Stefanie: Let me first thank you for accepting the invitation to share your experience at SDC with our readers. You have been working with us for many years and, of course, I am curious to know why you joined SDC.
Zaya: I joined SDC in 2009 as Deputy Project Manager of the Animal Health Project. We’ve been a very small but efficient team. It wasn’t easy for all of us to get used to the enormous number of SDC abbreviations, as even staff names had to be reduced to a few letters. It’s part of the SDC culture, with various nationalities and representatives around the world. They’re easy to memorize, DUGZA is mine, but it takes time. While working on the project, I was interested in discovering different SDC modalities as a donor agency with a diverse and broad spectrum of operations that are well-targeted and tailored to the needs of national partners. The flexibility in decision-making and the approachability of management were fascinating and are anchored in the Swiss government’s decentralized system and mentality. Working with SDC allowed me to discover beautiful corners of our country while exploring local potential. SDC prioritizes the professional development and empowerment of local staff, which I found to be distinguishing characteristics of a donor agency.
Treating national counterparts equally based on development partnership principles is the foundation for SDC’s working modality. We introduced our approach with the "4-J" principle: joint planning, joint implementation, joint funding, and joint monitoring. Aid coordination and efficiency are crucial factors for the ownership and sustainability of our results. SDC remains actively engaged in some sectoral cooperation, e.g., governance and decentralization. In the context of Mongolia, where sectoral and inter-sectoral cooperation is still not a top priority for the government, we had to assume the role of supporting the government in coordinating different stakeholders.
Stefanie: It is great to hear that you were one of the initiators of bringing in new working modalities and principles like "4-J", which you just mentioned. These are also very important principles for me. If I am correct, you have worked in different domains over the years. Perhaps you may share with us which topics you feel confident about.
Zaya: When I joined the SCO in 2011 as a National Programme Officer, I was given responsibility for a variety of interesting projects in SME development, agriculture, NGO organizational development, and health, among others. Since 2013, I have had an interesting "assignment" from management to completely change my thematic focus. The primary reasons were my German language skills and "multikulti" (multi-cultural) experiences as we were developing a new partnership with GIZ. Because Germany and Switzerland have the same dual vocational education system, we planned to team up with GIZ on a vocational skills development project. Since then, I have been responsible for projects predominantly in social sectors: youth development, TVET, vocational skills development, secondary education, scholarships, gender, and health related to the issue of air pollution. Youth is our future and our treasure, and investing in children and youth can generate wealth for the country. However, it should be promoted for its complexity of hard and soft skills, as well as individual and systemic layers.
Stefanie: Yes, I definitely agree with you. Youth should be at the center of our attention, particularly in countries such as Mongolia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Do you have a favorite project or a favorite topic? I know you to be a very passionate and committed colleague. You’re working hard for a better world and to further develop the education sector, right?
Zaya: Working at the intersection of youth employment promotion and skills development was particularly interesting but demanding, as we had separate projects and different implementing partners. Delivering synergistic results was not an easy task, but it was extremely rewarding. To me, the success of any project or programme is determined by its design and the implementer's capabilities. I was fortunate to design and co-author the new and follow-up phases of approximately 14 projects. We had excellent teams of Mongolian and international experts who were co-creators of the success of all the government and non-government partner organizations I worked with. Co-steering and supervising development projects towards expected results and sustainability is a challenging and exciting experience. As the results of the Education for Sustainable Development project confirm our experiences, the ownership of the national partners – which we jointly nurture from the start – is the key to success.
Stefanie: If you had the money and power to decide what to do, what would you do with it?
Zaya: What are the first words you associate with Mongolia? I bet the words "pristine nature" and "rich history" would certainly come before others. Given the opportunity, I would immediately look for co-funding opportunities to develop the tourism and hospitality sector in Mongolia, using the comparative advantages and knowledge of Switzerland as a top-performing country in this sector. The Mongolian government is trying, but not smart or hard enough. Tourism promotion does not begin with the vague goal of bringing in millions of tourists but with a firm and long-term commitment as a country and as individuals to provide services that meet visitors' expectations as much as possible. The Swiss government is agile to global changes and emerging priorities. Working with the private sector was almost forbidden in SDC 10 years ago, but now it is a priority for development cooperation to forge and maintain partnerships with them. This provides excellent opportunities for the Mongolian and Swiss private sectors to build on.
Stefanie: Where do you see the upcoming challenges for the youth?
Zaya: Education in Mongolia is still very much focused on theoretical knowledge. Education and research are still not aligned with the country’s economic development and labour market demand. Mongolia, on the other hand, is currently at a crossroads in defining its education development pathways. SDC is supporting Mongolia through interventions that promote a holistic approach, project-based learning, and school-based curricula. However, it will take time for the changes to produce the desired results.
On top of digital and financial literacy, analytical and critical thinking skills are in urgent need. The impact of climate change at the global level, particularly in vulnerable Mongolia, requires a firmer commitment from policymakers and transformative action taken by every citizen. Instead of waiting for solutions from elsewhere, today’s youngsters have to be much more proactive and take the initiative into their own hands to develop themselves, influence policies, and make positive changes. Opportunities are evident; it’s a matter of using them.
Stefanie: It’s amazing to listen to your rich experiences and your views. Thank you so much. Would you like to still add something, a message that is important to you or to our readers?
Zaya: I would like you to take a deep breath, close your eyes, and envision a better world for your children, your country, and Mother Earth. What does it look like, and what would you do for that? Why not start right now?
