The Asia Foundation

Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world. Beyond the capital, the arid landscape stretches for miles, and resources are scarce. But Mongolia's extraordinary mineral resources contribute significantly to the wealth of the nation. Further, they have the potential to dramatically impact Mongolia's growth and prosperity, and to sustain communities and important cultural and social values. Our work to promote responsible mining is critical to bringing together governmental, private, and public sector aspirations in the minerals sector. We collaborate with local communities and national non-governmental organizations and convene locals, miners, environmentalists, government officials, and parliamentarians to engage in decision-making, promotion of transparency and accountability, and anti-corruption. Corruption is indicative of the broader problem of weak institutions and laws. The Foundation sees strengthening both as critical to building a vibrant democracy and a stable investment climate that together can spur economic growth, jobs, and prosperity. In 2008, we continued our Mongolia corruption survey, the sixth in a series, in an effort to help officials and policymakers better understand the scope and incidence of corruption at the household level. Our twopronged goal for the survey: influence good policymaking, and assist government officials and citizens to combat corruption in their daily lives. Our Books for Asia long-distance book deliveries bridge Mongolia's massive spaces by giving students access to literature, textbooks, and information they would not otherwise have. Each year we get more than one hundred thousand books out to the remotest corners of Mongolia, reaching all twenty-one provinces and covering nearly ten thousand miles.