Ulaanbaatar has been selected from the Pacific region to help pioneer a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) initiative to accelerate urban development and make six cities more livable. Along with Ulaanbaatar, the Future Cities Program will be carried out in Mandalay in Myanmar, Colombo in Sri Lanka, Badung in Indonesia, Suva in Fiji, and Tbilisi in Georgia. Ulaanbaatar Mayor S.Batbold signed a memorandum on August 10 with the Principal Economist in the East Asia Department of ADB, Yolanda Fernandez Lommen, to execute the Future Cities Program in Ulaanbaatar. The program includes several projects to support the Smart Ulaanbaatar Program, aimed at adopting new digital systems for urban development, improving urban financial mechanisms, and increasing infrastructure investment in Mongolia. It will also facilitate ADB's long-term engagement with selected cities across Asia and the Pacific, integrating urban development in partnership with each  selected city and government. “I thank everyone working for the ADB, which has assisted in many projects aimed at resolving urgent issues in Ulaanbaatar related to air and soil pollution, as well as public transportation,” said S.Batbold, Mayor of Ulaanbaatar. “I’d like to highlight that ADB is a key cooperation partner in Ulaanbaatar. I’m elated that Ulaanbaatar has been selected as one of the six cities to pioneer the ADB’s Future Cities Program. We will actively participate in many more projects in the future.” Ulaanbaatar Mayor S.Batbold and ADB’s Principal Economist Yolanda Fernandez Lommen signing a memorandum[/caption]