Challenges

Air pollution is one of the most pressing environmental and public health challenges facing Central Asia, where cities suffer from PM2.5 levels exceeding WHO guidelines. Despite similarities in sources – such as outdated energy infrastructure, traffic emissions, and seasonal burning – countries historically lacked a structured mechanism to collaborate and learn from one another. Air quality management has often been fragmented and under-resourced. The AQCA Platform addresses this by facilitating knowledge exchange, capacity-building, and regional dialogue among national stakeholders, researchers and policymakers. Its goal is to promote evidence-based and harmonized approaches to air pollution reduction, enabling countries to co-develop strategies and policies that reflect the regional nature of the issue and move forward achieving SDGs on health, urban sustainability and climate action.

Toward a Solution

The Air Quality Central Asia (AQCA) Platform was established to strengthen regional cooperation and enhance air quality management across the five Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Its core mission is to empower national institutions, experts, and civil society actors by enabling systematic knowledge exchange and capacity building that supports evidence-based policymaking. By promoting dialogue and peer learning, the platform contributes to the achievement of SDGs 3, 11, and 13.

The approach of AQCA is centered on facilitating regional collaboration and knowledge transfer through a digital platform and recurring in-person and virtual engagements. Its flagship activity – the annual AQCA Conference – serves as the region’s largest forum for air quality experts, government officials, and stakeholders to present data, share research, and discuss policy innovations. Since its inception, the conference has drawn hundreds of participants and led to continued exchanges between countries on monitoring methods, emission inventories, regulatory frameworks, and health impact assessments.

The platform’s success stems from its participatory design. It’s lead organisations – key CSOs working on air quality in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan – ensure that governments, academia, experts, civil society and international organizations are involved in shaping the platform’s objectives and content. Countries are invited to co-host webinars, lead discussions, and showcase their national strategies, fostering shared ownership and trust.

A key outcome has been the emergence of a regional expert network that did not exist before AQCA. Experts now regularly contribute to technical webinars and share national air quality data and case studies through the platform. These activities have enhanced capacities for air quality monitoring, modelling, and data analysis – particularly in countries with previously limited technical resources.

The AQCA Platform exemplifies South-South cooperation by enabling peer learning among countries with common development challenges. It also fosters triangular cooperation through UNEP’s technical leadership and financial support. By encouraging horizontal cooperation, AQCA helps countries work together to tackle air pollution – an issue that transcends borders and requires a joint response.

What makes AQCA innovative is its ability to consolidate fragmented efforts into a centralized hub of information and collaboration. It bridges gaps between scientific research, policy design, and practical implementation – thereby improving countries’ capacity to act on air quality in a more informed, coordinated way.

The Platform’s long-term sustainability is embedded in its growing network and institutional anchoring. Its activities have already influenced discussions around bilateral and multilateral air quality agreements, and its tools are being used by governments and researchers across the region. With sustained support, AQCA could inform regional air quality standards, integrated monitoring systems, and joint mitigation strategies.

Replicability is strong: the model could be applied to other regions where transboundary environmental issues demand collective responses, such as Southeast Asia of the Western Balkans. Key conditions for replication include political buy-in, sipport from a neutral facilitator (like UNEP), and a shared recognition of the problem’s regional nature.

Among the lessons learned is the importance of trust and continuous engagement. Countries are more willing to share knowledge and data when they see clear benefits and are treated as equal partners. Flexibility in the platform’s design has allowed it to evolve with regional needs, making it both resilient and relevant.