About APCAP Joint Forum

About the Fifth Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP) Joint Forum

The Fifth Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP) Joint Forum will be held in Yokohama, Japan in a hybrid format on 20 to 21 March 2025. For its fifth edition, the forum will be organized under the theme “Invest in Clean Air Now” in alignment with the 5th International Day of Clean Air for blue skies and hosted by the Ministry of Environment of Japan. In support of UNEA Resolution 6/10 on Promoting regional cooperation on air pollution to improve air quality globally, the Fifth APCAP Joint Forum will aim to:

  • Inform the state of air quality in the region and recognize progress made to address air pollution at multiple levels.
  • Share and exchange innovative solutions reducing emissions with climate co-benefits from high impact sectors with a focus on legislation, technology, and finance.
  • Facilitate discussion for next phase of APCAP, including future activities and direction.
  • Inspire and accelerate action through regional and inter-regional cooperation for clean air.

It is an opportunity to leverage investments and action, advance science-policy dialogue, facilitate regional cooperation, promote good governance, and demonstrate innovation and technology. The Joint Forum will also be offered to partners to launch new initiatives and programmes on air quality and linkages with climate action.

Outcome

The key messages, discussions, and recommendations from the Fifth APCAP Joint Forum will be consolidated in a Roadmap for the Third Phase of APCAP and used as main reference for the next phase of the partnership. It will contribute to the Progress Update of the Implementation of UNEA Resolution 6/10 to be submitted at the Seventh Session of UNEA in December 2025 and to the commemoration of the Sixth International Day of Clean Air for blue skies in September 2025.

Expected Participants

Participants at the APCAP Joint Forum represent air quality stakeholders from the region and beyond. This includes high-level policy and decision-makers from national and local governments, representatives from bilateral and multilateral donors, academia, civil society organizations, international organizations, regional intergovernmental bodies, youth, and the private sector. The event aims to be gender balanced and inclusive.

About the APCAP Joint Forum

The APCAP Joint Forum has become the key venue in the Asia Pacific for sharing latest policy-relevant scientific knowledge, and information on the state of national and international efforts on air quality. The forum also aims to identify priority air quality issues, promote regional approaches to combat the priority issues where appropriate and identify mechanisms to help address air pollution challenges of the region.

The Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP) aims to:

  • Serve as a mechanism for better coordination and collaboration of clean air programs in the region.
  • Provide a platform to generate and share knowledge on air pollution initiatives, policies, and technologies in the Asia Pacific region.
  • Strengthen institutional capacity, provide technical assistance on air quality management; and support air quality assessments to identify solutions for clean air.

The voluntary partnership was launched by UNEP and partners in 2015 as a response to the call for action on air quality at the First Session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2014 (Resolution 1/7 on Air Quality) and 2017 (Resolution on Preventing and Reducing Air pollution to Improve Air Quality Globally) and to help achieve the relevant Sustainable Development Goals.

This responds to Resolution 3/8 of the third United Nations Environment Assembly in 2017 on ‘Preventing and reducing air pollution to improve air quality globally’ which requested the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme to, inter alia, ‘support the enhancement of regional cooperation to address air pollution…in close cooperation with the Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership, and to organize regional communities of practice for air quality management through the regional offices of the United Nations Environment Programme.’ (paragraph 7(c)).

Timeline of the APCAP Joint Forum

The first two forums in 2015 and 2018 were organized in Bangkok, Thailand. The Second APCAP Joint Forum was organized as part of the Asia Pacific Clean Air Week. It brought together 300 delegates from 30 countries to share and exchange practical and innovative solutions for clean air. The forum showcased the leadership that the governments, cities, NGOs, businesses, and citizens were taking to fight air pollution and demonstrated that proven solutions do exist. Many of these solutions are linked to technology and innovation, financing supported by credible science and policy guidance and tools, and wider public awareness on health, social, and economic implications of poor air quality.

The third APCAP Joint Forum was organized as a virtual event on 8-9 September 2021 and was hosted by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan where over 500 participants from 30 countries joined. The theme of for the third iteration was ‘build back better for healthy air, healthy planet’ and contributed to the commemoration of the second International Day of Clean Air for blue skies.

The fourth APCAP Joint Forum showcased the region’s commitment to protect the air we share. Attended by over 400 participants from 52 countries, the Joint Forum, hosted by the Gyeonggi Provincial Government in the Republic of Korea, was held from 5 to 7 September 2022 in Suwon City, Republic of Korea. The meeting showcased the region’s efforts and progress to beat air pollution and discuss opportunities to accelerate clean air solutions, contribute to carbon neutrality, and protect people’s health. It also contributes to the commemoration of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies and is recognized in the official report of the International Day for 2022.

More information about previous forums is available online: http://cleanairweek.org/