The Launch Conference of the Initiative was held in the Hotel Danube and at the Old Town Hall, in Bratislava, Slovakia during April 18 – 20, 2001
The Conference was attended by over 100 participants from 31 different countries, representing a diverse range of national and local government bodies, research and academic institutions, NGOs and international organizations. The first sessions were dedicated to providing a regional overview of air quality issues, followed by more specific sessions providing the city perspective, opportunities for air quality investments and working groups on transport, energy and awareness-raising. The conference was also designed to enable a participatory approach to the design of the whole Initiative, by requesting city representatives to respond to the proposed framework and to highlight their specific concerns.
A final coordination meeting was held on the morning of the 20th to establish a framework for the governance of the Initiative – with an attendance of over 40 representatives, much progress was made in terms of contributions to the Initiative, and the Steering Committee that will carry the Initiative forward was established.
One of the key objectives of the workshop was to establish, through presentations of city case studies and dialogue with participants, the main issues associated with urban air quality management in the region. The impact of air pollution on human health, and the resulting loss of productivity, are clearly the main driving factors for cities to address urban air quality. The increasing role of traffic congestion as a pollution source in urban areas was clearly recognized, although it was stressed that the impact of industrial and energy sources in this region should not be underestimated. The impact of air pollution on the urban environment was also addressed, recognizing that the historic heart of many cities is a valuable resource that must be protected.
Four themes clearly underlie the issues:
Institutions – the centralized decision-making process in many countries often hampers local action and initiatives. In order for local air quality actions to be effective and implementable within the current governance frameworks there must be significant dialogue and cooperation between national and local bodies to meet the common purpose of improving urban air quality. The Initiative can facilitate this, as well as providing a mechanism for exchange of experience both between partner cities and internationally, and to help build capacity.
Incentives – many air quality improvement plans fail due to lack of incentives for implementation and compliance. These may include issues such as tariffs and pricing in different sectors (fuels, energy tariffs, demand side management etc.) to promote cleaner air.
Investments – one of the most frequently voiced concerns from all participants was the severe lack of funding available to municipalities to either undertake air quality planning and management, or to implement projects identified. The Clean Air Initiative can bring to bear the experience of the different actors of the network, and enable dialogue between cities and investors.
Information – a striking result of the conference was the recognized need and desire for information sharing – several organizations and cities had significant and valuable lessons to share, as well as a wealth of scientific and technical data, and very few means of dissemination. The participants acknowledged the need for good baseline data as a fundamental part of any action planning, and as a vital component in raising the awareness of the public to air quality issues and actions. The role of the Initiative in facilitating information sharing across the region, as well as by providing international expertise from partners such as the World Health Organization, was firmly established by the participants.
Through dialogue between participants and potential partners, a number of priority actions were identified, at local, national and regional levels. On a sectoral level these can simply be described as:
Knowledge Management/Communications A final outcome of the conference is in the crucial area of knowledge and communications. The initial announcement regarding the Initiative and the conference reached over 400 potential participants, itself raising awareness of the issues across the region.
Press releases were prepared and disseminated, both locally in Slovakia and to all countries in the region. A video Public Service Announcement (PSA) was recorded and has been widely disseminated to 54 television stations throughout the region. TV stations in Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Bosnia Herzegovina and Hungary have already aired the Announcement, with broad regional dissemination also being achieved through airings on Bloomberg Europe and Discovery International. The PSA encapsulates many of the key issues associated with urban air pollution – industrial pollution, traffic congestion, health impacts, the benefits of clean public transport systems and clean production techniques in a short yet dramatic video clip. The clip is available as either a 30 second or 60 second version, and is freely available from the World Bank for further dissemination. The video may also be viewed.
The final coordination meeting of the Conference was held to establish the governance mechanism for the Initiative – a Steering Committee, comprising those cities who wish to contribute experience as well as those who wish to directly benefit from knowledge sharing and technical assistance, national government bodies, international organizations who can bring technical expertise and knowledge to the Initiative as in-kind contributions, NGOs and academic institutions, and private sector companies who wish to support the Initiative financially. Governance Mechanism A very positive response was received from the participants regarding the use and value of creating a network of air quality practitioners (at all levels) both throughout the region and internationally. The sheer diversity of participants at the Launch Conference indicated the very high initial level of interest, and the formation of a network as one of the key components of the Initiative was raised throughout the proceedings. Network creation An important outcome was the validation of the program concept by participants. The concept was presented at the start of the conference, and discussed as a theme throughout. The revised framework proposal was presented at the final coordination meeting and clearly validated by the participants. Validation of Program Concept Health – epidemiological studies and comparative reviews of air quality & health. Transport – information and assistance with public transport and fuel quality issues. Industry/Energy – energy savings/energy efficiency within a framework established through sector reform and tariff restructuring. Urban - support local action planning and promotion of air quality improvements.
| 
