UNEP helped Latin America and the Caribbean develop the Regional Action Plan on Air Quality 2022-2025. At the 18th session of the UNEP-hosted African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, 54 African countries pledged to eliminate the open dumping and burning of waste. In Asia-Pacific, the Committee on Environment and Development of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific adopted a ministerial declaration on implementing the Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution, on which UNEP advised.
In January, Cambodia launched its first Clean Air Plan. This plan targets reductions of 60 per cent in PM2.5 and black carbon emissions, 24 per cent in methane emissions and 18 per cent in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030. It could also help avoid up to 900 premature deaths per year. With support from CCAC, Cambodia has started implementing Euro 4/IV vehicle emission standards and equivalent fuel quality.
UNEP has also supported West and East African States to adopt vehicle standards that will reduce the import of old, polluting second-hand vehicles. Fifteen Economic Community of West African States have adopted regulations that make vehicle imports comply with EURO 4/IV standards. In 2022, UNEP began supporting countries to translate this commitment into national standards. Five East African Community countries adopted similar standards. With advice from UNEP, the European Union has also started to revise its end-of-life vehicles directive.
In partnership with the UN Development Programme and the Finnish Meteorological Institute, UNEP undertook the first-ever study of air pollution sources in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek. The study identified emissions from households heated with sulfur-rich coal as the primary cause of air pollution, more so than transport or the city’s power station, which were previously considered the main causes. The findings supported decisions by development banks to channel investments into reducing emissions from key sectors, such as residential heating.
