UNEP Executive Director letter on International Day of Clean Air for blue skies

A letter from Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, to Permanent Representatives to the United Nations, informing them of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies and asking them to join the efforts and make plans at the national and sub-national levels for the observance of the day. 

The mandate for the day was set out in the UN General Assembly resolution 74/212, which was adopted in October 2019. 

The day aims to: 

• Raise awareness of the sources and impacts of air pollution on human health and the solutions to improve air quality
• Demonstrate the close link of air quality to other environmental/developmental challenges such as – most and foremost – climate change as well as other sustainable development goals focused on: health, urbanisation, transport, energy generation, agriculture, gender equality, etc.
• Bring together international actors working on this topic to form a strategic alliance to gain momentum for concerted national, regional and international approaches for air quality management. 
• Set a precedence for an exciting new international day for clean air and blue skies filled with the very latest air quality information  and air pollution solutions– to be continued in the following years