Engagement of Communities, the Private Sector and Local Governments Towards Development of Policies and Funding of Local Initiatives for Clean Air in Asia
To respond to the growing air pollution in the region and in recognition of the fact most Asian countries face similar problems and are also similarly situated, the Clean Air Asia for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) was established in 2001.
From its inception, CAI-Asia realized that it needed to reach out and form partnerships with various national and local (city) governments, the private sector, the academe, NGOs as well as development partners in order to raise awareness of the importance of urban air quality management as well as promote and demonstrate innovative ways to improve air quality through partnerships and sharing experiences. Beyond this though, CAI-Asia has also established strong partnerships with local multisectoral networks within the participating countries to ensure that policy decisions and actual actions to achieve clean air are undertaken. Right now, there are 7 active local networks and 5 more are expected in 2007- 2008.