Mongolia is a landlocked country of East Asia characterized by unique ecosystems and cultures. Mongolia’s vast steppe plains and deserts experience an unusually high number of sunny days every year, leading to the country commonly being termed ‘the land of the blue sky’. Mongolia has a very low population density, with many of its communities traditionally nomadic pastoralists. On some indicators of human development Mongolia performs very well, with notably high rates of adult literacy and primary education. Recent years have seen rapid urbanization, with over half of the country’s population living in the Ulaanbaatar urban conurbation as of 2017. This transition in lifestyles and livelihoods has presented many challenges and an estimated 29.6% of the population lived below the national poverty line in 2016 and almost 19.6% of the population were undernourished between 2014-2016. 

Historical climate warming is believed to have taken place at some of the fastest rates in the world in Mongolia and other shifts in climate dynamics are already strongly impacting on lives and livelihoods. In response Mongolia has engaged closely with international efforts to mitigate climate change and its impacts. In 2016 the nation ratified the Paris Climate Agreement, and in 2018 released its Third National Communication to the UNFCCC, a very comprehensive assessment of the national climate change context and future. Key national policy documents include the National Action Plan on Climate Change (2011-2021) and the Green Development Policy (2014-2030).