The Second World Health Organisation Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health will be held in Colombia on 25-27 March 2025.
EUHAC pre-conference event on 24 March 2025
In the European region, health sector engagement on clean air is at an all-time high. Members of the EU Healthy Air Coalition (EUHAC) have been acting as multipliers for health action on clean air at both EU and national level, through sharing of the science and underlining the urgency to act, communication, and collaboration. On March 24, 2025, EUHAC is hosting a pre-conference event ahead of the WHO Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health, contributing to the global push for coordinated health action in tackling the air pollution crisis.
This event will showcase how EUHAC engagement has contributed to the adoption of the EU’s revised clean air standards in 2024. These new standards bring the EU’s air quality legislation much closer to the latest WHO guidelines. The event will also explore good practices in health advocacy for clean air, share lessons learned from EUHAC’s experience, and underline the critical importance of science-to-policy translation in advancing clean air policies.
With ample space for discussions, attendees will have the platform to explore opportunities and challenges for health sector engagement in air quality policy across different regions. We hope that our event will facilitate much-needed exchanges on the actions required to foster stronger health advocacy on clean air globally.
Health sector global call to action
Members of the EUHAC co-initiated a global call urging governments, world leaders and decision-makers to commit to strong, bold actions to ensure clean air for all. It is open for endorsement by health organisations and individuals in the run up to the March 2025 WHO conference. Don’t miss the opportunity to join a strong health sector call to bold action on clean air at the global level to stop polluting the air we breathe, prevent diseases and save lives.
Background
Air pollution is affecting the health of billions of people across the globe. It is responsible for the deaths of at least 7 million people globally every year, with the vast majority due to noncommunicable (chronic) diseases such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and lung cancer.
Breathing polluted air damages every organ in the body – not just our lungs, but the heart, circulation, kidneys, livers, eyes, bones, and many more. Air pollution impairs thinking, affects behavioural development in children and contributes to dementia in older people. Pregnant women face higher risks of complications like stillbirth and miscarriage. Babies are more likely to be born early or small, increasing their chances of becoming sick later in life.
The actions called for include:
- enforcing robust measures to stop polluting the air, cutting emissions at source, and swiftly achieve the full implementation of WHO global air quality guidelines;
- ensuring a just and inclusive clean energy transition and fossil fuel phase out in a fair and equitable manner;
- strengthening actions for clean air, better monitoring and surveillance, and institutional capacity to limit air pollution and mitigate climate change;
- increasing domestic and international funding to elevate clean air as a priority on global and national health and political agendas.
Keep an eye on this page for additional details and updates!
