According to 2018 World Air Quality Report, Asia-Pacific region has several most-polluted cities in the world. All such cities in the region are beginning to see the effects of air pollution resulting from a combination of unclean energy, industrial pollution, vehicles and transport, burning policies, and a number of other causes. Local policy makers often lack not only the capacity to gather and utilize information and data, but also the methods to understand longer term impacts of urbanization and growth, limiting the ability to properly plan and implement urban solutions to tackle air pollution that would assure future cities are resilient and sustainable.

The Fuvahmulah Air Pollution Action Plan is an output of the “Urban Air Pollution Project”, an urban air pollution mitigation program supported by the Korea-ESCAP Cooperation Fund (KECF). The “Urban Air Pollution Project” focuses on reviewing the air pollution situation in the Asia-Pacific region and through the collaborative mechanisms of co-production and co-delivery, developing pathways forward to assist policy makers at the central/local level in providing opportunities for exchange of experience and knowledge, and by enhancing their awareness and capacity.