Enabling Environment for Social Accountability in ... - SASANet

is inadequate. Part of the problem is that some companies go bankrupt and disappear, and cannot be held
accountable for rehabilitation. In other cases, mining companies bribe local officials to escape their
responsibilities.
In proving these allegations and ensuring that they are redressed ORM faces an uphill battle. Its mixed
experience in seeking information demonstrates the need to address deferred requests and incomplete
responses, as well as outright refusals to provide information (Finding ORM 3).
VOICING THEIR CONCERNS: A MULTIFACETED
STRATEGY IN PURSUIT OF SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Ongi leaders have employed a variety of approaches to achieve their objectives. For example, in April
2003, ORM submitted a petition to the prime minister. The petition was signed by 1,200 people, mostly
residents of the eight affected soums. They requested that the prime minister take the following actions:
1) stop mineral extraction in and around the source and outflow of the Ongi River; 2) ensure the
rehabilitation of lands after gold extraction; and 3) include Ongi River and Ulaan Lake Basins in the State
Special Protected Areas. In May 2003, Ongi leaders also presented a letter to the President of Mongolia
outlining these requests. The president personally acknowledged the letter, but authorized no immediate
action.
Ongi leaders also requested a meeting with the prime minister, but were received by the deputy prime
minister instead. Unsatisfied with the meeting, they called a press conference and issued a press release
on April 15, 2003, “to provoke a response from the prime minister.” Their concerns were carried in
several media outlets, including the UBS television, Eagle, Channel 25 TV, the Udriin and other daily
newspapers.
The chair of ORM then presented the movement’s concerns and demands at a workshop to commemorate
the year 2004 as Mongolia’s “Water Policy Reform Year” (internationally, the “Year of Fresh Water”).
The Deputy Minister for the MoNE, who attended the workshop, invited the chair of the Ongi board to
address a cabinet meeting. Although he submitted a statement in March, 2004, the Ongi leader maintains
that the Environment Ministry’s real motive in inviting his submission had been to garner support for a
water law amendment the ministry was pursuing, which required it to show specific interest in
environmental protection measures.
In May and June 2004, the ORM leadership also organized an ecology protest march to raise public
awareness. The 478-kilometer march traced the entire span of the river. More than 2,000 people
participated, mostly residents of the river basin. The march provided a rallying point for participants to air
concerns about the plight of the Ongi River, and served as an educational forum for citizens and public
officials. During the walk, Ongi leaders held 12 rallies, including a protest rally at a gold mine. Buddhist
priests conducted religious ceremonies, offering prayers for the preservation and protection of the Ongi
ecosystem. Extensive media coverage, both broadcast and print, ensured wide publicity for the event and
greater dissemination of the movement’s message.
Like other savvy Mongolian NGOs, Ongi leaders invite the media to all their major events, using radio,
television, and the print media to convey their message to both the public and policy makers. The media
also appears to have a genuine interest in ORM’s environmental agenda, as evident in the Mongol Radio
journalist who has extensively covered the movement’s programs. The movement’s activities have been
covered extensively in both radio and television programs, illustrating the importance of a collaborative
relationship between CSOs and the media (Finding ORM 5). With a grant from TAF, the organization
79