According to clause 10.1 of the Environmental Protection Law, all companies must conduct an environmental audit every two years, undertaken by a third party. Whilst the regulatory framework for environmental auditing, updated by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MoET) in 2019, is considered comprehensive, its implementation and results have been less effective. Although there are about 30 companies in Mongolia with permission to carry out environmental audits granted by the MoET, the quality of environmental audits has been questionable. Poorly conducted environmental audits incapacitate stakeholders, including local governments and community, abilities to protect environment from mining activities and hold mining companies accountable for poor environmental practices. According to the Mongolian Bankers Association, a failure to conduct high quality environmental audit fends off international investors.
With the support of MoET, AMEP will work with the Environmental Auditors’ Association of Mongolia (EAAM) to establish a certification system to assure the professional standards of auditors and a verification system for auditing companies. This will include institutional capacity building for EAAM to administer the certification and verification systems.  AMEP will also develop a pilot competency-based training module for environmental auditors with a focus on applying the new methodology under Resolution A/809 as well as other professional standards and ethics.   This will help EAAM to build the professionalization of the sector and the standards of environmental auditing practice, leading to higher quality audits to comply with legal requirements. The EAAM, at the same time, plans to be accredited by the Mongolian Agency for Standard and Metrology over the next 1-2 years, to achieve government recognition of its role in standard setting for the environmental auditing profession. Improved audits help to build public confidence in the industry’s environmental management and can lift overall standards of institutional framework.

Update on 26 July 2021: All reports and studies on environmental auditing and other activities can be found here: https://www.amep.mn/news-detail/31?lang_id=2.