20 October 2004 - Khan Khentii Protected Area in Mongolia, the reputed birthplace of Ghengis Khan, and Glacier National Park in Montana, United States, have become sister parks as an offshoot of an FAO foresty project.

Under the FAO project "Strengthening Capacity for Disaster Reduction and Forest Fire Prevention in Mongolia", three persons from Mongolia's Ministry of Nature and Environment visited Glacier National Park on a study tour in September 2002.

The participants visited the sites of wildfires and prescribed fires in the park and received an overview of the park's fire management programme, including activities in prevention, suppression, logistics, training, firefighter safety, risk rating, communication systems and fire weather forecasting.

The relationship between Mongolia and the United States begun under the FAO project led to an unforeseen catalytic effect: the signing of a sister park agreement in October 2004. The sister park agreement pledges that the two parks will work to their common benefit, without implying any change to the official designations or sovereignty of either park. The arrangement raises opportunities for future cooperative projects and information exchange in areas such as sustainable park management, fire management, law enforcement, tourism, culture and education.

Although located on opposite sides of the world, the two parks are at the same latitude and share remarkably similar climate and topography, providing a unique setting for future cooperation.