Statement of Francesco Saldarini, a Partner of the Mongolian National Federation of Pasture User Groups (MNFPUG) Union:
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Mongolian National Federation of Pasture User Groups (MNFPUG) Union represents 70% of Mongolian herder households and cooperatives, or 1/3 of the total Mongolia population, and it’s been established in 2015 by the Swiss Government Office for Development and Cooperation (SDC in Mongolia) in the course of the Green Gold of Mongolia project.
MNFPUG “business model” has won Milan EXPO 2015 award as best project in the world for a Sustainable Development, and its social relevance and economic strategic role in Mongolia has been officially endorsed by the US Government and the Italian Government, and the Office of the EU Council President Charles Michel is fully updated about our institutional activity https://twitter.com/MNFPUG_Cashmere).
MNFPUG is the sole proprietor of the “Responsible Nomads” Code of Best Herding practice which now has been adopted by the Government of Mongolia as the only official National Standard for Sustainable Herding (MNS 6891:2020 Government standard).
MNFPUG has been appointed to manage and enforce nationwide said Official standard by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Light Industry (MOFALI), and also is the sole proprietor of the so called “Responsible Nomads” blockchain traceability system.
MNFPUG in the course of its core institutional activity, has shared its know-how with other partners (e.g. AVSF, UNDP, FAO, etc.), also by meaning of written agreements and in the course of other projects which MNFPUG was or still is a managing partner of, such as for instance the Step Ecolab Project funded by the European Union’s Switch Asia program, or UNDP Sustainable Cashmere Round Table (UNDP ScRT), yet the ownership of such a know-how still solely remains MNFPUG’s.
MNFPUG moreover is the sole owner of all Mongolian Certifications of Origin (GIs) of Cashmere fiber produced in Mongolia.
MNFPUG has now asked the European Commission to be recognized under the European Union regulation for PGI / IGP certification, which MNFPUG is the only Mongolian Organization entitled to apply for for Mongolian Cashmere fiber, according also to WTO TRIPS reciprocity agreements.
The European Commission has transmitted to MNFPUG a formal letter which acknowledge officially the opening of the registration process, as published also on the EU Commission website at https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/food-safety-and-quality/certification/quality-labels/geographical-indications-register/details/EUGI00000019119.
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As per the Sustainable Cashmere of Mongolia PGI website, MNFPUG Union’s Partners include: Mongolian Government Organizations (Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry (MOFALI), State Great Khural, Parliament of Mongolia, General Veterinary Authority, Agency of Land Management, Geodesy and Cartography and, Agency of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environmental Monitoring); International Organizations (United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), European Commission, United States of America, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, European Commission, Switch Asia Development Programme, The United States Trade Representative (USTR), US Agency for International Development (USAID), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO), United Nations University – International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), The Jornada Rangeland Research Programs, International Land Coalition (ILC), and Rangeland Initiative GlobalOther Organizations. Other partner organizations include Saldarini Cashmere Flakes, Saldarini 1882, Como – Italy, Mongolian Wool & Cashmere Association, and around 20 other entities.
