1. UN Environment Assembly Adopts Resolution to strengthen UNEP’s Air Quality work June 2014 - Governments Adopt UNEA Resolution #7: Strengthening the role of the United Nations Environment Programme in promoting air quality 1

2. UNEP’s AQ Work over the Years From its inception UNEP has worked on air quality For example: 1975 - GEMS AIR (Global Environmental Monitoring System for Air Pollution) with WHO 2000 - Phase out of Leaded Petrol 2012 - Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) 2016 – Monitoring and assessment

3. Increase in UNEP-wide activities: Capacity building Assessment Awareness Cooperation Activities throughout UNEP Divisions and Regional Offices UNEA Resolution Gives New Impetus

4. Capacity Building The Resolution: (a) Undertake strengthened capacity building activities to support governments implement para 1-3 Resolution: take action develop standards make data available UNEP Activities  Support to air quality monitoring, pollution control measures and national policy development in Asia [ROAP]  Support CCAC activities at country level, including Jordan and Iraq [ROA, ROWA]  Agreements to assist in developing standards for air quality data management across the Arab Gulf countries [ROWA]  Support to phasing out of leaded fuel in Iraq [ROWA]  Support implementation of Regional Plan for Action on Atmospheric Pollution in 3 countries [ROLAC]  Support to more than 50 country projects to reduce air pollution from vehicles through global programs: Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles; Global Fuel Economy Initiative; Share the Road [DTIE]  New UNEP South-South programme to include pilot project on reducing air pollution from bus fleets and motorbikes [DTIE]  UNEP co-lead of Heavy Duty Diesel Initiative CCAC, and supporting country and city projects in all regions to reduce air pollution from diesel vehicles [DTIE]  Seminar and expert meeting on environmental law and air quality [DELC]

5. Assessment The Resolution: (d) Facilitate UNEP supported inter- governmental programs on AQ assessment (e) Undertake global, regional, subregional assessments by 2016, identifying capacity gaps to address AQ issues Building on existing efforts, incl. Minamata, LRTAP UNEP Activities  Regional assessments focusing on science – policy interface, with CCAC cooperation, to be ready in 2016 [ROAP, ROLAC]  South-South cooperation in implementation of regional action plan [ROLAC]  UNECE LRTAP Convention has prepared a draft assessment report on air pollution [ROE]  Development of global data indicators for Urban Air Quality Health [DEWA]  UNEP Live – AQ data: live AQ data for 1,000 cities; real time AQ intelligence data [DEWA]  Increased AQ attention in GEO6 process and report, with a focus on AQ – health linkage [DEWA]  Support to modeling and standards development for AQ assessment [DEWA]

6. Awareness Raising The Resolution: (b) Raise awareness of health and environment risks and benefits of better AQ, incl. through GEO UNEP Activities  Stakeholder Forum on Clean Air in Asia Pacific to share best practices and facilitate cooperation [ROAP]  First Forum of Environment Ministers in Asia Pacific with environment and health as a theme [ROAP]  High level AQ Science Panel in Asia-Pacific [ROAP]  Provided inputs to a document for the 8th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference [ROE]  Data and public awareness for regional action plan and network [ROLAC]  Joint UNEP/WHO project on air quality monitoring in West Asia [ROWA]  Establishment of UNEP/WHO Ministerial Health and Environment Forum in Arab States [ROWA]  Strong AQ focus in next GEO [DEWA]

7. Strengthening Cooperation The Resolution: (c) Explore cooperation within UN, incl. WHO, UNECE, CCAC and other initiatives and programs UNEP Activities  Regional Environment Health Forums, jointly organized by UNEP and WHO [ROA, ROAP]  UNEP to host EANET (East Asia Acid Deposition Network) [ROAP]  Established collaboration with Europe Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution [ROAP]  Providing regional coordination function for the CCAC [ROAP]  Helped set up a new regional partnership entitled “the Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership” [ROAP]  Convened joint training programmes and workshops with the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Convention Secretariat and the Minamata Convention Interim Secretariat [ROAP]  Support to Ministerial Environment for Europe conference (air quality focus) in cooperation with UNECE [ROE]  Tripartite meeting WHO, UNECE, UNEP on air quality and health [ROE]

8. Strengthening Cooperation The Resolution: (c) Explore cooperation within UN, incl. WHO, UNECE, CCAC and other initiatives and programs UNEP Activities  Member of the joint preparatory committee under the League of Arab States (LAS) and the WHO [ROWA]  Prepared draft regional strategy for health and environment (AQ is one of the top priority area) for the next meeting of the preparatory committee [ROWA]  First Africa/Middle East Expert Meeting and Workshop on Health Impacts of Airborne Dust to be held in November, co-organized by ROWA, WHO and WMO [ROWA]  UNEP hosts CCAC Secretariat that supports partner initiatives to improve air quality [DTIE]  UNEP support the implementation of several CCAC Initiatives including Heavy Duty Diesel emissions, Waste, Oil and Gas sector, Finance, and Urban Health [DTIE]  UNEP and WHO to cooperate in new UNEP South-South health programme, which will include an AQ component and pilot [DTIE]

9. Assessment through enhanced and low-cost monitoring UNEP Air Quality Monitoring Programme Many countries and cities in world regions have no air pollution data UNEP has developed an affordable air quality monitoring unit – Based on electro-chemical sensors for gases and OPC for particulate matter – Piloted in Kenya – Blue prints to be made available publically Blue prints

10. Goals – successfully achieved To design and build a low-cost, robust, reliable and with good-enough accuracy suitable for use in a wide range of cities. Easy to assemble and scalable to large production Secured transmission of data in real time with guaranteed authenticity of the data. Pollutants measured: PM10 and PM2.5, NO, NO2, SO2, CO, O3.

11. Fulfilled requirements -Ability to retrieve real time data for processing, verification, visualization -Authenticity and custody chain of the data is guaranteed -Deployable in cities with limited infrastructure and difficult operating conditions -Low-cost, i.e. viable cost of the network per city -Sufficiently accurate to determine the level of pollution -Future proofed for running and expansion of the network -Open design that can be checked, implemented and looked after locally -Kit design that can be built locally -Modelling the network as a whole improves accuracy after being correlated with reference instruments. (NETWORK INTELLIGENCE)

12. Valentin Foltescu Head, Thematic Assessments Unit Division of Early Warning and Assessments valentin.foltescu@unep.org