For the Right to Clean Air: Partnerships, Policies and Practices in Focus

For the Right to Clean Air: Partnerships, Policies and Practices in Focus

11:00 ICT | 18 March 2025

Overview

Air pollution is a major environmental and public health crisis, contributing to over 8 million deaths globally each year. It is the leading environmental cause of disease and mortality, with estimated health damages amounting to USD 8.1 trillion annually, or 6.1% of global GDP (World Bank, 2021). The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) projects that by 2060, the annual number of lost working days due to outdoor air pollution will reach 3.7 billion.

Air pollution poses one of Asia’s most pressing environmental and public health challenges, contributing to 4 million premature deaths annually. Major economic hubs such as Delhi, Dhaka, Jakarta and Ha Noi suffer from hazardous air quality levels, impacting not only public health but also economic productivity and investor confidence. The transboundary nature of air pollution, such as haze from forest fires and industrial emissions, underscores the governance challenges and shared responsibilities that transcend national borders.

Being a challenge that cuts across multiple ministries, and yet owned by none, it is evident that a ‘whole of society’ approach is needed to tackle air pollution. The private sector plays a pivotal role in addressing air pollution, as industries are both contributors and potential solution drivers. Air quality issues directly affect business operations—ranging from supply chain disruptions to workforce health and productivity losses. However, tensions persist as businesses navigate profitability, regulatory compliance, and public pressure for greater accountability. Governance challenges, from fragmented regional regulations to weak enforcement, further complicate efforts.

Meaningful and action-driven stakeholder engagement is critical. Companies that consult and collaborate with affected communities, workers, and civil society can better understand local impacts, build trust, and create solutions that benefit both people and the planet. Aligning with frameworks like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights can help businesses integrate air quality commitments into their due diligence strategies while addressing human rights risks.

Format

The panel features concise insights from business leaders, regulators, civil society representatives, and health experts, followed by interactive discussions to drive actionable outcomes.

LEARN:

Policy Landscape in Asia: Explore national and regional air quality policies, including citizen driven policy shifts.
Business Value in Clean Air: Understand how reducing pollution can be an economic asset to organizations, viz. enhance worker productivity, brand reputation, and resilience.
Stakeholder Engagement for Impact: Learn how inclusive consultation processes strengthen business strategies and community outcomes.

ENGAGE:

Regional Collaborations: Explore cross-border initiatives and explore possibilities of regional policy alignment and joint response strategies.
Corporate Leadership: Engage with companies seeking to address corporate impacts on air quality through sustainable operations, emission reduction, and cross-sector partnerships to set industry benchmarks
Community Voices: Center the experiences of those directly impacted by air pollution.

CONNECT:

Multi-Stakeholder Solutions: Explore how businesses can partner with regulators, communities, and civil society to strengthen their due diligence strategies, while integrating nature-based solutions to enhance air quality and ecosystem health.
Innovation and Opportunity: Identify business opportunities in clean air technology and low-emission solutions.

SESSION SPEAKERS

JOSEPH HONG

Managing Director, Bosch Thailand and Laos

Prior to his current assignment, Joseph has taken on various roles in the Bosch group in sales, marketing, and business development for Mobility Aftermarket, as well as crossdivisional tasks in strategy, project management, and compliance with postings in the Philippines, Germany, and Singapore.
He sits on the board of several Bosch companies and joint ventures in Thailand, Laos, and Singapore, and is currently the Vice President of the Thai European Business Association (TEBA).
Prior to Bosch, he worked in the Japanese trading house Itochu Corporation in mobility, industrial, infrastructure and business development.

ANOUJ MEHTA

Country Director, Thailand Resident Mission, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Anouj leads ADB’s Thailand Resident Mission based in Bangkok, encompassing both public and private sector activities under an overall vision of innovating and incubating green finance solutions across a range of sectors and themes. ADB Thailand teams work across the country as well as the larger Southeast Asia region with both lending and technical assistance projects including 6 special initiatives, e-mobility, water and floods management, climate/green finance facilities, and a nature-based solutions financing hub for the Asia Pacific region, launched in late 2023.
He is the former head of the ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance (ACGF) facility, a pioneering regional facility under the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund, aimed at green recovery in the region with 13 partners and $2 billion in financing support. Prior to his current role, he established and managed the Innovation Hub for Southeast Asia Regional Department of ADB, focusing on green and innovative finance. He has also previously led one of ADB’s pioneering PPP (public-private partnership) initiatives in India.
A former investment banker and chartered accountant from the UK, Anouj has been with ADB since 2005 working on South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia projects and programs.

SIWAPORN RUNGSIYANON

Specialized Expert in Air Quality and Noise Management, Pollution Control Department, Thailand

Siwaporn Rungsiyanon is a specialized expert in air quality and noise management at Thailand’s Pollution Control Department. Holding a Master’s in Environmental Management from York University, she focuses on policy development, pollution control, and regional cooperation. She advises Thailand’s Parliament on environmental issues and leads initiatives like the Thailand Center for Air Pollution Mitigation (CAPM). Her efforts extend to ASEAN-wide transboundary haze reduction, climate resilience, and clean air policies. She also contributes to international frameworks, leveraging space technology and economic strategies to combat air pollution, particularly in the Mekong sub-region

AAFREEN SIDDIQUI

Regional Engagement Lead- Public Sector Innovation, UNDP

Aafreen is a results-driven development professional with 15 years of experience in managing People, Policies, Projects, and Partnerships. A Political Science postgraduate, currently Public Sector Innovation Specialist at UNDP Asia-Pacific, she has been with UNDP for the past decade, government . A former civil servant, she advises universities, incubators, and startups. A TEDx Speaker and awardee of WebWonderWomen2019, she was named among the top 100 women in GovTech globally. As a Public Sector Innovation Specialist at UNDP Asia-Pacific, she supports policy labs across the region. She also leads the Secretariat of Our Common Air, a global commission advancing clean air initiatives, co-chaired by Rt Hon Helen Clark.

ASIM JAFFRY

Country Programme Lead, Fair Finance Pakistan

Asim Jaffry specializes in human rights, environmental justice, and fiscal policies, including fair taxation and economic inequality.
Trained as an interdisciplinary policy analyst, is a Fellow of the US International Visitors Leadership Program on Air Quality. He was a member of the Tax Reforms Commission (2015-2016), and advised the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights for fair fiscal policies (2016-2018). Asim pioneered Pakistan’s Business and Human Rights national action plan with professor john Ruggie, proposing measures to strengthen the human rights performance of the national business sector, endorsed by the President of Pakistan. He authored the Fair Tax Monitor Pakistan reports (2018 and 2019), 'Gone Missing? - An analysis of voluntary environmental commitments for energy projects in Pakistan: A case for responsible banking (2021).' He co-authored a report on Pakistan's debt crises viz-a-viz coal plants, 'Pitfalls of restoring energy security with coal power plants in Pakistan (2022),' and the ESG policy rankings 'Benchmarking the Sustainability Policies of Banks in Pakistan (2023),' of the largest five commercial Pakistani banks. He leads Fair Finance Pakistan, a coalition of CSOs and private sector on ESG, air quality and climate finance. His work contributed to insertion of Article 9A in the Constitution of Pakistan in 2024 that recognises clean, healthy environment as fundamental human right.

KANONGNIJ SRIBUAIAM

Co-founder, Thailand Clean Air Network

Professor Dr. Kanongnij Sribuaiam, with 41 years of experience, is a leading expert in environmental law and a legal activist. She co-founded the Thailand Clean Air Network (Thailand CAN), spearheading the country’s first citizen-led Clean Air Bill, which gained over 22,000 public signatories. As 1st Vice Chair of the Clean Air Act Review Committee, she plays a key role in shaping environmental policy. She has advised legal reform projects in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia and contributed to Thailand’s 2015 constitutional framework. Holding multiple law degrees from Chulalongkorn and Harvard, she was awarded the Chulalongkorn University Excellence Award 2023-2024.