chairman of Mineral Resources Authority, ex-chairmen of state owned Mongolian Airlines MIAT and their allies. In addition, big scale corruption cases involving suspects such as former health and education ministers, former deputy chairman of Tax Authority are under investigation. Mongolia's corruption perception ranking reduced by 26 places in one year from 2011 to 2012 comparing to the 120th place to the 94th according to Transparency International. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton applauded Elbegdorj and Mongolia on the country's democratic progress and efforts to end corruption in her speech at the International Women's Leadership Forum in Ulaanbaatar on 9 July 2012. Judicial reform By the Constitution of Mongolia, the President of Mongolia appoints the justices and judges of all levels of courts of Mongolia. Elbegdorj convened "Judicial Reform and Justice" Forum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia in April 2011. Mongolian parliament passed a package law on judicial reform submitted by Elbegdorj in 2011. Those laws designed to ensure impartiality of judges and justices and created a merit-based system for the selection of new judges and justices. In addition, the judicial reform allows citizens' representatives to participate in court hearings and trials and requires that all judicial decisions be placed on internet open for public. Environmental protection The United Nations Environmental Programme awarded Elbegdorj as a Champion of the Earth for his commitment to environmental protection on 4 June 2012. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon highly appreciates Elbegdorj's contribution to the international community's efforts for ensuring sustainable development and keeping climate change issues under control, as he emphasized in his congratulatory note to Elbegdorj for his re-election as President of Mongolia on 2 July 2013. In addition, Elbegdorj worked as a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Climate Change for the year of 2011. Elbegdorj declared a day as Tree Planting Day by decree on 4 April 2010 and has been organizing a tree planting campaign around the country. On that day organizations and people plant trees to alleviate desertification in Mongolia. Many non-governmental organizations and social networks support Elbegdorj's call to plant trees. He ordered schools to have environmental subjects in schools' curricula. With support from his office, students began to plant and take care of trees they planted around their schools and television serials on planting trees have been broadcast. On 14 May 2011, Tree Planting Day, Mongolians planted two million trees. The event became a tradition