Promoting a new era of regional cooperation, a new declaration is calling for urgent, coordinated action to cut air pollution and protect public health across Latin America and the Caribbean. Emerging from the 2nd WHO Global Conference in air pollution and health in March 2025, this Initiative strengthens links between health policy and environmental justice in the Americas.
From global commitments to regional action
Advanced during the Latin American Conference on Air Quality and Health in Santiago, Chile last October, the Santiago Declaration on Clean Air and Environmental Justice, establishes a shared vision that recognizes clean air as a basic human right and places health at the centre of all policies. It underscores that air pollution is a major, preventable factor of noncommunicable disease and premature death, particularly impacting vulnerable populations and communities already facing social and environmental inequalities.
Initiated by the Colegio Medico de Chile and the International Society of Doctors for the Environment (ISDE), with endorsement from the Pan American Health Organization and supported by the World Health Organization as well as several international partners, the Declaration translates scientific evidence and commitments into a robust regional framework for action. It advocates for the integration of environmental health into primary health care, stronger monitoring mechanisms, and evidence-based, participatory decision-making across sectors including on the role of the public health workforce.
Priorities to protect health
Among its strategic objectives are reducing anthropogenic air pollution in line with WHO’s updated road map for an enhanced global response to the adverse health effects of air pollution; protecting ecosystems to safeguard health and climate resilience; embedding environmental health in policies beyond the health sector; strengthening capacity building and training; improving transparency and access to environmental and health data; and establishing a Latin American Network on Air Quality and Health to connect experts, academia, civil society and policy-makers. The Declaration also calls for urgent attention to high-altitude Andean cities, acknowledging that their specific geographic and atmospheric profiles intensify health risks.
Implementation, coordination and sustained WHO engagement
The Declaration is strategically aligned with the Belém Health Action Plan presented at COP30, whose implementation will be coordinated in collaboration with the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH).. In particular, its emphasis on health equity, climate justice, and leadership and governance on climate and health with active social participation reflects the priorities of that plan. Together, these initiatives reinforce the need for people-centered approaches that integrates air quality, climate action, and health system strengthening.
A dedicated coordination group has been established to support the implementation of the Declaration’s objectives. This body will promote its principles, mobilize communities and institutions, monitor progress, and foster continuous dialogue among stakeholders.
PAHO Regional Action Plan on Air Quality and Health for Latin America and the Caribbean (2026-2031)
PAHO, in close collaboration with the Ministries of Health of the Americas, made significant progress in the joint development of the Regional Action Plan on Air Quality and Health for Latin America and the Caribbean (2026-2031), with the vision of positioning the region as a leader in clean air actions, protecting the health and well-being of the population, particularly the most vulnerable communities.
The Plan sets priorities to strengthen the leadership of the health sector; enhance monitoring and data systems; advance integrated policies; promote awareness, communication, and participation; and achieve sustainable financing and regional cooperation. It is also aligned with WHO’s global response, which includes the voluntary target of reducing mortality attributable to anthropogenic air pollution by 50% by 2040 (baseline 2015).
Moving forward
The Santiago de Chile Declaration builds on WHO’s and PAHO’s longstanding work on air quality, energy, climate change, and health, helping countries translate global commitments into concrete action. By recognizing clean air as both a public health priority and a matter of environmental justice, the Declaration urges collective action and decisive measures to protect people’s health and the planet.