LocationsMeet Erdenesukh Otgonbayar, UNDP Mongolia’s Communications Analyst. From nomadic roots to global development work, his story is marked by a deep commitment to give voice to local communities and drive meaningful change.
A herder by root, a storyteller and development practitioner by choice
September 23, 2025
On a field mission in Khovd Province, Mongolia with a baby goat, 2024.
Photo: UNDP Mongolia
A childhood in rural Mongolia
I grew up in one of the most remote provinces of Mongolia, spending much of my childhood with my grandparents, herding livestock. In Mongolia, herders typically look after five kinds of livestock: camels, cows, sheep, goats, and horses. My grandparents had all but camels.
From an early age, I developed a special bond with the animals and, even more deeply, with nature itself. Nomads have always lived in harmony with the land: if you take, you give back. You respect nature. You don’t harm it without purpose and if you do, you repair the damage. My grandfather would tell me, “Don’t even break branches off a healthy tree. You will be upsetting the soul of the mountain.”
Mongolia is vast, the 19th largest country in the world, yet home to only 3.5 million people. Much of its nature is still untouched. But climate change is making life much harder for herders. Winters here can be extremely harsh. We call it dzud - when extreme cold and heavy snow can wipe out entire herds in just a few months.
It used to happen once a decade; but now it’s happening almost every year.
Local challenge, global stage
These experiences played a key role in shaping my lifelong values and mission: to make a difference in people’s lives. That’s what led me to the United Nations Development Programme in the first place. Few organizations work at the scale UNDP does, in 170 countries including my own, tackling challenges that matter to all of us.
My own journey is also an unlikely one. For a rural Mongolian youth, studying in the United States and working for international organizations like UNDP is a rare opportunity. But education, and my family’s determination to invest in it despite barely making the ends meet, made it all possible.
This is why I feel right at home when I go on missions to rural provinces nowadays. I understand the herders’ words because I have lived their reality. I have seen their struggles and their resilience.
And the work UNDP does in Mongolia inspires me a lot. Over the years, UNDP played a key role in one of the biggest changes I have noticed among herders which is their mindset. Mongolia has over 60 million livestock which is nearly 20 animals for every person. In the past, herders valued quantity over quality already exceeding the pasture capacity of the land by many folds. Through our work, we help them see that healthier, better-quality animals can bring more economic opportunities and reduce pressure on the land. Of course, a single communications campaign doesn’t create change overnight. It takes years of communications, engagement and trust, but it is happening.
High-level bilateral meeting between UNDP’s Regional Director for Asia-Pacific and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia – 2024
Photo: UNDP Mongolia
In 2023, Mongolia faced one of its harshest dzuds in recent memory. The country lost about 11.5% of its total livestock, around 7.5 million animals, in one winter. That also meant thousands of herders lost their livelihoods, and the country suffered huge economic losses. And in these difficult times, I have also witnessed how effective communication can bring local challenge to global stage. And it was one of the most meaningful moments I had a chance to contribute. With support of our regional communications team in the Bureau for Asia and the Pacific and involvement of our management team, we were able to bring the scale and impact of the crisis to the attention of the international media in nearly 60 outlets including top media outlets such as New York Times, CNN, and Associated Press.
Rural Mongolia to rural Afghanistan
Last year, I had a rare opportunity to take on a short-term mission in Afghanistan, it being one of the most profound experiences of my life. Coming from Mongolia, one of the most peaceful countries in the world, I had never been to a crisis-affected country before. If someone had told me five years ago that I would one day work in Afghanistan, I would have thought they were out of their mind. But UNDP made it possible.
For three months, I worked with the UN Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA), a multi-partner trust fund administered by UNDP. I saw firsthand what decades of war and conflict do to a country and its people. In rural areas, I witnessed heart breaking poverty and hardship of the people living in very difficult conditions. It gave me a new appreciation for my own country. Here, in Mongolia, we often complain about small things, but it is incomparable to what I saw in Afghanistan.
I discovered how much more there is to Afghanistan than how the country is often portrayed in media. We only read about the country when something terrible happens. But the landscapes are breathtaking, and the people are extraordinarily hospitable. No matter how little they have, they welcome you with kindness and respect. I was deeply moved by their resilience. Many have known nothing but conflict their entire lives, yet they remain hopeful, eager to learn new skills, and determined to build better futures for themselves and their children.
And of course, working alongside our colleagues there with STFA was equally inspiring. They operate under constant security risks, yet they continue to deliver to the people every single day. For national staff, especially women, simply coming to work can mean risking their lives. Their courage left a lasting impression on me.
Experiences like Afghanistan change you. But growth never happens in isolation it takes a community that believes in you. I was able to take on this assignment because of a manager who trusted me, guided me, and encouraged my professional growth, and because of a country office team that carried the load while I was away. For that, I remain deeply grateful, especially to Matilda, our Resident Representative, whose support made it all possible.
At the UNOCA Compound during a detail assignment in Kabul, Afghanistan – 2024
Photo: Erdenesukh Otgonbayar
A growth fueled by the power of mentorship
As a strong believer in mentorship, I actively seek out inspiring individuals to learn from. After joining UNDP, I explored opportunities for mentorship within the organization and discovered Fuel50. While searching for a communications mentor, I came across Oisika. At the time, I only knew that she was a seasoned communications colleague working in our Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy. I sent her a request, never expecting a reply.
To my surprise, she accepted, and I later learned she was a senior leader. I am deeply grateful to her for believing in giving back to the younger generation. During our sessions, I could ask her anything, from professional challenges to personal growth. She listened, offered guidance, connected me with others, and shared her own experiences generously. She has been a role model in showing how leadership can be both impactful and deeply human.
Also, when you seek out intentionally, good mentors are everywhere, and I was privileged to be guided by many great colleagues including my direct supervisors who were leading our mission in Mongolia.
Beyond mentorship, I have found a strong sense of community within UNDP. Whether brainstorming campaign ideas with project teams or coordinating with regional communications colleagues, I have always felt supported and inspired by those around me.
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. I work closely with colleagues across our office and with communications teams in the Asia-Pacific region. These partnerships have helped amplify our stories and bring Mongolia’s challenges and successes to a global audience.
With UN Mongolia staff during the visit of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed – 2024
Photo: UNDP Mongolia
Why I work at UNDP
I think it is really hard to imagine a world without the UN or UNDP. Who would bring the realities of climate change, gender equality, and poverty to the global stage? Who would help countries recover from crises, who would help the countries prevent disasters, who would help them anticipate a better future collectively?
Also, it is the place where the brightest and kindest among us devote their knowledge, skills and talents to make a difference and contribute. Just seeing that you are privileged to be working with them and learning from them in this “community of development practitioners” truly driven by the mission, is one of the greatest feelings ever.
UNDP may not be a perfect organization, but no organization is ever perfect. But it is the one we have, and I believe it is the best we have. It is where local stories meet global action. And for me, looking back to my own roots, it is a privilege to be part of an organization that helps herders, people like my grandparents, adapt, recover, and build a future in harmony with the nature as the world, we all, should be.
I also believe that communications, effective communications, have a much larger role to play in making change happen as we work to address some of the most complex and toughest challenges of a country, region or the world. And to this end, I want to say ‘kudos’ to all the great communications colleagues of UNDP who make extraordinary efforts every day to tell the world our story, our impact and most importantly, why we, UNDP matters. It would be very hard to imagine a world without UNDP.
With UNDP Resident Representative, Matilda Dimovska the first graduating cohort of UNDP’s Student Ambassador Programme in Mongolia – 2024
Photo: UNDP Mongolia
It is where local stories meet global action. And for me, looking back to my own roots, it is a privilege to be part of an organisation that helps herders, people like my grandparents, adapt, recover, and build a future in harmony with nature as the world, we all, should be.Erdenesukh Otgonbayar
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