{"id":232767,"date":"2025-06-03T12:40:18","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T16:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldpatientsalliance.org\/?post_type=news&p=232767"},"modified":"2025-12-31T14:53:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:53:24","slug":"wpa-applauds-wha78-resolution-to-halve-health-impacts-of-air-pollution-by-2040","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/news\/wpa-applauds-wha78-resolution-to-halve-health-impacts-of-air-pollution-by-2040\/","title":{"rendered":"WPA Applauds WHA78 Resolution to Halve Health Impacts of Air Pollution by 2040"},"content":{"rendered":"

WPA Applauds WHA78 Resolution to Halve Health Impacts of Air Pollution by 2040\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The WPA welcomes the landmark resolution adopted at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly 2025 (WHA78), where Member States overwhelmingly endorsed an updated\u202froad map for an enhanced global response to the health impacts of air pollution. This decision marks a major step forward in safeguarding public health from one of the most pervasive environmental threats of our time.<\/p>\n

The resolution, which updates the 2016 strategy under WHA69\/18 and builds on the foundational resolution WHA68.8 from 2015, introduces the first-ever\u202fvoluntary global target: to reduce the health impacts of air pollution by\u202f50% by 2040.<\/p>\n

Patients at the Frontline of the Air Pollution Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Air pollution contributes to an estimated\u202f7 million deaths annually, primarily from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and pneumonia. As air quality deteriorates globally, patients especially those with existing respiratory, cardiovascular, and other chronic conditions face worsening health outcomes and increased vulnerability.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the global patient community, this resolution is a much-needed recognition that clean air is not a luxury, it is a fundamental determinant of health,\u201d\u202fsaid Hussain Jafri, CEO WPA.\u202f\u201cPatients, particularly in low-resource settings, continue to suffer the most from preventable exposure to polluted air. This is a matter of justice and health equity.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Road Map with Real Potential<\/strong><\/p>\n

The updated road map offers\u202fpractical guidance\u202ffor national and local health authorities to:<\/p>\n

Advocate for cleaner air and intersectoral action;<\/p>\n

Integrate air pollution surveillance and health impact assessments into national health systems;<\/p>\n

Build institutional capacity to respond to environmental health risks;<\/p>\n

Protect communities particularly marginalized and at-risk populations from preventable health harms.<\/p>\n

Importantly, the resolution also reinforces air pollution\u2019s position as a\u202fleading risk factor for NCDs, now ranked alongside tobacco, poor diet, physical inactivity, and harmful alcohol use. This inclusion strengthens the global narrative around air quality as an urgent health priority not just an environmental one.<\/p>\n

A Call for Inclusive Implementation<\/strong><\/p>\n

The WPA urges WHO and Member States to ensure that\u202fpatients and civil society are meaningfully involved\u202fin the implementation of the air pollution road map at every level. This includes:<\/p>\n

Engaging patient communities in public awareness and behavior change campaigns;<\/p>\n

Ensuring accessible data and information about local air quality risks;<\/p>\n

Designing policies that\u202fprioritize health equity, especially in vulnerable regions;<\/p>\n

Mobilizing resources to support low- and middle-income countries where the burden is greatest.<\/p>\n

Clean Air for All: A Shared Responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the global voice of patients, WPA emphasizes that\u202faction on air pollution is not only necessary but also achievable. The new target for 2040 sets a clear and measurable path for progress. However, success will depend on strong political will, cross-sector collaboration, and active engagement with the people most affected patients, families, and communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WPA Applauds WHA78 Resolution to Halve Health Impacts of Air Pollution by 2040\u00a0 The WPA welcomes the landmark resolution adopted at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly 2025 (WHA78), where Member […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":232768,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"news-category":[15],"class_list":["post-232767","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-category-wpa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/232767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232767"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/232767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234434,"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/232767\/revisions\/234434"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232767"},{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldpatientsalliance.org\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-category?post=232767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}