Nomin Chinbat

Chinbat Nomin (Mongolia: Чинбатын Номин; born 10 June 1983) is a Mongolian politician who has been the Mongolian Minister of Culture since January 29, 2021. Following the 2024 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister of Mongolia Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene appointed her as the Minister of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth on July 10, 2024.

Early life
Nomin was born and raised in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Nomin studied in the United Kingdom first at Abbey College Cambridge and then the University of East Anglia, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Accounting in 2006. Nomin is also a graduate of Harvard Business School in 2018.

Career prior to politics
Prior to assuming her ministerial position, Nomin worked in media and hospitality.

In 2008, Nomin established the Terelj Hotel Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's first five-star hotel and a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. It was awarded World Luxury Hotel of the Year – Mongolia in 2010.

In 2009, she founded Mongol TV and was its CEO until January 2021. Mongol TV quickly became the most viewed independent channel in Mongolia. During her time at Mongol TV, Nomin introduced global television programs, such as Mongolia's Got Talent, The Apprentice Mongolia and The Voice Mongolia.

A fierce advocate for independent media, in 2015 Nomin was elected Founding Chair of the first self-regulatory press ombudsman, the Mongolia Media Council. Nomin was selected as one of the "Top 25 Women in Television" by the Hollywood Reporter in 2013. She left her roles at Mongol TV and the Mongolia Media Council in 2021 when she accepted her current government role.

Additionally, Nomin is a Young Global Leader with the World Economic Forum. She was listed as one of Forbes Mongolia's "30 under 30" in 2017.

Career in Government
In January 2021, Nomin was appointed as the Minister of Culture for the Government of Mongolia by Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene. As the Minister of Culture, Nomin is responsible for overseeing the delivery of cultural events and preserving Mongolian culture.

Following the announcement of Mongolia's Vision 2050 and the New Recovery Policy, Nomin has lead responsibility for the key role of Mongolian culture during this period of development and industrialization, promoting Mongolian culture and arts abroad and encouraging international tourism to the country.

Since March 2023, Nomin has been Chair of the Government's National Committee for International Communications and Media, which focuses on the promotion of Mongolia overseas via extending invitations to international media organisations to visit Mongolia, and by supporting Mongolian artists in showcasing their works abroad.

Additionally, Nomin has been a strong advocate for equal opportunities and increased gender equality in politics, particularly at a ministerial level. In August 2023, she was elected as the Head of the International Women’s Organisation of Asian Political Parties during the branch session of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties.

Law of Museums
In January 2021, the Mongolian Parliament passed the Bill on Museums to create a favourable legal environment to safeguard and conserve cultural items, increase economic and social benefits for museums and improve the quality of museum services. The inaugural museum law establishes a legal framework for museum operations, streamlines laws and regulations to prevent duplication, and promotes the sustainable development of museums in accordance with pertinent legislation. Moreover, this law allows for free admission for children under 16 visiting museums. Additionally, museum staff directly engaged with museum exhibits are entitled to a bonus equivalent to one year's salary once every eight years.

Law on Culture
In 2021, Nomin comprehensively revised the Law on Culture with Government amendments added to provide state support for cultural activities and increased efforts to protect Mongolia’s culture. The Law also looked to expand cultural studies and education as well as promoting public private partnerships in these areas. It has played a crucial role in protecting Mongolian national heritage from the influence of foreign cultures in addition to promoting the economic utilization of Mongolia’s cultural legacy.

Supporting Mongolia's creative industries
In her role, Nomin has spearheaded a number of initiatives to encourage further development of Mongolia's creative industries, including the introduction of legislation in Mongolia's parliament to establish the Mongolian National Film Council and a range of competitive tax rebates for international movie production in Mongolia – a move the Parliament approved in July 2021.

In May 2022, it was announced that Nomin would lead a delegation of Mongolian filmmakers and other industry figures to the Cannes Film Festival for the launch of the Mongolian National Film Council (MNFC).

The MNFC, in collaboration with the Film Bridge Development Association, hosted the first Kharkhorum International Film Festival (KIFF) in Ulaanbaatar in December 2023. KIFF is a human rights film festival and was launched in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Day. In collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, KIFF looks to present an array of films with important themes to a global audience.

In May 2023, Nomin launched the “Cultural Revival” campaign as part of Mongolia’s Vision 2050 policy. The campaign showcased the Mongolian arts across Ulaanbaatar, covering 21 aimags, 330 soums and 15 tosgons from May to October 2023. This included cultural and arts performances, as well as the involvement of local and national arts and cultural organizations.

Cultural and Creative Industries Policy
Under Nomin’s leadership, the Ministry of Culture has introduced a new Cultural and Creative Industries Policy for Mongolia, showcasing a commitment to foster a sustainable, inclusive, and dynamic creative economy. This initiative is grounded in a comprehensive assessment of Mongolia's cultural and creative sector policies and opportunities. Supervised by the newly formed senior-level Creative Economy Advisory Group, a public-private partnership, this endeavor assumes the joint responsibility of leading policy development and advocating for Mongolia's creative economy.

Aligned with the 2021-2024 National Strategy and Vision 2050, the Policy outlines a decade-long trajectory for Mongolia's Creative Economy. It emphasizes leveraging Mongolia's distinct strengths, addressing existing gaps, and seizing opportunities to cultivate and expand the country's cultural and creative industries. It is anticipated that with these reforms, the cultural sector’s contribution to Mongolia’s GDP will grow to 4% by 2030.

Under the stewardship of the Ministry of Culture, the Policy represents a strategic commitment across the entire Government of Mongolia. This holistic approach recognizes that fostering the creative economy necessitates innovative policies spanning education, skills development, finance, investment, infrastructure (including digital infrastructure), social development, and health and well-being. Moreover, the creative economy intersects with vital sectors such as tourism, digital industries, and manufacturing, fostering cross-sectoral innovation and sustainable economic growth.

Law of Mongolia on Promotion of Film Art
A key part of the Minister’s and Government’s efforts to support Mongolia’s creative industries was the passage of the Law of Mongolia on Promotion of Film Art, which aims to foster a more conducive environment for filmmaking in Mongolia. This provides a 30% reimbursement if $500,000 or more is spent by a foreign production team in Mongolia, a 10% cultural reimbursement if the film highlights Mongolia’s culture and heritage, and a 20% incentive to Mongolian filmmakers who promote the Mongolian culture and heritage internationally. Additionally, foreign film crews and actors can receive a 5% reimbursement, making for a total potential reimbursement of 45%. These schemes came into effect in January 2022.

Turkey
In November 2022, Nomin met with Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkiye Mehmet Ersoy, President of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) Serkan Kayalar and Ambassador of Turkiye to Mongolia Zafer Ates to discuss the expansion of cultural cooperation between Mongolia and Turkiye. Since the TIKA office was established in Ulaanbaatar, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Government of Turkiye have implemented over 770 projects, with many of these focused on promoting the two countries’ shared historical and cultural values. The two ministers also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support cooperation between artistic and cultural institutions, including theatres, libraries and museums.

United Kingdom
Minister Chinbat has also worked to strengthen cultural ties with the UK, including around the staging of the epic Mongolian drama “The Mongol Khan” at the London Coliseum theatre in November–December 2023. Its showing in London is part of a broader effort to promote global awareness of Mongolian culture. The show was reported to have been booked out during every performance during its two week run.

During Minister Nomin’s November 2023 visit to the UK for the opening of “The Mongol Khan”, she met with a number of leading politicians, including UK Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, to discuss how both the UK and Mongolia can work to strengthen their bi-lateral cultural ties. She also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Royal Academy of Arts in London, paving the way for a new “Arts of the Mongol World” exhibit to showcase art inspired and influenced by Mongolia.

While in the UK in November 2023, Nomin signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Cambridge on the collaboration for a new study on the legacy of Genghis Khan. The Minister said that she hopes the project will “help foster the next generation of Mongolian studies” and that the partnership would “strengthen understanding of the Mongol Empire’s impact across the world.”

In July 2023, The Mongolian National Museum and the Mongolia and Inner Asia Studies Unit at the University of Cambridge signed a Memorandum of Understanding to enable bilateral cooperation on Mongolian students and sciences, exchanges of researchers and joint research. As part of this, a special exhibition on “Mongolian Shamanic Tradition” was displayed in Ulaanbaatar in September 2023.

France
In France, hundreds of Mongolian artifacts were put on display at the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne museum in Nantes in the “Genghis Khan: How the Mongols Changed the World” exhibition, in partnership with the Mongolian Ministry of Culture. As part of the cultural exchange, visitors will be able view of 400 objects never before shown in Europe from November 2023 to May 2024.

Work to identify and safeguard Mongolian artifacts
In November 2023, Minister Chinbat called for support from countries such as the UK and Russia to assist with identifying and where appropriate repatriating hundreds of cultural artifacts, some of which date back over two millennia. Key objects include a letter dating back to China’s Manchu dynasty from the first Mongolian prime minister declaring the country’s independence, which is currently held at the British Library in London.

Speaking at the St Petersburg International Cultural Forum in November 2023, Minister Chinbat said: “I thank the countries who have supported Mongolia with this important work so far, and look forward to working with more of our international partners on these important initiatives in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect.” Mongolia has been able to work with countries to make headway on its mission to return cultural artifacts. In 2023, the United States returned dinosaur fossils originally taken from Mongolia.

Personal life
Nomin is married and has three children.