Preventing, controlling and managing pollution is central to improving health, human well-being and prosperity for all.
UNEP drives capacity and leadership in sound management of chemicals and waste while working to improve ways to reduce waste through circularity and pollutants released to the air, water, soil and the ocean.
The annual Air Quality and Climate Bulletin of the World Meteorological Organization, published ahead of #CleanAirDay, traces the complex interplay between air quality and climate, highlighting the role of tiny particles called aerosols in wildfires, winter fog, shipping emissions and urban pollution. It stresses the need for improved atmospheric monitoring and more integrated policies to safeguard human and environmental health and reduce agricultural and economic losses.
Ahead of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for reining in "pollutants that choke people and heat the planet by investing in renewable energy, improving waste management, halting deforestation, including wildfires, and promoting eco-friendly agriculture."
Nitrogen use presents complex, far-reaching challenges for ecosystems, human health, livelihoods, and food systems. Addressing these issues goes beyond technical solutions and requires a systemic understanding of the social, economic, and political contexts in which they occur.
In this session, expert scientists will highlight the critical social dimensions of sustainable nitrogen management, demonstrating the value of integrating these perspectives into research, policy, and governance.
The Quadripartite agencies are pleased to announce a call for expressions of interest from representatives of youth-led and youth-serving organizations to serve on the Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
Those with experience of working on AMR and under the age of 30 are strongly encouraged to apply.
The objective of the Quadripartite Working Group on Youth Engagement for AMR is to guide the engagement of the Quadripartite with youth in order to harness the energy of this population in the global fight against AMR. The Working Group will build on existing work by Quadripartite agencies with youth in other contexts and will both feed into and learn from the work of the other Working Groups to ensure synergy.
UNEP and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have jointly launched the Fortifying Infrastructure for Responsible Extinguishment (FIRE) project, which aims to phase out the use of toxic fluorinated firefighting foams and replace them with safer alternatives at major airports in Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Together with participating airports, FIRE will support the transition from highly toxic firefighting foams to fluorine-free foams while maintaining safety and operational integrity. These efforts are expected to promote safe removal of 4,500 tonnes of PFAS-contaminated material from fire trucks and safe disposal of 130 tonnes of PFAS-based foam concentrate.
The FIRE Project is implemented by UNEP, executed by ICAO, and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This project is part of a broader set of UNEP-GEF activities dedicated to global monitoring and eliminating the use of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and reducing the impacts of POPs on human health and the environment.
Held under the theme “Racing for Air”, 7 September 2025 will be the sixth International Day of Clean Air for blue skies (Clean Air Day).
UNEP is calling on the public to organize events to reflect and reinvigorate the resolve and ambitions for Clean Air Day!
Register your event to gain global visibility and inspire others around the world to accelerate solutions to deliver clean air for all.
On day 3 of the CLEAN-Air Forum 2025 happening in Nairobi from 15-17 July, UNEP will be participating in the side event, From Harm to Healing: Tackling Hospital Waste for Cleaner Air, which starts at 9:30 AM EAT.
The forum is an annual convening for the communities of practice in Africa and serves as a platform for knowledge sharing, collaborations, and multi-regional partnerships for tackling air pollution in African cities. The 2025 theme, Partnerships for Clean Air Solutions, seeks to strengthen cross-border transdisciplinary partnerships, evidence generation and capacity for advancing clean air solutions in Africa.
Seules 12% des villes disposent de mesures de la qualité de l'air conformes aux normes de l'OMS
