ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA - Media OutReach - 19 February 2020 - In a newly released report, the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) recommends how the Mongolian Productivity Organization (MPO) could expand its ability to undertake productivity promotion and improve its visibility as the country's leading productivity organization. The report outlines a major transformation program requiring substantial resources and national initiatives. The key recommendation concerns the small staff size of the MPO and its available resources. The MPO needs to win major long-term client contracts from the public or private sector or significantly increase its membership to generate sufficient funds for improved programs and services.

APO Secretary-General Dr. AKP Mochtan (R) presenting the report to MPO Chairman and Executive Director Yamaaranz Erkhermbayar in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 21 January 2020.

The ideal option in the immediate future is for the MPO to obtain a substantial contract from the government for the development of a national strategy on productivity enhancement. The MPO should encourage and support the Mongolian government in relaunching the National Productivity Award, including assistance in introducing a Business Excellence (BE) initiative. Public-sector organizations that start the BE journey often become world-class institutions. If it succeeds, this endeavor could be a game-changer for Mongolia, involving the entire public sector and private enterprises in a transformation program managed by the MPO.

APO support for national productivity organizations under its Specific National Program (SNP) addresses institutional needs to enable effective productivity-related strategies and programs to be developed, implemented, and sustained. The objective of the SNP consultancy for the MPO was to review strategies, organizational structure, funding models, staffing, approaches to governance, leadership, human resources, services and programs, business activities, operations and systems, etc., as emphasized in the report recommendations.

APO Secretary-General Dr. AKP Mochtan presented the Report on Strengthening the Mongolian Productivity Organization and Increasing Productivity within Mongolia to the MPO, represented by the APO Director for Mongolia and Chairman and Executive Director Yamaaranz Erkhermbayar, in Ulaanbaatar on 21 January 2020. It will serve as a reference for transforming the productivity movement within Mongolia, and the Secretary-General wished the MPO every success in the process.

In order to involve local stakeholders, especially those from the public sector, in implementing the recommendations outlined in the report, Secretary-General Dr. Mochtan had opportunities for discussions with public officials from the Cabinet Secretary's Office; Office of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports; Mongolian National Audit Office; Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry; and University of Livestock. All are committed to enhancing productivity from the national to the sectoral and organizational levels. "The Mongolian National Audit Office welcomed the report from the APO and would like to focus on addressing public-sector productivity by learning from the experiences of other APO members," according to Deputy General Auditor Tengis O. Secretary-General Dr. Mochtan affirmed that aspiration, explaining that, "In the end, the government should better serve and meet the expectations of the citizenry and the private sector in the country, which was one of the highlights of the report."

Note to Editors

The APO Specific National Program was designed to drive the national productivity movements of member countries by helping them improve regulatory and policy frameworks in areas related to productivity enhancement. Under the program, the APO provides customized technical and consultancy services to national productivity organizations or their partners for implementing projects that can address the specific needs and expectations of member countries to enhance productivity and competitiveness. It also supports member countries in advancing national productivity agendas and implementing key interventions to achieve productivity goals aligned with the APO Vision 2020 objectives.

About the APO (www.apo-tokyo.org)

TheAsian Productivity Organization (APO) is an intergovernmental organizationcommitted to improving productivity in Asia and the Pacific. Established in1961, the APO contributes to the sustainable socioeconomic development of theregion through policy advisory services, institutional capacity-buildingefforts, sharing of productivity best practices, and dissemination ofproductivity data and analyses.

Thecurrent APO membership comprises 20 economies: Bangladesh; Cambodia; Republicof China; Fiji; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Islamic Republic of Iran; Japan;Republic of Korea; Lao PDR; Malaysia; Mongolia; Nepal; Pakistan; Philippines;Singapore; Sri Lanka; Thailand; and Vietnam.