We were excited to announce the highly anticipated return of the Better Air Quality (BAQ) conference in 2026, which took place on 11th-13th March 2026 at the UN Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok!
Clean Air Asia, along with co-organizers, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), presented the 12th Better Air Quality conference (BAQ 2026), held on 11-13 March 2026, with pre-events on 9-10 March, at the UN Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok during the main conference and in venues around Bangkok during pre-events.
Evidence presented at BAQ highlighted several key messages for policymakers and stakeholders. Learn more about these key messages and what BAQ 2026 delivered from the conference report.
The BAQ 2026 theme, Together for Clear Skies: Driving Action, Accelerating Investment, called for collective progress on air quality across Asia and the Pacific. BAQ 2026 convened a wider circle of stakeholders to shape and deliver better air quality outcomes to improve health and well-being and contribute to global climate goals, highlighting the importance of partnerships and investments to accelerate implementation of solutions on the ground.
Air pollution remains one of the region’s most urgent public health and environmental challenges, yet it also presents one of the greatest opportunities for collaboration, and climate and other co-benefits across sectors and economies.
BAQ 2026 supported the implementation of recent global and regional frameworks and outcomes of convenings supporting air quality improvement actions, including:
- United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 6/10 promoting regional cooperation on air pollution to improve air quality globally and encouraging member states to implement national air quality programs
- WHO World Health Assembly in 2025 and the 2nd Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health setting a voluntary target to cut premature deaths caused by air pollution by 50% by 2040
- Asia-Pacific Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution (RAPAP) adopted by ESCAP’s member states, providing a framework for regional cooperation to improve air quality management
- Thimphu Outcome Towards Clean Air in the Indo-Gangetic Plain and Himalayan Foothills recommending South Asian countries consider an aspirational goal of <35 µg/m3 for annual PM2.5 concentrations by 2035 (“35 by 35”) for long term air quality planning
Clean air is a shared development goal, and it will take a wide coalition of effort including financial, technical, and institutional commitment to deliver lasting results. BAQ 2026 catalyzed transformative action, partnership, and investment, positioning clean air as a driver of sustainable growth and well-being across the region.
The objectives of the BAQ 2026 conference were to:
- Unlock financing and funding to support solutions that deliver long-term economic resilience and health benefits.
- Drive action and strengthen understanding and cooperation on scalable and integrated solutions to air pollution.
- Promote stronger sectoral and cross-sectoral partnerships to support actions on the ground and broaden the clean air community—connecting governments, technical experts, funders, the private sector, and advocates with a broader set of stakeholders and sectors—sensitizing more actors and catalyzing a paradigm shift for better air quality.
BAQ 2026 was supported by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Pollution Control Department (PCD) of Thailand as co-hosts, the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) as local partner, and a group of regional experts as part of the Advisory Committee.
