Through the SESMIM project, Agriteam will build the capacity of the Mongolian government for transparent and effective policy implementation supporting sustainable growth in the country’s extractive sector. Agriteam will work hand-in-hand with the government of Mongolia and other key stakeholders to improve policy and regulatory frameworks, including increased capacity for policy development, improved implementation and coordination of policies and regulations between ministries and key industry stakeholders, and stronger, evidence-based decision making in extractive sector management that is gender sensitive and socially and environmentally sustainable. Additionally, public awareness and education programs involving hundreds of industry and civil society organizations will enhance understanding and social licence for the sector, while evidence-based pilot programs in monitoring and reporting will be carried out in rural mining communities, engaging populations of about 8,000 people in total, including women and youth. To achieve this capacity building program, Agriteam will work directly with the Mongolian Ministry of Mining, Ministry of Environment, Green Development and Tourism the and the Ministry of Finance, with additional input from the Government of Alberta, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary and other service providers.

The Congo Basin Forests Partnership (CBFP) – which includes Canada – is an association of 53 governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations with the purpose of strengthening partner coordination in conservation and sustainable management of Central Africa’s forest ecosystems. Agriteam was contracted for 2 years to coordinate and facilitate activities related to the CBFP, to maintain and strengthen the vitality of CBFP’s regional cooperation; pursue dialogue among members; help develop and update the CBFP roadmap so that partners’ activities were better harmonized; and promote CBFP to the international community.

Agriteam worked with Centerra Gold to strengthen their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies, procedures and reporting based on international best practices. Training on responsible mining and CSR was provided to staff, local leaders, community members and industry. Community engagement and public awareness were central themes, including participatory CSR monitoring and reporting. The capacity of local communities to manage the local mining industry was strengthened, and their socio-economic development was supported through agribusiness training to provide quality vegetable and dairy products to Centerra and other supply chains in Mongolia.

Through the Mining Sector Institutional Strengthening Technical Assistance Project (MSISTAP), the World Bank assisted the Government of Mongolia to develop a transparent and effective policy, fiscal, legal, regulatory and institutional mining sector for the country. As a part of MSISTAP, Agriteam provided the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy with a detailed analysis of international best practices in mine closure and feasibility studies and supported the drafting of new regulations in mine closure and mine feasibility studies for use in Mongolia. Agriteam also conducted two MSISTAP study tours to Canada on extractive sector taxation management for the Mongolian Taxation Department, allowing senior personnel from Mongolia to study national and provincial tax regulations in Canada. Presentations by Canadian leaders, site visits, and planning workshops emphasised learning by practical experience. Peer-to-peer meetings, discussions and training sessions were held with provincial mining and taxation departments, industry associations, the private sector and universities, allowing participants to focus on the most pressing issues facing Mongolia.

The Training for Rural Development Project worked to improve rural livelihoods by improving access to and use of agriculture technologies, practices and information by farmers, herders and agri-businesses. The project built the Mongolian State University of Agriculture’s capacity to conduct research and provide training to all levels of the agriculture sector and contributed to: 1) demand-driven, adaptive research responding to the needs of both men and women; 2) development and adoption of sustainable agriculture technologies for natural resource management; and 3) collaboration in technology generation and transfer and delivery of extension services to both men and women.
Partnering with the University of Saskatchewan on the project, Agriteam was responsible for overall management, providing input to Results Based Management (RBM), gender/social dimensions and ensuring participatory methods promoted community involvement, as well as developing and implementing a five-year pilot project in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that demonstrated community development using best practices in public-private partnerships. Centerra Gold provided investment capital for the pilot through its Community Development Fund at the Boroo Gold mine site in Bayangol county. The pilot demonstrated that a) socially responsible mining companies and local communities can work together to alleviate poverty; b) human resource development through training is essential in fighting poverty; and, c) that innovative public-private partnerships can be useful in training delivery to the benefit of rural communities.

Agriteam provided gender equity advisory services to the Environmental Services Association of Alberta, the Canadian Executing Agency for the ARPEL project, which strengthened the efficiency and capacity of companies in the Latin American petroleum sector to develop and implement environmental protection technologies.

Agriteam conducted an operational review of the India Biogas II Project, implemented by the Canadian Hunger Foundation, to assess the achievements and economic and social benefits of a biogas project at its mid-way point and to summarize the lessons learned thus far in Phase II. The review team provided feedback as part of an iterative process of project management, in order to ensure that the project continued to meet the needs of stakeholders. One aspect of the project was to study the economic and social factors that determined energy choices between biogas and liquid petroleum, including household income, family size and access to alternative energy sources. Attention was also paid to the project’s impact on women and women’s health issues and impact of the project on the environment, with respect to agricultural productivity and land/forest management. The review team also assessed the extent to which the project had succeeded in strengthening indigenous Indian non-governmental organizations which form the Biogas Network which was supported by the project.