2024 International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies

A recording of these remarks can be found on YouTube and Tencent.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Air is our first contact with the world. It is what we breathe, on average, 12 times per minute. Clean air sustains our health and keeps us alive, while polluted air can poison us and lead to various health problems.

Today, we are here to celebrate the fifth International Day of Clean Air for blue skies.

The United Nations General Assembly designated 7 September as International Day of Clean Air for blue skies in 2019.  This year, under the theme of "Invest in #CleanAirNow", we must highlight the urgent need for increased investment, stronger policies, and shared responsibility to combat air pollution and its severe impacts on health, economies, and the climate.

Air pollution knows no national borders, and any contamination of the air we breathe or damage to our environment is a burden we collectively bear.

But air pollution is preventable and reversible.

Solutions are available and must be implemented. By collaborating across borders, sectors, and silos, we can reduce air pollution through collective investments of time, resources and technologies.

Beijing stands as a testament to the possibilities for reducing air pollution.

In 1998, Beijing initiated an intensified air pollution control programme. Over the last two decades, the city has continuously made strategic investments to reduce air pollution, leading to incredible results, the number of heavily polluted days of Particulate Matter 2.5 dropped to just two in 2023.

This achievement did not happen by chance or luck. It was the result of a long and arduous journey, with many important lessons learned that can serve as examples and best practices for any nation, district or municipality that wishes to follow a similar path to reduce air pollution.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development acknowledges that reducing air pollution is vital for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. As the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Our air is a common good and a common responsibility.” By tackling air pollution proactively, we can achieve transformative change and secure healthy air for all.

Let us strive together towards a planet that is, at last, free of pollution.

Thank you.