Ulaanbaatar, April 16, 2025 – The Mongolian Council for Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility (CSS Mongolia), in cooperation with the Mongolian National Mining Association, held a roundtable discussion focused on community relations in the mining sector.
The event featured the presentation of findings from the recent “Review Study on Community Relations, Social Performance Systems, and Capacities.” The study highlighted key challenges and opportunities for strengthening social performance and community engagement across the industry.
As part of an ongoing initiative to build capacity in this field, the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (Australia), in collaboration with Oyu Tolgoi LLC, will offer a free training program in Mongolian for mining company professionals.
The program, which will take place between May and July 2025, aims to support the development of professional skills and improve the effectiveness of community relations and social performance systems in Mongolia’s extractive sector.
A recent review study on community relations and social performance systems and capacities has revealed several pressing challenges faced by Mongolia’s mining sector. The study, presented at the Mining Roundtable held on April 16, outlines a number of critical gaps:
● There are few opportunities for companies and professionals to exchange experiences and best practices at the sectoral level.
● Access to systematic training in community relations remains limited.
● Valuable institutional knowledge is being lost as experienced professionals retire or move to different sectors or roles.
● A significant skills and knowledge gap exists between new and seasoned employees, affecting institutional continuity and adaptability.
● There is a lack of dedicated platforms for dialogue, peer exchange, and constructive debate to find practical solutions to community-related challenges.
These findings highlight the need for renewed efforts to strengthen sector-wide cooperation, build capacity, and retain institutional knowledge in community engagement and social responsibility.
