Considering the worsening pollution conditions in Karachi and realizing the need to take immediate action in this regard, the City District
Government of Karachi established the 'Clean Air Coordination Committee' on October 11, 2005. The inaugural meeting of the Committee was held in Karachi, on October 11, 2005. Cornie Huizenga, Head CAI-Asia honored the meeting with his presence, along with fourteen other participants, mainly from concerned Government bodies.

The committee, to be known as the "Clean Air Coordination Committee", will function under the aegis of the City Government, while IUCN will provide the necessary support when needed. The goal of the Committee is to foster regular and free exchange of ideas, and contributing to the development of a concrete plan of action for reducing air pollution levels, in Karachi. The specific objective of the proposed committee is to allow relevant actors to come together to exchange knowledge and experiences, and coordinate their future plans and activities. The Committee will also advise the City District Government on air quality related issues and make specific recommendations on how to address them. It is only with a combined and concerted approach that we can hope to meaningfully address the myriad environmental problems facing Karachi.

In this regard, the inaugural meeting of the Clean Air Coordination Committee was held, to get the ball rolling and to formulate a plan on how to achieve the objectives of the committee, concerning its purpose and functioning. Mr. Zaheer-ul-Islam, Director General Karachi Mass Transit Cell made the opening remarks, focusing on the purpose of the Committee and its terms of reference. He also appreciated IUCN's efforts in catalyzing the formation and notification of the Committee. Mr. Ahmad Saeed of IUCN Pakistan then provided a brief history of the earlier efforts undertaken, in setting up the Committee. The first presentation of the meeting was made by Dr. Badar Munir Ghauri of Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). He provided data on Karachi's air quality. The second and last presentation was made by Mr. Cornie Huizenga of CAI - Asia. He largely focused on capacity building, training, knowledge dissemination and fund raising, such that there is strengthened local level presence and effective policy implementation. In the discussions that followed, the members advocated that the project would only be successful if there is commitment and ownership of the project. Involvement of civil society, public and private sector was considered essential. Furthermore, it was decided that the Committee will play a strategic role, as part of the City Government, in improving the air quality in Karachi. The success stories discussed in this regard were noted to have a comprehensive approach, involving massive public action, strong support base system, legitimacy of project and capacity enhancement preceding policy adoption, among others. The session concluded by suggesting minimal government regulation for maximum results in air quality management. However, Karachi membership in CAI-Asia was considered vital, for which the efforts were noticed to be in the right direction, in fulfilling the criterion of CAI-Asia
membership.