Clean Air Asia 2017 Annual Report

The 2017 Annual Report presents Clean Air Asia (CAA) as a regional, multi-stakeholder NGO dedicated to reducing air pollution and greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions across more than a thousand Asian cities through policy support, capacity building, and evidence-based information sharing. Its vision links air quality, climate, health, and sustainable urban development, framed around partnership, independence, and excellence in delivery.

Strategy, approach, and values

CAA’s approach couples actionable guidance for policymakers, capacity building at city and national levels, facilitation of best-practice adoption, and public information on sources, impacts, and co-benefits. Core values emphasize a multi-stakeholder ethos, collaboration, respect, commitment, excellence, and independence—positioning CAA as a trusted convener across governments, academia, civil society, and the private sector.

2017 in review: urgency and expansion

The Executive Director’s statement underscores mounting evidence of health and economic impacts of air pollution, growing political awareness, and persistent capacity gaps that hinder design, implementation, and evaluation of urban interventions. In response, CAA intensified support for science-based policy implementation, city Clean Air Action Plans (CAAPs), and institutional capacity, while consolidating offices in India and China—becoming among the first foreign NGOs to register officially in China and moving forward with registration in India.

Air Quality and Climate Change Program (AQ&CC)

As a regional training hub, the AQ&CC Program helps cities manage air pollution and GHGs through standards and monitoring, emissions inventories (EIs), health impact assessment, communication, and the design and implementation of science-based CAAPs. Its three key outcomes are: (1) the Guidance Framework for Better Air Quality in Asian Cities (the operational core of the Integrated Programme for Better Air Quality—IBAQ); (2) a regional system for knowledge management and capacity building; and (3) targeted support using the Clean Air Scorecard to diagnose strengths/weaknesses for policy and action planning.

In 2017 the Program shifted from framework socialization to on-the-ground implementation in China, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. Capacity-building efforts created a pool of IBAQ course instructors (workshop in Hanoi) and promoted the Guidance Framework at major regional fora (ASEAN Mayors’ Forum, TWG-AQ meeting, CityNet Congress) to steer national and city AQM processes and long-term clean-air strategies.

Viet Nam. CAA handed over a CAAP for Cần Thơ and trained representatives from eight provinces and three cities to develop city CAAPs feeding into a National Clean Air Action Plan by 2020 with indicators aligned to national standards/monitoring mechanisms. CAA also delivered EI training for the urea production industry to strengthen industrial EI methods and data management.

Mongolia. CAA advanced a national EI effort, co-developed an EI manual and tools using official statistics, and ran EI trainings with NAMEM/MET to build government technical capacity. The National Action Program on Reducing Air Pollution (Action Plan approved by the Prime Minister in 2017) became the source document for future AQM activities—an inflection point to which CAA contributed. Media trainings broadened accurate air-pollution reporting and public understanding.

Indonesia. A national roundtable with BAPPENAS and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry highlighted the Guidance Framework’s role in engaging stakeholders and consolidating AQM data.

Philippines. CAA helped cities draft Guidance Framework–based roadmaps aligned with the EMB/Department of Environment and Natural Resources, feeding into Airshed Action Plans, and assisted Marikina City in evolving its roadmap into a CAAP. CAA was appointed the Asia coordinator for BreatheLife—a WHO/UNEP/CCAC campaign—expanding long-term city engagement and complementing short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) work with the government.

Cities for Clean Air Certification Program

This voluntary standard recognizes city actions across stakeholder engagement, institutional coordination, information, planning/infrastructure, understanding sources, evidence-based decision-making, and emissions-reduction measures. In 2017 CAA supported Baguio, Iloilo, and Santa Rosa (Philippines) to complete actions, prepared 2018 BAQ awards, and presented the scheme to Indian cities (five expressed interest).

Sustainable Transport (consolidated portfolio)

Recognizing transport’s dominant contribution to urban emissions, CAA consolidated Clean Fuels & Vehicles, Low-Emissions Urban Development, and Green Freight & Logistics under a Sustainable Transport Program to deliver an integrated avoid–shift–improve agenda: fuel/vehicle standards and I/M of in-use fleets; land-use integration, walkability/cycling; electromobility; freight efficiency; and data systems for planning.

Country examples.
• Philippines: Green freight assessment; support for fuel-economy labeling guidelines (DOE); analysis of excise-tax reform impacts; engagement on integrating electric 2/3-wheelers.
• Viet Nam: Freight assessment/recommendations to guide a national Green Freight Program; workshop with government agencies.
• Myanmar: First national fuel-economy baseline work and multi-stakeholder network; fuel-economy MOUs also advanced in Bangladesh and Malaysia.
• Indonesia: Institutionalizing eco-driving (materials distribution; policy interventions including licensing).
• Regional: Launch of the ADB Transport DataBank (with TRL, UC-Davis, and SLoCaT) to provide a common framework across 40 ADB DMCs—covering activity, emissions/energy, infrastructure, urban transport, safety, and more.

Program tracks (spotlight).

Clean Fuels & Vehicles: Supporting tighter fuel/vehicle-emission standards, stronger frameworks for in-use vehicles, and clean fleet management for bus/truck/corporate/government fleets (e.g., ASEAN forum).

Low-Emissions Urban Development: Mainstreaming avoid–shift–improve strategies into policy and investment; exchanges on land-use/transport/energy; elevating walkability and cycling.

Green Freight & Logistics: Advancing green-freight programs (e.g., China Green Freight Initiative), expanding Green Freight Asia private-sector networks/tools, and building indicators and datasets for policy confidence.

China and India highlights

China. CAA co-organized national workshops on emissions inventories and city AQM, published China Air 2017 (tracking data and policy implementation in 338 cities) with recommendations later reflected in China’s three-year action plan, and scaled outreach via an AQM knowledge hub (900+ users, 400+ resources). Public campaigns—Mr Trucker eco-driving (reaching 1.4 million drivers; 7.4% average fuel-savings among trained drivers) and Clean Diesel—raised awareness and contributed to stricter truck-emission regulation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

India. CAA delivered IBAQ-based workshops in multiple cities; state boards sought support to develop CAAPs (e.g., Bhubaneswar, Dehradun). A Clean Air Scorecard assessment covered 30 cities; the Clean Air Knowledge Network (allaboutair.in) launched to share practice; youth engagement expanded via YCAN and school programs (e.g., Clean Air for Schools; student sensor projects; toolkit development). CAA also introduced the VAYU app (AQ info for 38 cities + pledge feature).

Governance, finances, and donors

CAA is overseen by a nine-member Board of Trustees drawn from leading institutions; 2017 finances show USD 2.485M in revenues, USD 1.813M in grant expenses, USD 0.570M in G&A, USD 0.100M fundraising, and a small surplus (USD 2.6k). Audited statements (unqualified opinion) follow Philippine Financial Reporting Standards. The donor mix spans MDBs, foundations, corporates, and UN agencies.

Overall, the report portrays an organization scaling city-level action, deepening capacity systems (frameworks, training, EIs), and broadening transport solutions and regional cooperation, while embedding cross-border topics (e.g., ASEAN haze roadmap) and public engagement to accelerate measurable AQM improvements.

Keywords

Guidance Framework; Integrated Programme for Better Air Quality (IBAQ); Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP); Clean Air Scorecard; emissions inventory (EI); BreatheLife; short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs); air quality standards and monitoring; stakeholder engagement; institutional coordination; capacity building; ASEAN haze roadmap; Green Freight & Logistics; Clean Fuels & Vehicles; Low-Emissions Urban Development; Transport DataBank; eco-driving; Clean Diesel; youth engagement; VAYU app.