November 27, 2025
The Director General of the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP), Mr. Norbu Wangchuk, joined a high-level panel organized by the World Bank at Clean Air Week 2025 to discuss solutions for cleaner air across the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills (IGP-HF)
The session, titled “Breath of Change: Solutions for Clean Air in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills,” began with opening remarks by Marlene Nilsson, Deputy Regional Director, UNEP, highlighting the urgency of coordinated regional action to tackle air pollution in the IGP-HF airshed. The session presented findings from the World Bank’s new report, which outlines how countries can achieve WHO air quality targets through proven measures in transport, agriculture, industry, residential cooking, and waste burning, supported by strong institutional systems, reliable information platforms, effective incentives, and needed infrastructure. The session also highlighted how the report forms the foundation for the World Bank’s regional IGP-HF Air Quality Management Program, spanning Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
During the panel discussion Director General explained that the Male Declaration on the Control and Prevention of Air Pollution and Its Likely Transboundary Effects, for which SACEP serves as the Secretariat, remains the only intergovernmental framework in South Asia dedicated specifically to regional air pollution cooperation. He noted that the Male Declaration, established 27 years ago, laid the foundation for regional dialogue, air quality monitoring, and shared scientific assessments at a time when Member States had the foresight to recognize air pollution as a growing transboundary challenge.
