WHO ACE Urban and Island Systems for Healthy Environment webinar series – Clean air, healthy lives: From air quality guidelines to standards to healthy lives in the Western Pacific

Background  

Air pollution remains one of the most significant environmental risks to health in the Western Pacific Region. Air quality standards (AQS) are an important policy instrument for protecting populations from harmful exposure and translating scientific evidence into regulatory action. However, substantial gaps remain between national air quality standards and the levels recommended in the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Air Quality Guidelines. But pathways for actions from all sectors including the health sector exist. 

This webinar is organized by the WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific Region (ACE) to mark the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies on 7 September. It aims to highlight WHO's recent regional publication on air quality standards, which examines the potential health benefits of progressively strengthening AQS in the Western Pacific. The publication provides new evidence to support countries in aligning air quality policies more closely with WHO recommendations and accelerating action for cleaner air and better health.  

Bringing together WHO, leading experts and practitioners from across the Region, the webinar will translate this evidence for a broad public audience and explore what stronger standards, and the policies needed to achieve them, could mean for people's health and everyday lives. 

Participants  

Participation is open to all. This event may be of particular interest to national policy-makers and decision-makers, health sector professionals (including ministry representatives, health managers and health-care providers), academic institutions, civil society and community-based organizations. 

Agenda 

• Moderated by Josselyn Mothe, Technical Officer, WHO Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health in the Western Pacific Region (ACE)

Opening remarks 

• Dr Sandro Demaio, Director and Head of Office, WHO ACE

Keynote address 

• Prof Lidia Morawska, International Laboratory for Air Quality & Health (ILAQH), Queensland University of Technology, Australia
• WHO Collaborating Centre for Air Quality and Health 

Presentation of key findings  

• Josselyn Mothe, Technical Officer, WHO ACE 

Panel discussion 

• Steve L. Yim, Director, Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Health (CCEH), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore   
• Song Jae Yang, Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), Republic of Korea   
• Kimberly Humphrey, Director and Public Health Medical Consultant, Department for Health and Wellbeing, Australia 
• More speakers to be announced soon. 

Closing remarks 

• Dr Enkhtsetseg Shinee, Coordinator, WHO ACE