A/HRC/43/45/Add.2 years old for women according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 15 even small changes in the retirement age had a significant impact on the enjoyment of retirement. Further challenges are to be considered with the low retirement pensions and increasing number of people retiring, including creating social welfare conducive to their needs, preventing older persons from entering into poverty and ensuring access to basic services.16 18. Of particular concern is the fact that the expansion of the Child Money Programme would be financed by cutting one of the two current poverty programmes (the Poverty Benefit Programme). In its latest review, IMF indicated that the Child Money Programme had been insufficient to improve the living standards of the most vulnerable, and encouraged the Government to complement it with social programmes that better targeted those living in poverty.17 While well-targeted social programmes and more efficiency in the social policy sector are essential, the principle of universal coverage of social protection should always be the ultimate objective. In this regard, it is of concern that the number of beneficiaries under the Child Money Programme decreased from 994,159 in 2014 to 912,000 in 2018, despite the child population having been on an upward trend during the same period.18 19. The general budget allocated to social sectors has been subjected to relatively minor changes in comparison with the beginning of the decade, even with fiscal consolidation. This also means that when it comes to the health and education sectors, while the level of spending has remained relatively similar during growth peaks,19 the Government acknowledges that it has not increased sufficiently over that period.20 Public spending on education increased from 14–16 per cent of total government spending in 2006–2010 to 18–19 per cent in 2013–2014, but declined to 13 per cent in 2016.21 20. Primary, secondary and high school enrolment all remained above 98.6 per cent in 2017–18.22 While recurrent expenditures appeared to be the most important budgetary line, significant maintenance disbursements are to be expected in the coming years for public equipment and infrastructure.23 Furthermore, the Government has recently underlined that educational facilities do not always meet required standards, with, for instance, only 54 per cent of schools connected to centralized water and sanitation systems.24 Access to quality education can be challenging for some segments of the population, including for children from poor families, herders’ children and children with disabilities. Moreover, although the proportion of women graduating from secondary and higher-level education is greater than that of men, women are overrepresented in low-paid jobs and the informal sector. Besides occupational segregation, the wage gap remains significant, with men earning on average 11.4 per cent more.25 Women’s asymmetric unpaid care workload is high, yet often neglected in public policy design and national accounts. In 2011, it was estimated that, on average, the time dedicated by women to unpaid work on a weekly basis was more than twice that of men.26 21. When it comes to the health sector, while a slight increase in spending has been observed over the past 10 years, that rise has not resulted in improved quality of services.27 Despite 90 per cent of the population being covered by health insurance, it appears that quality, high-cost diagnostics and treatments, and medicine reimbursement remain important 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 See www.who.int/countries/mng/en (accessed 30 December 2019). Mongolia, Voluntary National Review Report 2019, p. 47. IMF, Mongolia: 2019 Article IV Consultation – Press Release, Staff Report and Statement by the Executive Director for Mongolia (Washington, D.C., 2019), p. 17. Figures provided by the Government (on file). Ibid. Mongolia, Voluntary National Review Report 2019, p. 17. World Bank Group, Mongolia: Growing without Undue Borrowing, p. 107. Mongolia, Voluntary National Review Report 2019, p. 21. World Bank Group, Mongolia: Growing without Undue Borrowing, p. 113. Mongolia, Voluntary National Review Report 2019, pp. 21–22. Ibid., p. 22. Otgontugs Banzragch, “Mongolia: time use surveys and policy case study”, May 2019. World Bank Group, Growing without Undue Borrowing, p. 119. 5