What is the Clean Air Pledge Session 2026?
On September 8, 2026 — following the UN International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on the 7th, the EPIC Air Quality Fund will host a live, online, high-visibility session in which organizations, governments, and companies from around the world will publicly announce concrete clean air commitments for the coming year. Think of it as a global stage for your entity’s clean air ambition, whether that’s funding, data, policy, technology, advocacy, or something else in your clean air imagination.
Why now?
Air pollution is one of the world’s greatest external risks to human health, cutting more years from life expectancy than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. Yet it receives less than 0.1% of global philanthropy, according to the Clean Air Fund. The gap between the scale of the problem and the scale of the response has never been wider — or the opportunity to close it more clear. This pledge session exists to turn that urgency into public, concrete commitments.
Who can participate?
Any entity in any sector interested in making a Clean Air Pledge. (We, at EPIC, are planning our commitment too!)
A few illustrative — but not limiting — examples of what commitments could look like:
- Governments (cities, subnational, regional and national governments) making monitoring, maintenance, open data, or policy commitments (e.g., a national government committing to sustain newly deployed air quality monitors, including sensors or to the development of a national clean air plan, adoption or revision of air quality standards, sector-specific interventions such as improvement in public transport infrastructure, waste management or a related goal — or any new initiative or reaffirming commitment).
- Philanthropies and funds announcing new or renewed clean air funding or open data commitments.
- Private sector companies pledging open data policies, technology access, or corporate sustainability commitments.
- International organizations and NGOs announcing new programs, partnerships, resources, or advocacy targets.
Entities that have already expressed intention to make a clean air pledge, as of 7 July 2026:
Let us know if we should add your entity’s name to the list.
What counts as a commitment?
There’s no single answer — commitments are scaled to what’s meaningful for your organization. Commitments can be large or modest. They should be public, specific, and time-bound pledges, something of the general form:
[Organization name] commits to [specific action] in [geographic scope / sector] by [date], in order to [intended impact].
What does participation in the session look like?
- The session is virtual and free to view; a live online event hosted by the EPIC Air Quality Fund out of the University of Chicago.
- To make a pledge, there is no cost, no binding legal obligation.
- We provide a simple commitment template to help you frame your announcement.
- Your commitment is featured alongside a global cohort.
- We will contact you in one year to ask how progress is going on your commitment — and see if you have another.
Why participate?
- Create Visibility for Clean Air Efforts! Your commitment is announced on a global stage alongside governments, companies, and leading institutions, timed to a UN day with significant media attention.
- Engage a Wider Network: You join a cohort of serious actors: potential partners, co-funders, collaborators, and grassroots organizations already making a difference for clean air across the world.
- Help Build Momentum: Public commitments create internal accountability and external leverage.
Next steps
Want to make a clean air pledge but not sure what to make? Schedule a meeting with the EPIC AQ Fund Team to brainstorm ideas.
- Fill out this short commitment template by 25 August. It will not be made public or considered final until later confirmation by your organization.
- We will follow up to solidify and confirm/finalize your pledge. We are happy to schedule a short call to help you shape your announcement, as well.
- In August, in advance of 8 September, we will have a short organizing meeting for all those entities that have finalized their pledge.
- On 8 September, we will make our pledges together in the session!
- In one year, we will reach out to get an update we can share publicly.