During a visit to AIT on 10 August, the Mongolian Minister of Nature and Environment, H.E. I. Erdenebaatar, accompanied by Mr. G. Engkhee, Director of International Cooperation, stressed Mongolia’s need for improved human resources and capacity development. He also added to Institute officials that his own Ministry urgently requirement more qualified professionals in the environmental field.
The Minister was in Bangkok in conjunction with a Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Health, jointly organized by World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) during 8-9 August 2007. The visit to AIT was facilitated by Mr. Surendra Shrestha, UNEP Regional Director, who also joined the meeting along with Mr. Mahesh Pradhan, UNEP Regional Environment Affairs Officer, both are graduates of AIT
H.E. I. Erdenebaatar and AIT administration have agreed to coordinate a future AIT visit to Mongolia to conduct a needs assessment which would be facilitated through UNEP. Based on the needs assessment, AIT and the Mongolian Government could then jointly develop a proposal and approach potential donor funding agencies. It was agreed to start with one master’s scholarship and two short courses through UNEP. The Minister also assured of his Government's keen interest and support in enlisting as a signatory to the new AIT Charter, once it is finalized.