National Emergency Management Agency

The National Emergency Management Agency or NEMA is a paramilitary government agency overseeing emergency services in Mongolia. It was established with the duty to conduct nationwide post-disaster activities. It is similar to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations. It is responsible for developing environmental legislation as well as managing the fall out from natural disasters and conducting rescue work. The Civil Defense Directorate of the Mongolian Armed Forces is the main executive body responsible for implementing civil defense measures, functioning under the direct authority by the Minister of Defense. History The first civil defense in the country was established in 1964 as an affiliated service to the Mongolian People's Army. Emergency services in the country have dated back to 1922 when they were first formed at the initiative of the partisan leader Damdin Sükhbaatar. The unit established in the 1960s was known as the 122nd Civil Defense Battalion of the MPA as part of the expansion of the army. All citizens were obliged to participate in civil defense training organized by the Civil Defense Office of the Ministry of Defense. In 1982, there were 600 civil defense units in Mongolia. Since the 1980s, civil defense exercises have been directed toward the improvement of the operational stability of organizations and enterprises. The Law on the Civil Defense of Mongolia, adopted by the State Great Hural in 1994, stated that "civil defense is a complex of measures aimed at the prevention, protection and rescue of the population and their property from afflictions caused by mass destruction weapons". In 1997, the Mongolian Armed Forces had 20,000 military personnel, 500 of which were part of the civil defense forces. NEMA was established by the State Great Khural in June 2003 and is currently part of the Government of Mongolia. In 2017, a chemical branch was formed. Organization