Background

Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution and its likely Transboundary Effects for South Asia (Malé Declaration) was adopted at the 7th Governing Council of the South-Asia Co-operative Environment Program (SACEP), held in Malé during April 1998, following a round-table policy dialogue held by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Stockholm Environment (SEI) in March 1998 at Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok. Representatives of the Ministry of Environment from South Asian countries participated in the meeting, and agrees to initiate the intergovernmental network involving Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, the Republic of Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The declaration emphasizes the need for countries to carry forward studies and programmes on air pollution in each country.

To support the revitalization and effective implementation of the Malé Declaration, a monthly regional webinar series is proposed to promote peer learning and enhance scientific and policy dialogue on air quality and transboundary air pollution, in line with the resolutions of the Malé Declaration “Ambition to Action” meeting in Bangkok, June 2025. The overall objective of the Webinar series is to avail the progress on air quality managements in South Asia at all levels and reach out to young learners and practitioners who may not be able to travel yet to meet the esteemed resource persons. The gained knowledge will help them to formulate the solutions in bringing better air quality around their own communities. The opportunity to devise the solutions are the key to success of making the changes in the actual implementation of the High-level policies to the ground.

Objective

The specific objective of the 6th Webinar under topic “Air Pollution Impacts on Health, Ecosystem and Climate Linkages in South Asia” is for enhancing discussion on the linkages of air pollution impacts on public health, ecosystem and climate. These linkages are not always reflected in policy discussions. Highlighting health burdens and climate co-benefits are important for strengthening policy relevance, supporting inter-sectoral collaboration, and increasing political and financial support for air quality management under the framework of Malé Declaration. The 6th Webinar will review the status and impact assessment studies, including the latest research and development on tools, applicable in South Asia for monitoring such the status on health and ecosystems. Policy support and integration will set the direction and inclusion to the next phase of Malé Declaration Member Countries. There would also be rooms for exchange of practices and research methodologies that will optimize the investment on scientific apparatus and resources required to be in place in a near future.

Target Audience

The webinar is intended for policymakers and government officials, air-quality and public-health practitioners, scientists, researchers, academics, students, young professionals, civil-society organizations, development partners, and technical experts across South Asia—particularly those working on air pollution, health, ecosystems, climate change, environmental monitoring, and policy implementation in the Malé Declaration member countries. While the focus is on South Asia, anyone interested in the topic is welcome to join.

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