Southern African Regional Meeting on Air Pollution

A meeting bringing together the 14 Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries to discuss ways of reducing air pollution in the sub-region was held on 5-7 March 2008 in Lusaka, Zambia. The meeting was a follow-up to the Regional Conference on Better Air Quality in sub-Saharan African Cities (BAQ-SSA), held on 25-28 July 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya, that recommended a sub-regional approach to addressing air pollution in Africa. It was jointly organized by the Air Pollution Information Network for Africa (APINA), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and the Global Atmospheric Pollution Forum (GAPF).

The main outcome was adoption of the Lusaka Agreement (2008) - Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Policy Framework on Air Pollution. The policy framework outlines actions to be taken in the following areas to reduce air pollution in the region: multilateral cooperation; transport sector; industry; open burning; indoor air pollution; national environmental governance; public awareness; research, development and capacity building.

For the transport sector, the focus is on cleaner fuels and vehicles, and urban planning. Targeted regional action for this sector includes: reduction of sulphur levels in fuels to 500 ppm (parts per million) by 2010; harmonization of fuel standards; vehicles import regulations; and region-wide vehicle emission standards, inspection and maintenance programs. The next step for the SADC countries is to negotiate a Protocol that sets binding targets. Similar meetings are planned for Eastern Africa and Western/Central Africa.

For more information visit: http://www.unep.org/urban_environment/events/SADC.asp