Santiago Declaration Aims for Clean Air and Justice in Latin America

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 on Air Pollution and Health in March 2025, this initiative strengthens links between health policy and environmental justice in the Americas.

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 center 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.

Among its strategic objectives are reducing anthropogenic air pollution in line with WHO’s updated roadmap 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 policymakers. The Declaration also calls for urgent attention to high-altitude Andean cities, acknowledging that their specific geographic and atmospheric profiles intensify health risks.

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 integrate 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, 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). This initiative aims to position the region as a leader in clean air actions, safeguarding the health and well-being of the population, especially for the most vulnerable communities.

The Plan establishes priorities to reinforce health sector leadership, improve monitoring and data systems, promote integrated policies, increase awareness, communication, and participation, and secure sustainable financing and regional cooperation. It is also in line with the WHO's global response, which includes a voluntary goal of halving mortality related to human-caused air pollution by 2040, using 2015 as the baseline year.

The Santiago de Chile Declaration builds on the longstanding work of the WHO and PAHO regarding air quality, energy, climate change, and health, assisting countries in transforming global commitments into tangible actions. By acknowledging clean air as both a public health priority and an issue of environmental justice, the Declaration calls for collective action and decisive measures to safeguard the health of individuals and the planet.