2023 IFRC network annual report, Jan-Dec, Jan - Dec (3 October ...

OVERALL PROGRESS

Context

Mongolia is a landlocked country with an average altitude of 1,580 meters above sea level. It has a strong continental climate, which is generally dry with hot summers and extremely cold winters. The country is experiencing significant warming and drying due to climate change, which is happening faster than the global average. Communities across Mongolia are feeling these changes, affecting traditional herding lifestyles and leading to increased rural-to-urban migration.

Climate change increases the risk and frequency of natural hazards, while existing climate variability also impacts weather events, such as droughts, dust storms, extreme cold, flash floods, forest fires, and heavy snowfall. Over the past three decades, extreme weather events in Mongolia have increased by 1.5 to 2.7 times in the last decade.

Droughts, dzud (harsh winter conditions) and flooding cause serious socioeconomic damage across the country. From 2021 to 2023, Mongolia experienced changing temperature patterns, becoming colder and drier, which worsened the dzud, an extreme winter phenomenon unique to Mongolia. In 2023, the country faced severe disasters that tested its resilience. From January to June, extreme weather affected people in rural areas, leading to significant livestock losses. Between December 2022 and May 2023, about two million livestock died, accounting for 1.4 per cent of the total in Mongolia. Meanwhile, some regions experienced unusually warm and dry weather, worsening desertification and water shortages. Increased wildfires also devastated many of Mongolia’s unique ecosystems, disrupting lives and livelihoods. In May 2023, violent storms hit western Mongolia, bringing heavy snow. In the mountainous areas, snow levels reached 80 to 120 centimetres, while steppe areas saw at least 40 centimetres, isolating about 350 households. These families couldn’t take their livestock to pasture, exposing them to cold and malnutrition.

Ulaanbaatar faced flash floods due to heavy rainfall from July to mid-August, marking the worst flooding in 60 years. On August 5, intense rains hit the central region, affecting two ger sub-districts in Ulaanbaatar and resulting in four casualties (two adults and two children).

Mongolia also faced significant socioeconomic challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted financial stability. These issues were made worse by the effects of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, which affected both the economy and social dynamics in the region.