(apologies for cross-postings) <div align=center> MEDIA ADVISORY: First Governmental Meeting on Urban Air Quality in Asia</div> <div align=center> 13-14 December, 2006 Yogyakarta, Indonesia </div> The Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), the State Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia, United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD), and United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) will jointly organize the First Governmental Meeting on Urban Air Quality in Asia on 13-14 December 2006 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Air pollution is now a priority issue in most countries in Asia. Governments in Asia are investing more resources in monitoring urban air quality and have imposed increasingly tighter emission standards for vehicles and industries. Asian countries share common challenges in urban air quality management and can learn from each other by being part of a common forum. The First Governmental Meeting on Urban Air Quality in Asia provides a forum for government agencies to discuss common challenges in urban air quality management and harmonize methods and standards on urban air quality management in the region. It is expected that the meeting will support efforts of Asian governments to arrive at more optimal air pollution abatement strategies. This meeting will be part of the Better Air Quality (BAQ) 2006 workshop, the largest regional event on urban air quality management in Asia. CAI-Asia: The Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) was established in 2001 and has members and activities in major cities in most of the Asian countries. The mission of CAI-Asia is to improve urban air quality management through partnerships and sharing experiences. It promotes the adoption and implementation of air quality management policies and programs. It undertakes supportive actions on knowledge management, capacity building, networking and pilot programs. Indonesian Ministry of Environment: The State Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia is the lead department for urban air quality management in Indonesia. It has initiated the formulation of a national clean air act to intensify air quality management activities. The Ministry has taken the initiative to host BAQ 2006 in Indonesia to showcase its air quality management efforts and to receive inputs from experts worldwide in the formulation of the clean air act. UNEP: UNEP facilitates and promotes intergovernmental cooperation on regional air pollution issues in Asia and the Pacific region. These initiatives include: (a) the ASEAN Haze Agreement, which is the first official intergovernmental agreement on air pollution in Asia; (b) the East Asian Network on Acid Deposition (EANET), (c) the Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution and its Likely Transboundary Effects for South Asia, (d) Regional Environment Action Plan for Central Asia, (e) the Atmospheric Brown Cloud study, and (f) Prevention and Control of Dust and Sandstorms in North East Asia. UNCRD: UNCRD and the Ministry of the Environment of the Government of Japan have jointly initiated the Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum which provides a strategic/ knowledge platform for sharing experiences among Asian countries and disseminating best practices, policy instruments, tools, and technologies, in relation to various aspects of EST. For further details, please contact: CAI-Asia         :        Mr. Cornie Huizenga,                         Tel: +63-2-632-5047                         Email: chuizenga@adb.org MoE/Indonesia        :        Mr. Ridwan Tamin                         Tel. +. 62 21 85911207                         Email: baq2006@menlh.go.id         UNEP                 :        Mylvakanam Iyngararasan                         Tel: + 66 2 524 6239                         Email: Mylvakanam.Iyngararasan@rrcap.unep.org         UNCRD         :        Choudhury Rudra Charan Mohanty,                         Tel:  + 81-52-561-9417                         Email: mohantyc@uncrd.or.jp