The Chief of the Standing Committee on Social Policy,
Education, Culture and Science, D.Ochirbat, read a paper in Tuesday’s open
discussion in Government House on pressing social problems and how to solve
them. He noted Mongolia’s commitment to achieving Millennium Development Goals before
other countries, as expressed in Parliament’s 25th protocol of 2005.

One of the goals of the National Development Policy is to reduce poverty by 50%
before 2015, but latest figures show very little has been achieved. With 35.2% of
the people still under the poverty line, poverty has been reduced by just 1.1%
since 2000.

Many people work for very low wages. Ochirbat wanted
State policy to ensure adequate wages and to reduce the number of foreign
workers who earn high salaries. Inflation also poses difficulty for those with
low income, despite the cash allowances they receive. He pleaded for social welfare
services for all vulnerable sections of the population, including herders in remote
areas, and preferred educational and employment opportunities to allowances.