Experts will brief the mayors on the current scientific understanding of air pollution, potential solutions that municipalities can implement, and possible guiding regulatory frameworks. Melba Pria, the Ambassador of Mexico, will share relevant experiences from Mexico City. Mexico City is geographically very similar to the Kathmandu Valley – a bowl shaped valley with multiple municipalities. Twenty years ago it had the worst air quality in the world, but has since made remarkable improvement. The Mexican Ambassador will speak about how this was achieved, providing inspiration for a model Kathmandu could emulate.

Programme objective

The goal of this programme is to create synergy between municipal action plans to improve air quality in the Kathmandu Valley. Its key objectives are highlighted below:

• To strengthen understanding of air pollution and its control strategies in the national and international contexts among local government representatives
• To formulate an integrated statement for air quality management from the municipalities and derive commitment for its endorsement and implementation.

Expected outcomes

• At the end of the two-hour event, 18 Kathmandu Valley municipalities will sign a declaration committing to work together for clean air.
• A communication strategy will also be developed so that all municipalities can work effectively and in parallel.