National Initiative to Support Household Employment and Reduce Poverty Launched

At its meeting on March 4, 2026, the Government of Mongolia introduced and approved the “National Initiative to Support Household Employment and Reduce Poverty.”

Key statistics:

·         35.5% of the rural population lives below the poverty line, compared to 23.0% in urban areas.

·         Contributing factors include limited knowledge, education, and skills, low labour participation, and poor health and living conditions.

·         As of Q4 2025, Mongolia had 2.4 million people aged 15 and above; 1.5 million were part of the labour force, while 886,500 were outside the labour force.

·         Out of 1.4 million employed individuals, 115,300 represent unmet labour demand.

Planned measures:
The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Protection, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, will leverage the successful experience of the “Graduation Approach” project, which supported 1,259 households to achieve independent livelihoods, to implement the “Targeted Household Employment and Livelihood Enhancement Program” in 2026.

·        The program aims to reach 5,000 low-income households, providing comprehensive support to reduce unemployment and improve livelihoods according to each household’s capabilities.

·        To maximize impact, especially in rural areas where poverty remains high, the initiative will be implemented under the following principles:

o    The Prime Minister of Mongolia will sign agreements with provincial and district governors, who in turn will work with local leaders to implement and evaluate the initiative.

o    Local authorities will identify target households using up-to-date data on household income and living conditions.

o    Support will be provided for agricultural production, land allocation, livestock rearing, processing, and marketing of products.

o    Best practices in poverty reduction will be shared, and businesses and NGOs will be encouraged to collaborate.

o    Governors’ implementation will be monitored, with reporting, recognition, and accountability mechanisms in place.

Evaluation of results:
The initiative’s success will be measured using concrete indicators such as:

·         Number of people gaining employment,

·         Number of households receiving microloans, and

·         Number of new contributors to social insurance.

Provinces, districts, soums, and khoroos, along with partner organizations that demonstrate successful implementation, will be recognized and rewarded by the Government at the end of the year.

The Government Secretariat will provide overall coordination, while the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Protection will provide professional guidance and methodological oversight throughout the initiative.