The regional workshop “Malé Declaration - ​Ambition to Action” was successfully held from 11 to 12 June 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand (and hybrid for a few delegates). The workshop marked a significant step toward revitalizing the Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution and its likely Transboundary Effects (Malé ​Declaration), fostering renewed regional collaboration to tackle air pollution challenges across South Asia.

The workshop was co-organized by the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), which serves as the Secretariat of the Malé​ Declaration, and the Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT RRC.AP), the technical partner of the Declaration. The event was supported by development partners such as UNEP, UNESCAP, CCAC, SEI, ICIMOD, CAF, and others.

The two-day workshop gathered government representatives officially nominated by member countries in South Asia, i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, core team, and international partners. Key discussions included the Think Piece (Vision Paper), the Strategies and Work Programme for the Next Phase, and, in particular, the Scoping Study commissioned by SACEP to support the revival of the Malé​ Declaration.

Country representatives shared their national updates on air quality management, highlighting pressing challenges and identifying areas where regional cooperation under the Malé Declaration could bring success in implementation of policy and measures.

The workshop has seen lively interaction between the key organizations with the World Bank, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and etc., while pathway of communication to synchronize activities has been established to build on the strengths to help with resource mobilization efforts.