Informing policy and progress
WHO synthesizes the evidence base and tracks progress on air pollution exposure and impacts
WHO is a leading advocate for policies and programmes to reduce ambient and household air pollution to protect public health at the global, national and local levels. WHO’s ongoing global leadership activities on air pollution and health focus on synthesizing the evidence-base for policy-making and tracking progress on the health impacts of air pollution. WHO leads or participates in a number of intergovernmental partnerships and coalitions around air pollution or its sources to ensure public health impacts from air pollution are well-integrated and in some cases drive global partnerships.
Health Sector Leadership
Air pollution resolution and roadmap
In 2015, WHO Member States took adopted the first-ever resolution addressing the health impacts of air pollution WHA 68.8 “Health and the environment: addressing the health impact of air pollution”. Following, a roadmap for an enhanced global response to the adverse health effects of air pollution was adopted at the 69th World Health Assembly in 2016, which etched out a plan forward in key priority areas including expanding the knowledge base: Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) monitoring on air pollution and its health impacts, as well as building the capacity of the health sector to raise awareness, and work with other areas to address health impacts of air pollution.
Read more about the enhanced global action on air pollution approved at WHA69
Read more about the roadmap adopted at the 69th WHA
WHO Manifesto for a healthy recovery from COVID-19
The WHO Manifesto provides six “prescriptions” for a health and green recovery from COVID-19 including protecting nature; investing in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and clean energy for health care facilities; ensuring a healthy energy transition; promoting sustainable food systems; building healthy cities; and financial reform to stop funding pollution.
Read more about the WHO Manifesto for a healthy recovery from COVID-19.
WHO Independent High-level Commission on NCDs
Air pollution is the second leading cause of deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) after tobacco smoking. In 2018, the third UN high-level meeting on NCDs recognized household and ambient air pollution as one of five key risk factors for NCDs, along with unhealthy diets, tobacco-smoking, harmful use of alcohol and physical inactivity. The 2018 Political Declaration on NCDs calls for an enhanced multisectoral action to tackle the premature deaths resulting from air pollution.
Read more about the WHO Independent High-level Commission on NCDs
WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health
Addressing air pollution requires multisectoral efforts that build upon synergies between human health, climate change, the energy sector and growth priorities. In 2018, WHO hosted the first-ever Conference on Air Pollution and Health at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland involving over 900 participants from national and city governments, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, philanthropy, research and academia. More than 70 commitments were made by institutions and governments to tackle air pollution for public health.
Read more about the Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health
Global & Regional Engagement for Health & Air Quality
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
In 2015, all UN Member States adopted The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. Achieving a sustainable and healthy future for all requires concerted action across sectors to protect people’s health from air pollution. The Sustainable Development Goals on health (SDG3), energy (SDG7), sustainable cities (SDG11) and climate change (SDG13) all provide a massive opportunity for addressing air pollution and related health impacts and are driving countries to take action. WHO serves as the custodial agency for monitoring the SDG indicators on air pollution exposure (7.1.2 & 11.6.2) and related disease burden (3.9.1).
Health & Energy Platform of Action (HEPA)
The Health and Energy Platform of Action (HEPA) is co-convened by WHO (Secretariat), UNDP, World Bank and UN DESA, with the strong support of IRENA. This Platform aims to build the political, and financial commitment and as well as strengthen the capacity of the health and energy sectors to work together to catalyse the scale of results required to achieve SDG 3 on health and SDG 7 on energy by 2030.
Read more about Health Energy Platform of Action (HEPA)
Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC)
Since 2013, WHO has a partnership and collaboration with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme) that involves governments, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society supporting actions to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants CCAC. This partnership has allowed relevant activities such as the “Urban Health Initiative” in Accra and Kathmandu, projects on the “Estimation of morbidity from air pollution and its economic costs and the Breathelife campaign.
UN Energy
UN Energy was established as a mechanism for promoting coherence in the UN system’s multi-disciplinary response to achieve SDG 7 and enhance coordination within the UN systems in regard to knowledge sharing, and policy development and implementation in the area of energy. WHO’s actively engages in UN Energy activities, such as the High-Level Dialogue on Energy, to promote and integrate public health considerations into energy policies, programmes and tracking mechanisms at the global, regional and country level.
Health, Environment and Climate Change Coalition (HECC)
WHO, in collaboration with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meterological Organization (WMO) established a coalition on health, environment and climate change in an effort to reduce the annual 12.6 million deaths from air pollution and other environmental risks.
Global Atmosphere Watch Programme (GAW)
The WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme focuses on building a single coordinated global understanding of atmospheric composition, its change, and helps to improve the understanding of interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere.
Actions on Air Quality Report
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), WHO and other partners provide a regular update and a comprehensive global picture of national efforts towards improved air quality. The global report is complimented by regional reports and supported by country-specific case studies. The report identifies key actions that cover the range of interventions and policy options at three levels: global, regional and national.
Actions on Air Quality Report Update
Geneva Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) sets targets and technical emission standards with the goal of reducing the health and environmental impacts of air pollution. Since its establishment in 1979, it has grown to consist of eight protocols that identify specific measures to be taken to cut emissions for pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter.
Read more about the co-operative programme for monitoring and evaluation of the long-range transmission of air pollutants in Europe (inofficially 'European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme' = EMEP)
Read more about the Joint Task Force on the Health Aspects of Air Pollution, established in 1998 within the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.
First Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation
The UNEP- led First Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation (GAAPL) presents the findings of a study of air quality legislation in 194 countries and the European Union.
Sourcebook - Integrating Health in Urban and Territorial Planning (UTP)
This sourcebook aims to detail why health needs to be part of UTP and how to make this happen. It brings together two vital elements we need to build habitable cities on a habitable planet.
Synthesizing evidence for policy
Global Air Pollution and Health Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG)
The Global Air Pollution and Health Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG) is a group of global experts on air quality and health issues which advise WHO: (a) on the data and methods used for tracking air pollution and its health impacts for the SDGs and beyond, (b) identifying effective air quality interventions in different sectors and (c) defining the role that the health sector can provide to protect health and reduce emissions. In recognition of the public health gains of climate change mitigation and the need to scale up efforts to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, the GAPH-TAG also advises WHO on the review, evaluation and strengthening of methods to assess health considerations in climate mitigation policies, particularly in relation to the nationally determined contributions (NDCs).
The Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) provides expert guidance and advise to WHO on programmatic issues related to ambient and household air pollution exposure and health. The SAG provides high-level strategic thinking to ensure that WHO’s programmatic work adequately reflects the current scientific evidence and understanding around air pollution and health impacts, the available methodologies for exposure and disease burden monitoring, as well as information on cost-effective interventions. The SAG advises on specific topics to be covered by the Global Air Pollution and Health Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG), defining the air pollution and health research agenda, and how best to translate such evidence into practice.
Air Quality Guidelines
WHO’s Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) offer normative guidance on threshold limits for key air pollutants that pose health risks. They serve as a reference for setting air pollution targets at regional and national levels to improve air quality. The recommendations included in the guidelines are based on a systematic reviews of the literature and through extensive expert consultation with representatives from all regions of the world. Global guidelines are updated on a regular basis and made publicly available.
Learn more about the ongoing update to the WHO Air Quality Guidelines.
WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone,...
WHO global air quality guidelines: particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur...
Clean air is fundamental to health. Compared to 15 years ago, when the previous edition of these guidelines was published, there is now a much stronger...
Guidelines for indoor air quality
Much of the population spends much of their time indoors and hence it is critical to ensure the indoor air quality is healthy and safe. Building upon the evidence and recommendations included in the WHO Air Quality Guidelines, WHO has produced three sets of WHO Guidelines for indoor air quality. These sets of guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations on the levels of certain pollutants considered safe in the indoor environment, as well as some guidance on interventions to address them.
Learn more about WHO’s work to implement WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: household fuel combustion.
WHO Guidelines for indoor air quality: Household fuel combustion
WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: selected pollutants
This book presents WHO guidelines for the protection of public health from a number of chemicals commonly present in indoor air. The substances considered...
WHO guidelines for indoor air quality : dampness and mould
Microbial pollution is a key element of indoor air pollution. It is caused by hundreds of species of bacteria and fungi, in particular filamentous fungi...
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