United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ESCAPhttps://unescap.org/our-work/environment-and-development/climate-and-clean-air/clean-air

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) is the regional development arm of the United Nations, established in 1947 to promote economic and social progress in the Asia-Pacific region. Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, ESCAP is the largest of the UN's five regional commissions, encompassing 53 member states and nine associate members. Its geographical scope spans from Turkey to Kiribati and from Russia to New Zealand, covering a population of over 4.1 billion people. ESCAP serves as a platform for fostering regional cooperation and addressing shared challenges, with a focus on sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

ESCAP is working to tackle air pollution in the Asia-Pacific region, where rapid urbanization, industrial growth, and reliance on fossil fuels have led to severe air quality issues. The organization addresses air pollution through its broader environmental and sustainable development initiatives. It provides technical assistance, capacity building, and policy recommendations to member states, enabling them to adopt cleaner technologies and implement effective environmental regulations. ESCAP also facilitates regional cooperation by bringing together governments, private sector actors, and civil society to share knowledge and best practices for reducing air pollution.

One of ESCAP's key contributions to addressing air pollution is through the Asia-Pacific Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution (RAPAP). Adopted by member States at the 7th session of the ESCAP Committee on Environment and Development, RAPAP focuses on improving air quality management, facilitating air quality monitoring, sharing open data, exchanging best practices, and mobilizing multilateral cooperation. It emphasizes leveraging existing initiatives like the Acid Deposition Monitoring Network in East Asia (EANET) and the North-East Asia Clean Air Partnership (NEACAP) to strengthen regional collaboration. RAPAP also supports the creation of technical expert groups to enhance scientific research and engage stakeholders in addressing transboundary air pollution. ESCAP works closely with platforms such as the Asia-Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP), which was established in 2015 to coordinate clean air programs across the region.

In addition to these efforts, ESCAP promotes renewable energy adoption and energy efficiency measures as part of its broader agenda to reduce emissions from power generation—one of the leading contributors to air pollution in the region. It also emphasizes data-driven policymaking by providing tools for monitoring pollution levels and integrating air quality management into national development plans.

Projects

Title	Building the Pan-Asia Partnership for Geospatial Air Pollution information (PAPGAPi)
Duration	01/01/2021 - 31/12/2024
Partners	Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA); Korean National Institute for Environment Research (NIER)
Geographical Scope	Asia-Pacific region
Description	The Pan-Asia Partnership for Geospatial Air Pollution Information (PAPGAPI) is an open partnership launched in 2020 to enhance air quality monitoring by remote sensing data. Supported by ESCAP, the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) of Republic of Korea, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), PAPGAPI integrates satellite and ground-based data to improve air pollution assessment and policymaking. PAPGAPI’s work covers multiple key areas. It utilizes the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) to provide hourly satellite-based data on pollutants such as aerosols, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and formaldehyde across Asia. Additionally, it has established the Pandora Asia Network (PAN), an advanced system of ground-based spectrometers deployed in 13 countries to validate satellite data with localized atmospheric measurements. This combination strengthens air quality assessments and informs emission control policies. PAPGAPI supports capacity building and technology transfer to help national agencies interpret geospatial data and better manage air pollution monitoring and also fosters regional cooperation through expert meetings and knowledge sharing.
Contact	escap-edd [at] un [dot] org

Title	Building a Partnership and Coordination Platform for the Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution (RAPAP)
Duration	01/01/2024 - 31/12/2026
Partners	Clean Air Fund, Energy Foundation, UNEP
Geographical Scope	Asia-Pacific region
Description	RAPAP, as the first of its kind in Asia and the Pacific, has been recognized as a framework, guiding document or reference for national, subregional, multilateral and multistakeholder mechanisms to advance their cooperation agenda for clean air in the region. This project is aimed to enable this potential role and contribution of RAPAP by providing a common online platform for monitoring and mobilizing commitments and actions of governments and stakeholder groups. The RAPAP Platform will also serve as the regional repository for reviewing RAPAP implementation.
Contact	escap-edd [at] un [dot] org

Title	Clean Air for Sustainable ASEAN (CASA)
Duration	01/01/2022 - 31/12/2026
Partners	ASEAN-KOREA Cooperation Fund (AKCF), Seoul National University
Geographical Scope	Asia-Pacific region
Description	The four-year project aims to provide comprehensive support for ASEAN Member States (AMS) to mitigate air pollution and its negative impact on health through political, scientific and technical measures. The project is composed of four primary outcomes. Outcomes 1 is to raise understanding of the source and health impact of air pollution. Each ASEAN member state will identify the major sources of air pollutants in their selected major cities by understanding the composition of particulate and gaseous air pollutants. The health impact assessment will enable each ASEAN member state to understand the health benefit of improving air quality. In particular, the result of the health impact assessment will be a scientific basis for air pollution policy development by comparing the health benefits and economic impacts of air pollution policy. Outcome 2 is to improve access to information on the status of air pollution. The situation analysis to recommend locations of air pollution monitoring stations in ASEAN member states will be conducted using satellute (GEMS -operated by the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Environment) and ground data. Based on the situation analysis, air quality monitoring stations will be installed and managed, especially for countries with a limited number of monitoring stations. The project team will train local authorities to maintain the stations. A regional platform will be developed to incorporate air quality monitoring stations and satellite data. Outcome 3 will raise the preparedness and capacity of ASEAN member states to address air pollution. The project will develop regional guidance and resources for the ASEAN member states' response to air pollution and its health impacts. Outcome 4 will develop regional policy to mitigate air pollution. The project will also develop policy recommendations for clean air in ASEAN under the coordination of participating agencies.
Contact	escap-idd [at] un [dot] org