Developing the National Air Quality Management Action Plan (NAQMAP)

About the workshop

To address Nepal’s growing air pollution crisis and align with national environmental and health priorities, the Department of Environment (DoEnv), Government of Nepal in collaboration with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is initiating the development of a National Air Quality Management Action Plan (NAQMAP). This inception workshop marks the official beginning of the NAQMAP process.

The workshop will be attended by representatives from concerned government ministries and organisations from China, India and Nepal, and will also include academia, civil society, development partners, and private sector to foster a shared understanding of the NAQMAP development framework. It aims to map the existing data on air pollution, identify institutional gaps on policies and practices, and align stakeholders on the methodology for sectoral focus areas, and timeline for the implementation plan. The workshop supported by the United Kingdom International Development (UKID) through its Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will serve as a foundation for inclusive and evidence-based air quality governance in Nepal by facilitating dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

Background

Air pollution is a major environmental and public health concern in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. Increasing urbanisation, industrial activities, transportation growth, and biomass burning contribute to rising concentrations of air pollutants such as PM2.5, ozone, and black carbon, which adversely affect human health, agricultural productivity, and climate. According to the ‘State of Global Air 2024,’ air pollution is among the top five causes of premature death in the region, accounting for over two million deaths annually in South Asia alone.

In recognition of this challenge, many countries in the HKH region are undertaking efforts to formulate structured, science-based Clean Air Action Plans (CAAPs) at national as well as city/state level aimed at improving ambient air quality, reducing emissions across key sectors like residential, transport and industry, and strengthening institutional coordination. A robust action plan provides a roadmap for structured, time-bound strategies to reduce emissions, improve ambient air quality, and align environmental governance with public health and climate goals. This inception workshop seeks to initiate a similar structured process at the national level for Nepal, ensuring that the action plan is inclusive, science-driven, and aligned with both regional and national priorities.

Objectives

The specific objectives of this event are to:

• Initiate the process of developing the National Air Quality Management Action Plan (NAQMAP)
• Map existing data, ongoing initiatives, and regulatory frameworks relevant to air quality
• Identify key stakeholders and outline their roles in the action plan process
• Orient policy planners, officials of the line departments, experts and other stakeholders to the methodology, scope, and expected outcomes of the NAQMAP
• Solicit feedback on priority areas, gaps, and opportunities
• Finalise next steps for baseline assessments, sectoral actions, finance resource mapping, institutional framework review, monitoring and evaluating stakeholders’ consultations and drafting of the NAQMAP

Expected outcomes

• Common understanding of the NAQMAP development framework and timeline
• Initiate stakeholder inputs to guide baseline analysis and sectoral scoping
• Agreement on coordination mechanism, nomination of nodal officers from the departments, technical institutions and next steps
• Strengthen ownership and engagement among ministries, partners, and technical agencies