Orders, decorations, and medals of Mongolia are governed by the laws ofMongolia on awards.
Titles in Mongolia have a history dating back to the time of theMongol Empire.[1] For example, the title of Baatar (“Hero”) was traditionally awarded to military leaders.[1] At the beginning of the 20th century, Russia played a key role in establishing Mongolia's independence fromChina.[1] To honor this contribution, theOrder of the Vajra (translated as the “Order of the Precious Rod/Precious Wand”) was created for Mongolian nobility and foreigners, the latter were almost exclusively Russians.[1] The order, divided into two degrees with four and five ranks correspondigly, was abolished after theMongolian Revolution of 1921.[2][1]
Later on during theCold War, state awards returned to the mainstream, with Mongolian designs being patterned off of the Soviet model.[1] Many of the higher Mongolian awards were also manufactured in the Soviet Union.[1] In 1936, the new Mongolian state had formally enshrined the title of “Hero” by law, and in 1941, the “Badge of the Hero” was established.[1] In 1956 the Hero of Labor Golden Soyombo Medal was added to the Mongolian awards system.[1] A unique title, known as "Honorary Freeman of the Mongolian People’s Republic" was for Soviet leaderLeonid Brezhnev to commemorate his visit toUlaanbaatar in 1974.[1]
Unlike the situation after thefall of the Soviet Union, the communist-era awards of theMongolian People's Republic were not abolished after theMongolian Revolution of 1990, with many being awarded to this day.[1] Besides this, the Order of the Vajra (Precious Rod) was re-established in 1991, and in 2005 the firstOrder of Genghis Khan was awarded.
Since there is lack of a single law regulating state awards and decorations – currently the process is based on various pieces of legislation, including a 1990 decree by the People's Great Khural, a 1999 Decree No. 71 of the President of Mongolia and others – there have been many calls and initiatives to reform the award system since then. In 2009, the Office of the President of Mongolia started a phased development of a draft law in 2009. By September/December 2015, the draft Law on State Awards was published on the office's website, after the initial version, published in April 2014, was amended after consultations.[3] A contest to select new designs for the highest state orders and medals was held and results were announced on 9 October 2014.
Some of the published designs include an updated Hero of Mongolia badge with a Mongolian flag-styled ribbon; a new badge of the State Treasure title featuring theMahayana BuddhistThree Jewels; a slightly changed version of the Order of Genghis Khan; de-communized and updated designs for the Order of the Polar Star, the Order of Mother Heroine, the Honored Worker of Mongolia title and the State Cultural Prize badge, featuring the currentEmblem of Mongolia; a new Honorary Medal of Labor, Honorary Medal of Combat, Just Actions Medal (Fair Procedure Medal) Friendship Medal design.[4]
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Highest awards:
High awards:
Other awards:
Medals:
In January 2016, PresidentTsakhiagiin Elbegdorj presented the draft bill in a press conference.[5] It was announced that the draft law would go in effect on 1 October 2016, however, it is unclear, if the law was implemented, since some of the original awards of the People's Republic period are still presented (as of 2024).[6]
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