Accepting an honorary doctorate from the National University of Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar, the capital, Mr. Ban said his three-day visit to the landlocked Asian nation - which concluded today - had shown him that it was “devoted to the values and principles of the UN.”

The Secretary-General praised Mongolia for making “a successful transition to democracy and a market economy with an accountable and responsive Government” in a relatively short period.

“You have not only made progress here at home, you have leveraged your experience to show leadership on democracy at the global level. You have made good progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and have set an example globally by placing these goals at the heart of your national development planning.

“You have also demonstrated your clear commitment to a world free of nuclear weapons, and have led by example, working to institutionalize your unique nuclear-weapon free status.”

Mr. Ban, who held talks with President Elbegdorj Tsakhia, Prime Minister Bayar Sanj and Foreign Minister Batbold Sukhbaatar during his trip, stressed again that the world's countries must “seal the deal” in Copenhagen, Denmark, on a new pact to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

He noted that any deal must include provisions for poorer countries, such as landlocked developing States like Mongolia, to receive assistance to adapt to climate change.#