U.S. National Defense Authorization Act Includes Historic Provision on Southern Mongolia
By SMHRIC
New York
The Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC) welcomes the inclusion of a landmark provision on Southern Mongolia, also referred to as “Inner Mongolia”, in the United States National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 10, 2025. This provision represents an unprecedented step by the United States toward monitoring, reporting, and understanding of the human rights, environmental, and geopolitical conditions affecting the six million Southern Mongolians.
Under Section 5555 of the NDAA, the Act calls for the creation of a dedicated Inner Mongolia Section within the United States Embassy in Beijing. This new team would be tasked with closely following political, economic, and social developments in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and other Mongolian-designated autonomous areas under Chinese administration.
According to the bill, the Secretary of State is directed to “consider establishing an Inner Mongolian team within the United States Embassy in Beijing…with due consideration given to hiring Southern Mongolians as Locally Employed Staff.” This marks the first time U.S. legislation has explicitly recognized the importance of directly engaging Southern Mongolians in diplomatic monitoring efforts.
The NDAA outlines a broad mandate for the team, including:
- Human Rights Monitoring: Reporting on internationally recognized human rights issues affecting Southern Mongolians.
- Resource and Environmental Oversight: Monitoring developments in critical minerals mining, environmental degradation, and issues related to PRC space capabilities in the region.
- Access and Transparency: Assessing access to Southern Mongolian autonomous areas for U.S. officials, journalists, NGOs, and the global Southern Mongolian diaspora.
The Act also emphasizes the importance of Mongolian-language proficiency, urging the State Department to ensure that embassy staff and local hires possess the linguistic skills necessary to engage effectively with Southern Mongolian communities.
The Secretary of State is further required to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees within 180 days of the Act’s enactment, outlining progress on staffing and implementation of the Inner Mongolia Section.
Human rights advocates view this provision as a milestone in international recognition of the systemic cultural suppression, environmental exploitation, and political marginalization faced by Southern Mongolians under Chinese rule.
“This is a historic moment,” said Mr. Enghebatu Togochog, Director of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center. “SMHRIC has long been advocating in the U.S. Congress for meaningful mechanisms to monitor the situation in Southern Mongolia, and this provision reflects the impact of those sustained efforts. The proposed establishment of an Inner Mongolia Section in the U.S. Embassy would create a vital mechanism for rigorous monitoring of developments in Southern Mongolia and for helping ensure the protection of the rights of six million Southern Mongolians living under the Chinese authoritarian regime.”
