Commemoration of the 3rd International Day of Clean Air for blue skies

On September 7, 2022, the UNEP New York Office, together with the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition organized the commemoration of the 3^rdInternational Day of Clean Air for blue skies in which representatives from government, civil society, international organizations, and the private sector shared experiences on actions and solutions to tackle air pollution collectively.

Under this year’s theme ‘The Air We Share’, discussions highlighted the transboundary nature of air pollution, emphasizing the need for collective accountability and action. Panelists pointed out the unique opportunity for governments, private sector, and civil society to tackle both air pollution and climate change in one go. Several solutions were shared including Chile’s switch from diesel to electric vehicles, increased monitoring of air quality, an initiative by MoveGreen in Kyrgyzstan to collect and transmit real time data on air quality through an application, and IKEA’s proposed corporate standard to measure air quality across supply chains that has catalysed greater interest and action among other businesses to address emissions. The World Bank called for scaling-up investments in pollution prevention to reduce illnesses, address environmental injustice, and unleash development.

Panelists also highlighted the critical need for common inventories on air quality, more collaboration between the public and private sector as well as between transboundary countries, the gender dimension of energy poverty, and the need to engage youth in designing and deploying solutions to reflect intergenerational solidarity.

Dr. Maria Neira, Director of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the WHO, closed the event by summarizing the discussion and emphasizing the need for more ambition and increased collaboration between governments, the private sector and civil society to mobilise action against air pollution.

Speakers included HE Minister of Environment of Chile, Ms. Maisa Rojas, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to the UN, HE Mr. Joonkook Hwang, Ms. Ligia Noronha, UN Assistant Secretary General and Head of the UNEP Office, Dr. Maria Neira, Director of Environment, Climate Change and Health at the WHO, Mr. Ernesto Sanchez, Global Lead for Pollution Management and Environmental Health at the World Bank, Mr. Andreas Ahrens, Head of Climate, IKEA Group and Ms. Maria Kolesnikova, Founder and Director of the NGO MoveGreen.