Proclamation of September 7th as International Day of Clean Air for blue skies.

The United Nations General Assembly by resolution A/RES/74/212 have designated September 7th as International Day of Clean Air for blue skies in 2019, with the first Day held in 2020. The UN General Assembly’s resolution stresses the importance of, and urgent need to, raise public awareness at all levels and to promote and facilitate actions to improve air quality.

The General Assembly, 

Reaffirming its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, in which it adopted a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its commitment to working tirelessly for the full implementation of the Agenda by 2030, its recognition that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, its commitment to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – in a balanced and integrated manner, and to building upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and see king to address their unfinished business, Reaffirming also its resolutions 53/199 of 15 December 1998 and 61/185 of 20 December 2006 on the proclamation of international years, and Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980 on international years and anniversaries, particularly paragraphs 1 to 10 of the annex thereto on the agreed criteria for the proclamation of international years, as well as paragraphs 13 and 14, in which it is stated that an international day or year should not be proclaimed before the basic arrangements for its organization and financing have been made, Recalling the need to substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination by 2030, as well as to reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management by 2030, Recognizing that clean air is important for the health and day-to-day lives of people, mindful that air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health and one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally, recognizing also that air pollution disproportionately affects women, children and older persons, and concerned also by the negative impact of air pollution on ecosystems, Recalling United Nations Environment Assembly resolution 3/8 of 6 December 2017,1 World Health Assembly resolution 68.8 of 26 May 20152 and Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific resolution 75/4 of 31 May 2019, Emphasizing the need to strengthen international cooperation at the global, regional and subregional levels in various areas related to improving air quality, including the collection and utilization of data, joint research and development, and the sharing of best practices, Acknowledging the importance of and urgent need to raise public awareness at all levels and to promote and facilitate actions to improve air quality, bearing in mind that clean air is important for the health and livelihood of people, Appreciating the progress made in combating air pollution as seen in various projects, partnerships, mechanisms and instruments at the national, regional and global levels, Acknowledging that improving air quality can enhance climate change mitigation and that climate change mitigation efforts can improve air quality, Encouraged by the increasing interest of the international community in clean air, and emphasizing the need to make further efforts to improve air quality, including reducing air pollution, to protect human health, 

1. Decides to designate 7 September as the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies, to be observed starting in 2020; 

2. Invites all Member States, organizations of the United Nations system, other international and regional organizations and civil society, including non-governmental organizations, individuals and other relevant stakeholders, to observe the International Day in an appropriate manner and in accordance with national priorities, and to continue to give consideration to enhancing international cooperation in support of the efforts of all Member States towards attaining clean air; 

3. Invites the United Nations Environment Programme to facilitate the observance of the International Day, in collaboration with other relevant organizations, mindful of the provisions contained in the annex to Economic and Social Council resolution 1980/67 of 25 July 1980; 

4. Stresses that the cost of all activities that may arise from the implementation of the present resolution should be met from voluntary contributions; 

5. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the attention of all Member States, the organizations of the United Nations system and other relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to promote the observance of the International Day. 

52nd plenary meeting 

9 December 2019