28 August 2025 – Bangkok, Thailand

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a series of Air Quality, Energy and Health Science and Policy Summaries (SPS) to support decision-makers by presenting key insights from scientific research. As part of this series, Transboundary Cooperation for Our Shared Air – Protecting Public Health has been published, underscoring the urgent need for regional and global collaboration to combat air pollution and mapping key organizations linked to air quality. The technical brief recognizes the critical role of networks such as EANET in advancing scientific cooperation and improving air quality management.

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Air Pollution: A Shared Challenge

Air pollution remains one of the greatest environmental health risks, linked to 6.4 million deaths globally each year. Its impacts are not confined to national borders, as pollutants travel across regions, harming ecosystems, economies, and public health far from their source. The WHO brief stresses that regional cooperation is essential to address this challenge, citing examples of long-standing agreements and networks worldwide.

The WHO technical brief notes that transboundary cooperation is vital to achieving co-benefits for climate and health. By providing reliable data, fostering dialogue among governments, and facilitating technical and financial cooperation, networks such as EANET contribute to the momentum created by recent global commitments, including the 2024 United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution 6/10 on Promoting regional cooperation on air pollution globally.

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Way forward

While significant progress has been made in certain regions, the technical brief emphasizes that more can be done to broaden the scope of existing collaborations, mobilize resources, and build capacities worldwide. WHO calls for stronger multisectoral action, particularly engaging the health workforce in air pollution control.

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Read the Transboundary cooperation for our shared air: protecting public health

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Photo credits: boy in orange (2020) by Li Lin.