Rural Business News reporters honored

Ch. Batpurev, economic journalist for Rural Business News, won second place in a special award ceremony in Ulaanbaatar on December 22 to recognize the journalist who had done the most to promote the UNDP's 2004 Mongolian Human Development Report.

The award was sponsored by the UNDP and implemented by the Training and Research Center of Denmark and Mongolia NGO. Batpurev took second place for an article he wrote on the disparities between urban and rural areas in Mongolia that was published in RBN in June 2004.

The article examined the discrepancies in people's income, levels of consumption and living environments in the city and in country areas.

"Numerous journalists participated in this competition," Batpurev said. "soI am really happy to be selected as one of the best."

On the same night, another of RBN journalist, business reporter D. Gerelt-Od, was named student of the year in his Bachelor of Business Administration degree at the Institute of Finance and Economy.

Rural Business News is a monthly publication that covers market and economic news for rural herders and producers. The magazine now has the largest circulation of any business publication in Mongolia and is a part of the USAID Gobi Initiative to support market-led economic development in the Gobi region. Pact and Mercy Corps are implementers of the project.