ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, SDGs, AND MONGOLIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.6443Keywords:
Constitutional Environmental Rights, Environmental Law, Mongolia, Mining Governance, Sustainable Development GoalsAbstract
Mongolia presents a compelling case study for examining the relationship between national environmental law and the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite possessing a constitutionally enshrined right to a healthy and safe environment under Article 16(2) of its 1992 Constitution, and a progressively developed legislative framework — including the Environmental Protection Law (1995), the Green Development Policy (2014), and Vision 2050 — Mongolia confronts persistent structural gaps between normative environmental commitments and their practical realization. This article examines the extent to which Mongolia's environmental legal framework advances SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions), employing comparative doctrinal legal analysis of international instruments, national legislation, and reports from UNECE, UNDP, and the World Bank. The findings reveal three critical deficiencies: enforcement fragmentation following the 2023 dissolution of the national inspectorate; systemic policy incoherence between mining-led development and environmental protection obligations; and inadequate institutional capacity for SDG monitoring and compliance. The article proposes a tiered normative reform framework designed to align Mongolia's environmental governance with its international sustainable development commitments.
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