On 24 August 2026, the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Asia and the Pacific (BCRC China) and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia held a certificate awarding ceremony for the International Zero-waste City Network in Ulaanbaatar City. Three provinces and four cities of Mongolia were formally admitted to the Network.

Mr. Batbayar Shurenchuluun, State Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia; Mr. Enkhmunkh Ganbold, Director-General of the Policy Implementation Department of the Ministry; Ms. Chen Yuan, Chief of the Regional Chemical Management Branch of BCRC China; and Mr. Dong Qingyin, Chief of Regional waste management branch  of BCRC China attended the event, together with governors, mayors and representatives from Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar City, Darkhan City, Erdenet City, Kharkhorum New City, as well as ZavkhanProvince, Tuv Province and Khentii Province.

During the opening remarks, Mr. Batbayar Shurenchuluun noted that environmental challenges cannot be addressed by any single country or institution alone. He stressed that waste should not merely be disposed of, and priority should be given to source reduction so as to build a system for reuse and recycling. In her address, Ms. Chen Yuan pointed out that Mongolia’s practices in solid-waste management, mining waste recovery and recycling, and public environmental awareness-raising are highly complementary to China’s experience in advancing zero-waste city initiatives. This event marks a new starting point for relevant stakeholders in China and Mongolia to further conduct policy dialogues, technical exchanges and joint pilot projects, and jointly tackle challenges posed by municipal solid waste, industrial solid waste and hazardous waste.

Remarks by Mr. Batbayar Shurenchuluun and Ms. Chen Yuan

At the certificate-awarding session, Ms. Chen Yuan presented the Co-sponsor Certificate to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia. Mr. Batbayar Shurenchuluun, Ms. Chen Yuan, Mr. Enkhmunkh Ganbold and Mr. Dong Qingyin jointly awarded Network Member certificates to the seven provinces and cities. 

 Presentation of Member Certificates

Towards the end of the ceremony, representatives from BCRC China and Chinese enterprises held exchanges with counterparts from the Mongolian Ministry on the Network and follow-up work.

 Group photo taken during the exchange session

On 22?January?2026, BCRC China and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Mongolia signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Beijing, reaching consensus on cooperation in the environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes as well as zero-waste actions. To implement the Memorandum, BCRC China organized relevant institutions to conduct field exchanges and investigations on solid waste and chemicals in Mongolia from 23 to 27 August ?2026, and participated in Green Zone activities of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP17). The formal accession of the seven Mongolian provinces and cities to the International Zero-waste City Network during the mission signals that bilateral cooperation has entered a substantive phase. Moving forward, both sides will carry out in-depth cooperation covering the environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes, zero-waste initiatives and capacity-building.

Launched by BCRC China in 2022, the International Zero-waste City Network serves as a platform for exchanges among cities and countries worldwide, to advance the global zero-waste agenda and foster multi-stakeholder collaboration. As of 28 August 2026, the Network comprises 115 members (including 10 co-sponsors) and 12 observers from 30 countries.