Let’s have a closer look at each of them:
Parliament is the primary institution of representative democracy, which comprises the people’s representatives and passes laws on their behalf.
On September 13, 1990, the State Baga Khural, the first permanent parliament, started its activities. This permanent parliament resulted from democratic elections, an important and historical step for Mongolia. After that, the structure and organization of the Secretariat of the State Baga Khural were approved by order of the Chairman of the State Baga Khural on September 24, 1990, and the foundation of Parliament’s specialized services was laid.
The main role of the country’s parliamentary service is to provide professional, methodological, technical, and organizational assistance. This is part of Parliament's mandate to enact, review, and represent the people. According to this common standard, the Secretariat of the State Great Khural works to support the State Great Khural in effectively implementing its powers stipulated in the Constitution and other laws.
To implement Parliament’s legislative activities in accordance with the law and provide real representation and citizen participation, the staff and experts of the secretariat provide advice and assistance at all stages, from supporting the initiation and submission of laws by members of Parliament to the approval of a bill. Unfortunately, the secretariat staff sometimes lacks the full knowledge to implement their roles effectively and efficiently. Therefore, through Swiss support, a tailor-made capacity-building program was started, the Training and Empowerment of Legislative Drafters and a system for training qualified lawmakers is in place.
Of course, each system has to be regularly monitored to further develop it in the time required. In 2019, amendments to the Constitution expanded the monitoring and inspection functions of the State Great Khural. In 2021, the Law on Oversight of the State Great Khural was approved and implemented. Under the law, the State Great Khural has to supervise and evaluate the law's implementation, analyze state-funded projects according to international standards, establish and operate ad hoc review committees, and organize public hearings. The Secretariat of the State Great Khural provides support and advice in all areas in the implementation of these parliamentary duties.
The Secretariat of the State Great Khural is implementing expert exchange programs and other technical cooperation measures for parliamentary supervision with the Swiss Parliamentary Service for five years, including the assessment of legislative implementation. Today, the Office of Parliament has its own monitoring and evaluation department. Procedures and methods for evaluating the consequences of a law’s enforcement have been established, and the qualifications and skills of employees are improving.
Ultimately, Parliament's primary function is to represent the people. The State Great Khural’s Secretariat supports the members of Parliament in representative functions to receive and resolve citizens' suggestions, requests, and petitions and improve feedback. In addition, the Parliamentary Education Program has been implemented to share the correct understanding of Parliament and its activities with children, youth, and other citizens. This program is very successful and a crucial part of the project. It is so important that children and the youth, the citizens who will participate in future political life, have basic knowledge of how their own governmental and political systems function.
Let us finish this article with some perspectives on digitalization, supporting transparent processes and access to knowledge for everyone. Each Member of Parliament is elected through the people's votes and performs the prestigious and responsible role of a Member of Parliament for a specific period. The Parliamentary Office, on the other hand, remains stable and continues policy succession.
For this reason, in addition to creating normal conditions for the functioning of Parliament, the Parliament Secretariat pays attention to the provision of scientific and evidence-based research and information to guide the legislative process, and more and more, Parliament’s digital transition through the use of modern techniques and technological advances.
Since 2017 there has been a close relationship between the Mongolian and Swiss parliamentary services. Fruitful exchanges, formal and informal, through visits to each country, are part of this partnership.
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