MONGOLIAN SELECTED FOR AF DEVELOPMENT FELLOW PROGRAM

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Mongolian G.Badruun has been selected as one of ten young people to get involved in the Asia Foundation Development Program. G.Badruun (26), executive director of the Zorig Foundation, was selected as such for his efforts to address issues of good governance, youth and education, and community development in Mongolia. After graduating from Stanford University in 2009, he started working at the Zorig Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that aims at spreading democratic values in Mongolian society; strengthening human rights, political freedoms, and social justice; and improving the system of transparency and accountability of the state and government to the public. The five men and five women – an accomplished group of inspirational young professionals working in government, nonprofit organizations, social enterprises, and media representing nine Asian countries such as Mongolia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Nepal, Timor Leste and Thailand– will take part in this new initiative designed to support emerging development leaders in Asia. Increasingly, across the region, a new generation of reform-minded individuals is creating lasting solutions to Asia’s most critical development issues. The Fellows were selected from a group of over 600 extraordinary candidates from over 20 Asian counties who responded to the Foundation’s October 2013 call for applicants. The 2014 Asia Foundation Development Fellows are talented individuals, under age 40, who have demonstrated outstanding leadership potential within their professional fields and within their larger community. They each have experiences and accomplishments related to The Asia Foundation’s fields of expertise – governance and law, economic development, women’s empowerment, environment, and regional cooperation. The 2014 program will include a customized Leadership Training Program held in partnership with the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore; an applied Workshop on Asia Development in the Philippines; a small grant of up to $5,000 for each Fellow to design a custom professional development plan or project to be implemented over the course of the year; a mentoring program that links Fellows with experienced and respected leaders who have participated in Asia’s progress and growth; and, a capstone two-week leadership dialogue and exchange in Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, coinciding with the Foundation’s 60th Anniversary celebrations.