The Asia Foundation Awards 10 Scholarships for Mongolia’s First Gender Studies Master’s Program

The Asia Foundation awarded scholarships to ten outstanding scholars admitted to Mongolia’s first Gender Studies Master’s Degree Program. The cohort and graduate program mark a critical milestone in fostering inclusive dialogue across the country. The selected students represent a collective committed to promoting social justice and equality and come from a diverse number of sectors, including the private sector, media, civil society, and government. Launched in 2023 by the National University of Mongolia (NUM), the gender studies program is a multidisciplinary and intersectional course of study that fosters national academic excellence and bolsters regional connections to provide opportunities for Mongolian scholars to contribute to the international discourse on women’s rights.

At the scholarship award ceremony held on April 2, Professor Badarch Dendev, President of NUM, emphasized the importance of the Gender Studies program for Mongolia:

“The National University of Mongolia stands as the oldest yet foremost higher education university in Mongolia, and we are thrilled to have launched the country’s first-ever Gender Studies master’s program. Most importantly, the program lays the foundation for the future establishment of such programs at different academic institutions in Mongolia.”

Sara Taylor, The Asia Foundation’s country representative in Mongolia, highlighted the recent partnership achievements of this initiative.

“The Asia Foundation is proud to have played a crucial role in enhancing regional cooperation for the sustainability of the Gender Studies Master’s program, by facilitating the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National University of Mongolia and Ewha Woman’s University of the Republic of Korea in February 2024. This collaboration is pivotal in connecting the program with regional partners, ensuring its sustainability by fostering excellence through academic exchange.”

In her welcoming message, the Head of the Secretariat of the National Committee on Gender Equality Mongolia, Enkhbayar Tumur-Ulzii, extended congratulations to the first cohort of scholars.

The Gender Studies scholarships have been made possible through the generous support of the Foundation’s Lotus Circle community of committed individuals and organizations who support our work to strengthen economic, social, and political rights and opportunities for women and girls in Asia.