Sustainability East Asia LLC (Sustainability) recently coordinated the Water Management and Biodiversity Technical Conference as part of a contract with European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support the activities of the Voluntary Code of Practice (VCP) Roundtable.
The VCP Roundtable is a collective of mining companies committed to sustainable water management and environmental practices in southern Mongolia.
Topics over the two-day conference included technical presentations on water management and biodiversity covering current policy and management strategies, and the way forward from a range of stakeholders including VCP members such as Oyu Tolgoi, Steppe Gold, Bayan Airag, Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi, and Energy Resource LLC, various consultancy companies, and international guest speakers.
The conference was attended by important members of water and biodiversity management organizations in Mongolia, including the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, experts from the Water Policy and Regulatory Department, Water Agency officials, representatives from the River Basin Authority, local NGOs, as well as pioneer water scientists.
Day two was closed out with a panel discussion from all stakeholders on the recommendations for priority actions. Actions will be followed up at the subsequent Roundtable meetings.
Participation was both in person and online with 75 attendees from around the world.