“As we seek to move forward with the 2030 Agenda, we need to continue to foster partnerships at the global, regional and national levels, which include the involvement of all sectors.”– highlighted Secretary General Thomas E. Garret in his welcome remarks at the Ulaanbaatar Democracy Forum #UBDF2019, held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on February 26-28, 2019.

The Ulaanbaatar Democracy Forum under the theme ‘’Promoting Peace, Human Rights and Democracy through SDG16+: Towards Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies in Asia’’  was the second joint initiative of the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies (PSCD) Asia Development Alliance (ADA) and Asia Democracy Network (AND) with funding assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. 

The event  built on the discussions started at the Busan Democracy Forum, held January 2018 in Busan, Republic of Korea, to discuss democratic governance in Asia and proactively promote the implementation of Goal 16 of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda to achieve more peaceful, just and inclusive societies in Asia.

The Forum gathered multi-stakeholders, including Asian governments, regional and global organizations, to share experiences and best practice as they move forward on the implementation of SDG16.

The UBDF 2019 was hosted by the Local Organizing Committee in Mongolia in partnership with the Mongolian government and National Human Rights Commission of Mongolia. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Alliance for Reporting Progress on Peaceful Just and Inclusive Societies also joined the UBDF as parters. 

Mongolia is a Member State of the Community’s Governing Council, held the Presidency of the Community of Democracies in 2011-2013 and hosted the Community’s 2013 Ministerial Conference in Ulaanbaatar.