The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States of America and Mongolia following the successful conclusion of the second U.S.-Mongolia Energy Dialogue.
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Delegations from the United States and Mongolia met in Ulaanbaatar for the second U.S.-Mongolia Energy Dialogue on October 1, 2024. The Department of State's Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) Deputy Assistant Secretary Kimberly D. Harrington and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Munkhtushig Lkhanaajav led the delegations. From the U.S. side, representatives of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Mongolia attended the dialogue. From the Mongolian side, representatives of the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, and private entities attended. The two sides discussed ongoing bilateral cooperation in the areas of energy and critical minerals and explored opportunities for future collaboration.
The delegations discussed priorities for continued bilateral energy cooperation, including modernization of electric power transmission and distribution infrastructure; power market development; emerging policy and regulatory tools that will support the clean energy transition by stimulating private sector investment; advancing the development of critical minerals; and support for deepening women's participation in the energy sector.
The United States and Mongolia highlighted the Mongolia Electricity Regulatory Partnership established three years ago in collaboration with ENR's Power Sector Program (PSP) and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners to strengthen the Mongolian Energy Regulatory Commission's capacity to develop a stable, efficient, transparent, and competitive energy sector. They discussed the future of advanced clean energy technologies, as well as how best to leverage Mongolia's vast solar and wind resources to support its energy security and the clean energy transition. Both nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to submitting ambitious 1.5c-aligned Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Global Methane Pledge.
The two sides also discussed priorities for continued cooperation on critical minerals following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on June 27, 2023, by U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez and Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry of Mongolia Ganbaatar Jambal. In the framework of the MOU, the parties discussed opportunities to encourage private sector investment and involvement and to strengthen Mongolia's energy and mining regulations in line with strong environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles and Mongolia's implementation of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard.
They further highlighted recent bilateral cooperation in Mongolia's mineral resource sector supported by ENR's Energy and Mineral Governance Program, including two workshops in Mongolia led by the U.S. Commercial Law Development Program focused on the use of leading legal and regulatory practices to promote responsible private sector investment in Mongolia's mining sector. Mongolia and the United States discussed future cooperation to help the Mongolian government improve its mining investment competitiveness and attract responsible investment options.
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