and the newly-arrived USAID Mission Director, Mr. Frank Donovan, joined the program at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with country leadership from the two implementing organizations. Stakeholders across the national and local level, representing government, civil society, the media, and the private sector attended the launch event.