Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. During his participation in the COP27 in Sharm El-Shaikh, President of Mongolia U. Khurelsukh held a meeting with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

During their meeting, the parties inked the Memorandum of Understanding on Forest Partnership, making Mongolia the first Asian country to join the EU’s Forest Partnerships.

Forest Partnership is a responsibility and commitment aimed at mitigating the negative effects of climate change, overcoming the challenges and difficulties encountered in the forestry sector, meeting the country's development needs, and achieving environmental protection goals.

The main purpose of the MoU is to support the basic steps of sustainable forest management, such as forest regeneration, appropriate use and protection, and the creation of forest-based economic sectors and sources of income.

In particular, the parties, within the framework of the MoU, agreed to cooperate on issues such as increasing forestry-based employment opportunities, producing value-added products, attracting foreign investment, increasing forest protection zones, reducing desertification, forest depletion, and degradation, protecting biodiversity and species, and developing intensive animal husbandry.

The partnership's contribution to green employment in the forest sector is critical as thousands of jobs can be created through sustainable forest management.

Issues affecting forest degradation will be considered at the strategic and policy level, and it will make a significant contribution to the creation of a practice of open, full-participation, and transparent discussion of issues such as inter-sectoral coordination, land ownership, rehabilitation, inappropriate land use, and environmental crimes.

Within the framework of the MoU, a system to support the long-term sustainable use of forest resources in the field of climate change adaptation and mitigation will be reformed, and good governance and sustainable management will be supported.