Population figures
Total country population
3,493,629
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
10
Asylum-seekers:
0
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
0
Other people in need of international protection:
0
Other
Statelessness persons
17
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
5
Country context
Mongolia is an enclaved country located in East and Central Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. The country is characterized by vast steppes, deserts, and mountain ranges, with the majority of the population concentrated in the capital city Ulaanbaatar.
Mongolia is neither a party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees nor its following 1967 Protocol. Moreover, the state of Mongolia has not acceded to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. However, the Constitution of Mongolia ensures and respects the right to asylum, and the government has established a legal framework for the entry, exit, and residence of foreign citizens and stateless persons through the Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens, which also guarantees equal legal rights between foreign nationals and citizens. This law outlines the rights and responsibilities of foreign citizens and stateless persons, including provisions for political asylum and residence status.
...The Constitution of Mongolia promulgated in 1992, affirms in its Article 18 (4) “Foreign citizens or stateless persons persecuted for their beliefs, or political or other activities and who are pursuing justice, may be granted asylum in Mongolia on the basis of their well-founded requests.” Furthermore, the Law on the Status of Foreign Citizens states in its article 6 (1) and (2) “Foreign citizens who are the subject of political persecution in another country for holding ideas, which are appreciated in Mongolia, may be granted the right to residence and State protection”.
UNHCR, has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation with the Government of Mongolia (Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Office of Immigration, Naturalisation and Foreign Citizens) on 26 May 2007. The MoU is the main modus operandi for all concerned parties governing the documentation, residence permit issuance, refugee status determination and assistance to asylum-seekers and refugees and the identification of durable solutions for them.
Statelessness in Mongolia primarily affects individuals of ethnic Kazakh descent who may have renounced their Mongolian nationality upon moving to Kazakhstan in the early 1990s but were unable to gain Kazakh citizenship. Many of these individuals returned to Mongolia, and consequently became stateless. The process of reacquiring Mongolian nationality is often lengthy and complicated, with verification procedures involving the Kazakh government. Moreover, the government does not allow dual nationality, thus pushing a foreign citizen to renounce his/her present nationality. This requirement often leads to stateliness due to the long process of acquiring Mongolian nationality.
Mongolia does not report significant numbers of internally displaced persons. Most internal displacement occur due to environmental factors, such as harsh winters known as "dzuds," that can lead to temporary displacement of herder communities. These instances are typically short-term, with affected populations often lacking formal recognition or assistance.
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