Theme: The Air We Share: Scaling up governance, legislation, and finance action
Event format
The Fourth APCAP Joint Forum will be held from 5 to 7 September 2022 in a hybrid format.
As a hybrid event, the APCAP Joint Forum will be organized as a combination of a live in-person event with virtual online components. It will be organized in a physical venue at the Suwon Convention Center, Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea, and can be attended in person or virtually. It is expected that some speakers and participants will travel to Suwon to join in person while other speakers and participants will join online.
Background
Polluted air is creating a health emergency. Air pollution remains one of the world’s largest environmental threats to human health. Almost everyone is now breathing unhealthy air. Asia-Pacific is at the epicenter of this public health crisis with about 4 billion people exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution. Everyone is affected, but women, children, the elderly, and people living in poverty are bearing the brunt of its impacts. It is infringing on the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
Air pollutants contribute directly to the climate crisis, endangering the health and livelihoods of current and future generations. It takes a heavy toll on the region’s economy – which is still recovering from the pandemic.
Reducing air pollution is integral to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Unfortunately, progress toward reducing urban air pollution has been stagnant since 2015.
There is an urgent need to increase investment in and implement evidence-based policies which support clean energy and industry, sustainable mobility, better municipal waste management, and sustainable agricultural practices. These efforts will reduce air pollution, support climate action, and help achieve other development goals. Strengthened international cooperation and collective action are also critical to turning the tide on air pollution.
Objectives
The Fourth APCAP Joint Forum serves as a regional knowledge exchange and dialogue platform on clean air for the Asia Pacific region to:
- Inform the state of air quality in the region and recognize progress made to address air pollution at multiple levels and its benefits for the climate.
- Share and exchange solutions addressing the key emission sectors with a focus on governance, legislation, and finance.
- Showcase innovative tools for reducing air pollution, including the use of digital tools for air quality monitoring and assessments.
- Inspire and accelerate action through regional cooperation for clean air.
- Contribute to the commemoration of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies and supports UNEA Resolution 3/8 on Preventing and Reducing Air Pollution Globally.
Organizers
The event is being hosted by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in the Republic of Korea.
Expected Participants
Participants at the APCAP Joint Forum represent air quality stakeholders from the region and beyond. This includes high-level policy and decision-makers from national and local governments, representatives from bilateral and multilateral donors, academics and researchers, civil society organizations, international organizations, regional intergovernmental bodies, youth, media, and the private sector.
Outcome document
The key messages, discussions, and recommendations from the APCAP Joint Forum will be conveyed through a report. It will contribute to the commemoration of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies and be used to develop the next phase of APCAP (after March 2024). It will be shared at regional platforms such as the Asia Pacific Ministerial Forum on the Environment and the Fifth Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Pacific Forum on Environment and Health, and contribute to the discussion of the regional action programme on air pollution which will be deliberated at the 7th Committee on Environment and Development at ministerial level in November 2022.
For more information, please visit cleanairweek.org or contact apcap@un.org