A Pre-Departure Briefing (PDB) for AAS Intake – 2026 awardees who will commence their studies in Semester-I took place on 7 and 8 November at the Australia Awards—Mongolia office. Nine awardees and their dependents, Australia Awards alumni, Australian volunteers, and representatives of participants in the Women’s Leadership Program’s (WLP) alumni attended.

Mr. U. Byambasuren, PCC Co-chair, Vice Chief, Cabinet Secretariat of Mongolia, delivered opening remarks, congratulating the awardees on receiving the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship through hard work and the support of their families. He highlighted the importance of the awardee’s role in contributing to the development of Mongolia with the skills and knowledge obtained from the studies in Australia and the linkages developed through the network in Australia.

On behalf of Australia Awards—Mongolia, Ms. L. Enkhtuvshin, the Country Program Manager, congratulated the awardees on their success before inviting them to introduce themselves and their dependents and explained the two days program before the actual presentation started.

The first day of the PDB focused on DFAT’s information kit about living and studying in Australia. Australia Awards alumni shared their experiences in areas such as finding accommodation, bringing family, settling into a new environment, studying and working in Australia, and gender and disability inclusion. An additional topic on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH) was introduced to awardees for prevention.

The second day was dedicated to cultural orientation and sharing life experiences. Awardees were grouped into four cities where they would be living: Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, and they gained valuable insights from Australia Awards alumni and Australian volunteers.

The representatives from the WLP Cohort -11 and Cohort-12 participants shared their personal and professional experiences and discussed how awardees could benefit from maintaining ongoing connections with Australia Awards alumni when they returned to Mongolia. Finally, they wished the awardees good luck with their studies and wished them to enjoy their time with their families in Australia.