Cape Town Ministerial Declaration on Air Quality
G20 Ministers of Environment and Climate
Published by the Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group, October 22, 2025
We, the Ministers of Environment and Climate of the G20, and Invited Countries, met in Cape Town, South Africa, on the 16th and 17th October 2025, and adopted the Cape Town Ministerial Declaration on Air Quality.
1. We recognize the significant risks that poor air quality poses and the need to improve air quality to address impacts on human health, particularly for persons in vulnerable situations, including children, the elderly and persons living with disabilities. We also recognize air pollution, both indoor and outdoor, is a contributor to the global burden of disease, and a cause of premature mortality, and a high economic cost. We welcome the United Nations Environment Assembly Resolution (UNEA) 6/10 and call for its continued implementation.
2. We continue to support international collaboration to combat transboundary air pollution, including at the local, national, and regional levels, in line with UNEA Resolution 6/10, as well as the Global Air Quality Cooperation Network, and take note of the actions taken and efforts made by Parties to the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, and particularly encourage collaboration on regional clean air programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
3. We encourage collaboration to share information on the best available technologies, promote the adoption and implementation of measures to improve air quality, fostering synergies among different policies and sectors as well as mobilizing all sources of financial resources.
4. We recognize the importance of open and reliable air quality data and support voluntary efforts to increase access to sustainable monitoring where it is not currently available, to expand air quality information systems that rely on the full range of available tools, and to promote voluntary transparent sharing of data. We encourage collaboration to improve capacity in monitoring and analytical techniques as well as to improve data comparability and exchange, consistent with national laws and circumstances.
5. We welcome the South African Presidency’s commitment to convening a technical workshop, with a view to continuing the consideration of air quality, amongst G20 Members, on a voluntary basis, to support exchange of experience and encourage future G20 Presidencies to continue and strengthen this effort.