Supporting Judges, Strengthening Trust: Ethics Advisory Committee Visits Three Provinces
When judges face difficult ethical dilemmas in their work, where can they turn for confidential guidance? This is one of the practical questions that the Mongolian Judges Association's Ethics Advisory Committee (EAC) was created to answer. For the first time, EAC members traveled together with Mongolian Judges Association President D. Batbaatar and the EJAM project team to meet judges directly in Orkhon, Darkhan-Uul, and Selenge provinces, from May 20 to 23, 2026.
Public trust in courts depends, in large part, on confidence that judges uphold the highest standards of integrity and impartiality. Yet maintaining those standards is not always straightforward. Judges regularly encounter complex situations where the right course of action is genuinely difficult to determine. The EAC exists precisely to help with these situations, offering judges a confidential and voluntary space to seek guidance without fear of judgment or disciplinary consequence.
Over three days, the mission reached 37 judges from provincial and inter-soum courts across the three provinces. Each session combined presentations, open discussions, and individual consultations. Judges were introduced to the EAC's mandate and services, and to five real advisory opinions the committee has already issued, covering situations such as conflicts of interest arising from family relationships within the same court, obligations around recusal and disclosure, how to respond when a colleague acts improperly, and the relationship between judicial independence and administrative requirements. The sessions also examined the root causes of common disciplinary violations, including communication and management challenges within courts.
Individual confidential consultations were offered at each stop, and most participants took the opportunity to meet one-on-one with EAC members. Many judges shared that they had previously been uncertain about how to access ethics support. The mission helped clarify that the EAC is an advisory body, entirely separate from any disciplinary process, and that its support is available to any judge who needs it.
That clarity matters more than it might seem. A judge who knows where to turn when facing a difficult ethical question is better placed to make the right call. And when judges make the right call, the people who appear before them, ordinary citizens seeking fair outcomes, are better protected. Extending that support to provincial courts is not just an institutional milestone; it is a practical step toward a justice system that works equally well for everyone, wherever they live in Mongolia.
Established in September 2023, the EAC comprises nine judges drawn from courts across the country, from the Supreme Court to appellate and first instance courts, reflecting the full breadth of Mongolia's judiciary. Members serve three-year terms, and the current cohort will hand over to incoming members this October. The EJAM project, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada (FJA), supports the committee in strengthening its capacity and extending its reach to courts across Mongolia.
