Reaffirming the importance of the strategic partnership between the United States and Mongolia.

H. Res. 1100 In the House of Representatives, U. S., December 7, 2020. Whereas the United States and Mongolia established diplo- matic relations in January 1987, and since that time the relationship has grown stronger based on shared strategic interests, security cooperation, democratic values, good governance, and respect for human rights; Whereas, since its peaceful democratic revolution in 1989, Mongolia has charted, through a series of initiatives, a successful path to multiparty democracy and a free mar- ket economy; Whereas, in 1990, the Government of Mongolia declared an end to a one-party, authoritarian, political system and adopted democratic and free market reforms; Whereas, in 1992, Mongolia adopted a constitution estab- lishing a parliamentary democracy, becoming the first country in Asia to transition from communism to democ- racy; Whereas, in 1999, the Government of Mongolia invited the Peace Corps to establish its program in the country and has since hosted 1,437 volunteers in English and health education; Whereas Mongolia has shown its commitment to a ‘‘third neighbor’’ relationship with the United States by sending 2 •HRES 1100 EH troops to support United States operations in Iraq from 2003 through 2008 and Afghanistan since 2009, and Mongolia has a strong record of troop contributions to international peacekeeping missions; Whereas successive Mongolian governments have taken nota- ble steps to strengthen civil society, battle corruption, and spur economic development; Whereas the Parliament of Mongolia, the State Great Khural, has engaged with Congress, including through the House Democracy Partnership, thereby promoting re- sponsive and effective governance through peer-to-peer cooperation; Whereas Mongolia began as a partner to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2004, graduated to become a participating state in 2012, and participates actively in the work of the OSCE for sta- bility, peace, and democracy; Whereas Mongolia has regularly invited the OSCE and other organizations to send monitoring teams to its Presi- dential and parliamentary elections; Whereas Mongolia has also been an active member of the Community of Democracies (CoD), a global coalition of countries that support adherence to common democratic values and standards, and Mongolia has not only re- mained active since the founding of the CoD in 2000 but also successfully chaired the CoD from 2011 through 2013; Whereas, in addition to supporting the OSCE and CoD, Mon- golia supports democratic initiatives while participating in a wide range of other global institutions; 3 •HRES 1100 EH Whereas most recently, on June 24, 2020, Mongolia success- fully organized parliamentary elections, strengthening its commitment to democracy and the rule of law; Whereas the success of Mongolia as a democracy and its stra- tegic location, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and abil- ity to pursue an independent foreign policy are highly rel- evant to the national security of the United States; Whereas climate change in Mongolia has contributed to se- vere droughts, higher temperatures, and extreme winter weather conditions, resulting in mass deaths of livestock and economic hardship for people living in rural commu- nities, especially the nomadic population; Whereas the United States has provided support to Mongolia through the Millennium Challenge Corporation through an initial compact signed in 2007 designed to increase economic growth and reduce poverty and a second com- pact signed in 2018 involving investments in water infra- structure, including supply and wastewater recycling, as well as water sector sustainability; Whereas, on September 20, 2018, the United States and Mongolia signed a joint statement and the Roadmap for Expanded Economic Partnership, outlining the intent to deepen the bilateral commercial relationship through full implementation of the obligations under the Agreement on Transparency in Matters Related to International Trade and Investment between the United States of America and Mongolia, signed at New York, September 24, 2013 (in this preamble referred to as the ‘‘United States-Mongolia Transparency Agreement’’), and to col- laborate in supporting Mongolian small- and medium- sized enterprises through various programs and projects; 4 •HRES 1100 EH Whereas according to the Bureau of the Census, trade be- tween the United States and Mongolia is modest but growing, with a total value of trade in 2019 between the two countries of approximately $217,500,000, including $192,700,000 in United States exports to Mongolia and $24,800,000 in United States imports from Mongolia; Whereas Mongolia is a beneficiary country under the Gener- alized System of Preferences program, but its use of the program remains low, as in 2018 only $3,300,000 of ex- ports from Mongolia to the United States entered were under the program; and Whereas, on July 31, 2019, the United States and Mongolia declared the bilateral relationship a ‘‘Strategic Partner- ship’’ and noted the shared desire— (1) to intensify cooperation as strong democracies based on the rule of law through safeguarding and pro- moting democratic values and human rights, including the freedoms of religion or belief, expression, including internet and media freedom, assembly, and association, anticorruption and fiscal transparency, and youth and emerging leader development; (2) to cooperate in promoting national security and stability across the Indo-Pacific region so that all coun- tries, secure in their sovereignty, are able to pursue eco- nomic growth consistent with international law and prin- ciples of fair competition; (3) to deepen national security and law-enforcement ties through collaboration on bilateral and multilateral se- curity, judicial, and law enforcement efforts in the region; (4) to strengthen cooperation in multilateral engage- ments such as peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, and disaster preparedness and relief operations; 5 •HRES 1100 EH (5) to expand trade and investment relations on a fair and reciprocal basis, support private sector-led growth, fully implement the United States-Mongolia Transparency Agreement, promote women’s entrepre- neurship, and continue to explore support for infrastruc- ture under the new United States International Develop- ment Finance Corporation with the new tools provided under the BUILD Act of 2018 (22 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.); (6) to strengthen border security, prevent illegal transshipment and trafficking, expand cooperation on civil aviation safety and oversight, and efficiently facili- tate legitimate travel between Mongolia and the United States; (7) to increase cooperation in addressing transnational threats such as terrorism, human traf- ficking, drug trafficking, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, cyberattacks, transnational organized crime, pandemics, and other emerging nontraditional se- curity threats; (8) to continue to develop an environment in which civil society, social media, and a free and independent media can flourish; and (9) to maintain high-level official dialogues, encour- age bilateral exchanges at all levels of government, and further develop people-to-people exchanges to deepen en- gagement on issues of mutual interest and concern: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— (1) underscores the importance of the relationship between the United States and Mongolia and remains 6 •HRES 1100 EH committed to advancing this Strategic Partnership in the future; (2) encourages the United States Government to help Mongolia use its benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences program and other relevant pro- grams to increase trade between the United States and Mongolia; (3) urges the United States International Develop- ment Finance Corporation to expand activities in Mon- golia to support economic development, diversification of the economy of Mongolia, and women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises; (4) urges Mongolia to address climate change and continue to work with the UN Environment Programme, the Global Climate Fund, and other global institutions to strengthen climate change resilience; (5) urges private and public support to help diver- sify the economy of Mongolia through increased coopera- tion and investments, as well as infrastructure and other vital projects; (6) supports the resumption of the Peace Corps program in Mongolia once the COVID–19 pandemic has subsided; (7) urges the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, and other 7 •HRES 1100 EH relevant agencies to continue to support Mongolia’s democratic and economic development and efforts on anticorruption; (8) calls for the continued engagement of Mongolia in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eu- rope, the Community of Democracies, congressional-par- liamentary partnerships, including continued high-level parliamentary exchange, and other institutions that pro- mote democratic values, which reinforces the commit- ment of the people and the Government of Mongolia to those values and standards; (9) reaffirms the importance of civil society to the continued democratic development of Mongolia; (10) encourages the Government of Mongolia to build a regulatory system that supports and encourages the growth and operation of independent nongovern- mental organizations and continues to pursue policies of transparency that uphold democratic values; (11) urges Mongolia to continue their commitment to free, fair and credible elections; and (12) encourages the Government of Mongolia to continue legal reform, build institutional capacity, and 8 •HRES 1100 EH improve the independence of other democratic institu- tions. Attest: Clerk.