In Mongolia, the Uniterra program, jointly operated by WUSC and CECI, uses a market systems approach to enhance economic opportunities for women and youth. This work is focused on two of Mongolia’s growing economic subsectors: fibre processing (cashmere, yak, camel, and sheep’s wool) and residential construction (including Canadian wood-frame housing construction). In the fibre processing subsecto
r, Uniterra will contribute to improving the value chain of fibre products by strengthening linkages between the primary suppliers of fibre, processors, and producers to ensure quality and added-value at all stages. In partnership with training institutions, Uniterra volunteers will also support local partners to improve the design and branding of final fibre products. Using a facilitation approach, Uniterra volunteers will establish linkages between Mongolian producers for cashmere and yak down garments and Canadian/North American buyers. In residential construction subsector, Uniterra will contribute to increasing training relevancy to better meet the market demand, especially around the urban centres of Ulaanbaatar, Darkhan, and Tov. The Uniterra volunteers will support the improvement vocational training, the implementation of better business linkages, the upgrading standards and technology, as well as the development of relevant policy with the Ministry of Construction and Urban Development and the Construction Development Centre. Throughout our work with local actors, we strive to facilitate stronger linkages between partners to help them tackle economic and social patterns of inequality, exclusion, and the social fragmentation of women and youth.
