Child Protection: Problems and Solutions Forum Concludes in Govi-Altai
-Identifying Child Protection Issues and Generating Solutions-
The Child Protection: Problems and Solutions Forum was held in Altai City, Govi-Altai Province on October 7-8, 2025. The forum aimed to support the development of child protection strategy i, improve child protection services, foster cross-sectoral dialogue, jointly identify challenges, and build the capacity of professionals who provide protection and educational services for children. The event was co-organized by the Governor Office of the Govi-Altai Province, Save the Children, and the Govi-Altai branch of Authority for Child and Family Development and Protection.
The conference brought together aimag and soum officials, school social workers, teachers, representatives from the health, social welfare, and police sectors, specialists from the Department for Child and Family Development and Protection, representatives from the Education Department, parent and child representatives, as well as child protection experts from Save the Children.
The conference was opened by Nasanbuyan, Chair of the Citizens’ Representative Khural of Govi-Altai Province, and Bayan-Altai, Country Manager and Representative of Save the Children in Mongolia, both of whom delivered opening remarks.
Nasanbuyan stated, “I would like to congratulate you all and wish the forum every success. Govi-Altai Province has more than 20,000 children, and research shows that 36 percent of them live in risky environments. The poverty rate in the province stands at 42 percent. Therefore, it is essential that we prioritize issues related to protecting the rights of children living in vulnerable circumstances. In response, the Citizens’ Representative Khural has approved the ‘Collaborative Solutions and Protected Future’ programme. We are currently working to coordinate with international organizations and institutions involved in the protection and development of children.”
L.Bayan-Altai stated: “Today’s forum brings together not only provincial and soum leaders and representatives, but also children. By listening to children, we can identify future priorities related to child protection and develop appropriate solutions. Since 2023, Save the Children has been implementing the ‘Establishing School-Based Child Protection Mechanism in Mongolia’project in School No. 4 of Yosonbulag soum and in the school of Darvi soum in Govi-Altai province. We are also implementing a health project in Chandmani soum. In addition, we have implemented health projects in Erdene and Altai soums, through which essential medical emergency kits were provided to local health centers for use in cases of accidents and injuries. We have also implemented humanitarian projects targeting herder households and children affected by dzud and sandstorms.”
B.Altaibaatar, Head of the Child, Family Development and Protection Department of Govi-Altai province, also presented their program titled ‘Collaborative Solutions and Protected Futures.’
Governor of Govi-Altai province G. Chinbat presented the provincial strategy aimed at improving child development and protection through strengthened intersectoral cooperation. He shared: “We have paid special attention to children’s learning and education and achieved significant progress over the past three years. Now, we see an urgent need to prioritize child protection. Therefore, in August 2025, we approved our child protection strategy , which is currently in the implementation phase. Over the past two months, we met with the Country Manager and Representative of Save the Children in Mongolia to learn about international child protection practices and formally submitted our proposals.
During the two-day child protection forum, we identified practical solutions and ways forward toimplement this strategy. The conference brings together all state officials, representatives of child-focused organizations, and the children themselves. I believe this forum will produce effective and actionable solutions for advancing child protection in our province.”
Tuguldursaikhan, a member of the Govi-Altai Provincial Children’s Council and leader of the ‘Knowledge for Myself’ club, presented about ‘Challenges Faced by Children. The Save the Children staff also introduced its child protection program and shared the achievement and good practices of the ‘Establishing School-Based Child Protection Mechanism in Mongolian’ project implemented in the province. Participants also listened to a presentation on ‘Challenges and Solutions for Children with Special Needs.’ During the event, awards were presented to the winners of the ‘Child Protection Through My Eyes’ drawing and essay competitions.
During the forum, the Governors of several soums shared their opinions. Erdene-Ochir, Governor of Chandmani soum, said that “Three representatives from our soum participated in this forum. One of our major challenges is the water supply for the sanitation facilities used by 390 students at the school and 20 students in the dormitory. Save the Children is implementing a health project in our soum. Through this project, the student health club received first-aid equipment, and the children have gained important health knowledge.
Jargalsaikhan, Governor of Tonkhil soum, presented the “Challenges in Delivering Child Protection Services through Multi-Disciplinary Teams at the local level”. He stated that : “Tonkhil soum has a population of 2,163 people, including 718 children. We believe that at least 40 percent of our work should be directed toward the well-being of these children. The soum must allocate a dedicated budget to improve children’s learning and living environments and ensure their safety.”
Presentations were delivered on the results and best practices of the project “Establishing School-Based Child Protection Mechanism in Mongolia” implemented in Dariv soum of Govi-Altai Province, the “Role and Participation ofPparents and Caregivers in Child Protection Activities”, the “Challenges faced by School No. 1 of Yesonbulag Soum in Providing Child Protection Services,’ and the ‘Key Challenges in Delivering Child Protection Services through Multi-Disciplinary Teams at the Soum and local levels.’ The presenters also answered questions from the participants.
In addition, group work and discussions identified the key challenges in delivering child protection services, and to develop possible solutions, approaches, and resource options.
Sarantuya, Principal of Dariv soum General Education School, added that “The project implemented in our school has been highly effective and impactful. As a result of the project, we were able to achieve many positive changes. First, our school now has a comprehensive child protection policy . Second, collaboration among parents, the soum Multi-Disciplinary Team, the school’s child protection team, and students has significantly improved. Third, people have become more informed about their child protection roles and responsibilities, leading to positive shifts in attitudes toward child protection. Fourth, the school environment has undergone notable improvements based on increased knowledge and understanding.”
Concluding the forum, Enkhnaran, Deputy Governor of Govi-Altai Province in charge of Social Policy, stated: “Through collaboration with the approval of Govi-Altai Province’s Child Protection Strategy, we organized the two-day ‘Child Protection Problems and Solutions’ forum in partnership with Save the Children. More than 100 participants joined the event, including leaders from 18 soums and 2 townships, as well as child protection specialists . During the conference, we listened to the voices of children and organized province-wide drawing and essay competitions. The conference was highly successful, allowing us to collectively identify key child protection issues at the provincial and local levels and discuss our plans for the way forward.”