Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene

Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrain (Лувсаннамсрайн Оюун-Эрдэнэ; born 29 June 1980) is a Mongolian politician who is the prime minister of Mongolia since 27 January 2021.

Oyu Tolgoi works with more than 500 national suppliers and has spent around $15 billion in Mongolia since 2010, including $4 billion of taxes, fees and other payments to the state budget.

According to Rio Tinto, Oyu Tolgoi is expected to produce an average of 500,000 tons of copper per year from 2028 to 2036 from the open pit and underground, which would be enough to produce around 6 million electric vehicles per year, and an average of close to 290,000 tons over the reserve life of around 30 years.

Speaking at the commencement ceremony, the Prime Minister said “I am proud to celebrate this major milestone with our partner Rio Tinto as we look towards Mongolia becoming one of the world’s key copper producers.

The start of underground production at Oyu Tolgoi demonstrates our ability to work together with investors in a sustainable manner and become a trusted partner.

A partnership between Rio Tinto and Mongolia, the Oyu Tolgoi open pit and concentrator have been operating since 2011.

The total workforce of Oyu Tolgoi is currently around 20,000 people, of which 97% are Mongolian.

Oyun-Erdene then graduated from Harvard University in 2015 with a master's degree in Public Policy.

He has been elected to the State Great Khural (Parliament) twice since 2016.

In 2016, he was elected as a Member of Parliament in Mongolia for Khentii.

He led multiple demonstrations, most notably one held in 2018 involving more than 30,000 citizens against government corruption.

Prior to becoming the prime minister, Oyun-Erdene was a Minister and Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat of the government of Mongolia from 2 February 2019 to 27 January 2021.

The 2019 amendments strengthened the powers of the Prime Minister.

During his time in this role, Oyun-Erdene drafted plans for a 5-year program to expand Mongolia's digital infrastructure.

The first action of this program was rolling-out E-Mongolia, an online platform which provides 182 different services to citizens.

Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene was appointed Prime Minister of Mongolia on January 27, 2021.

He reshuffled his cabinet and appointed new ministers on August 30, 2022.

Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene's priorities as Prime Minister include increasing Mongolia’s energy independence, expanding Mongolia’s links with the rest of the world, supporting the long-term expansion of the Mongolian economy, reforming government and tackling corruption.

In December 2021, Oyun-Erdene introduced the New Recovery Policy (or New Revival Policy) as part of Mongolia’s Vision 2050 program, focused on diversifying Mongolia’s economy, supporting the country’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and driving long-term development.

The policy contains six pillars with each aimed at tackling existing economic constraints and unlocking growth in the following areas: border ports, energy, industrialization, urban and rural development, green development and state efficiency.

Partially as a result of the New Recovery Policy beginning to be implemented, the country’s economy grew by 4% in 2022, having been forecasted to grow by just 2.6%.

The Mongolian budget deficit was reduced by 60%, with exports increasing.

In December 2022, the Government announced that Mongolia had paid off the 1.5 billion USD ‘Chinggis bond’, a key milestone in the country’s long-term debt management strategy.

In 2023, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development forecasted that Mongolia’s economy would see 7.2% growth in 2023 and 7.5% in 2024.

Under the New Recovery Policy, Mongolia has already built the Zuunbayan-Khangi rail link, which opened in November 2022, and started construction on the New Settlement Zone of Khushigt Valley.

Other New Recovery Policy Projects completed in 2022 include the Borkh solar thermal power plant charge storage system in Uliastgai and the solar thermal power plant hybrid system in Altai soum.

On 29 November 2022, the Government of Mongolia unveiled a major package of measures to promote the country as a growing tourist destination.

This included the Government launch of its ‘Welcome to Mongolia’ campaign, as well as designating 2023-2025 as the ‘Years to Visit Mongolia’.

The aim of the campaign is to encourage overseas travelers to visit Mongolia for both leisure and tourism.

The Government’s reforms are focused on opening up more travel routes, modernizing Mongolia’s visa system and reducing the cost of flights to the country.

In June 2022, Mongolia started allowing South Koreans to enter and stay without a visa for up to 90 days.

In January 2023, nationals of 34 countries became exempt from visa requirements for those traveling to Mongolia for tourism purposes.

In August 2023, during Oyun-Erdene’s visit to the United States, the Prime Minister met with Vice President Kamala Harris and held a joint press conference.

During the visit, it was announced that there would be direct flights between the US and Mongolia starting in 2024.

In December 2022, Oyun-Erdene’s government launched its new online procurement portal, Mindgolia, to boost the country’s tech sector and to transition the country’s economy “from mining to mind.” The website allows companies to search for products by software category, view reviews, and choose products and services by looking at other people’s ratings of them.

In April 2023, Oyun-Erdene launched the E-Business online platform to help businesses start and grow more easily, cutting down on bureaucracy and waiting times by streamlining exchanges between government and business.

At the Mongolia Economic Forum in July 2023, the Government announced an agreement with SpaceX and Starlink to launch a new era of high-speed internet connectivity.

Mongolia now has two licences for SpaceX to operate as an internet provider in Mongolia using low-orbit satellites.

In August 2023, during Oyun-Erdene’s official visit to the United States, it was announced that Google would be partnering with Mongolia to enhance the digital skills of Mongolian teachers and young people, including the provision of 20,000 Chromebooks to schools.

On 13 March 2023, the Prime Minister joined Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm 1.3 km underground to celebrate the commencement of underground production at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in the Gobi Desert.