We declare, for the first time as a global community, that clean indoor air is a fundamental human right for protecting health and safeguarding well-being. Poor air quality in indoor environments – where populations spend up to 90 percent of their time – contributes to respiratory disease (including asthma and lung cancer), heart disease, infectious disease transmission, and cognitive impairment, in addition to potential impacts from carcinogens. All people are impacted by poor indoor air quality.
In 2000, a World Health Organization working group concluded "everyone has a right to healthy indoor air” and in recent years, both the United Nations (2022) and the World Health Organization (2021) recognized clean air as a human right. This Global Pledge builds on those pioneering steps to help galvanize global action explicitly on indoor air quality.
Furthermore, the importance of healthy indoor air is recognized in the context of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Collaboration amongst the broad suite of stakeholders involved in addressing indoor air quality also honors SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
The 2025 launch of the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air represents a landmark moment, signaling the first international movement to prioritize healthy indoor air for all. We invite governments, non-governmental organizations, cities, universities, schools, healthcare facilities, professional associations, advocacy organizations, businesses, and community groups to join this Pledge. Together, we can build a world where everyone, everywhere, breathes healthy indoor air.
We, the undersigned, commit to, where appropriate:
1. Recognize the importance of healthy indoor air to:
a. Uphold human rights, noting that access to clean air, alongside access to clean water, was enshrined as a fundamental human right by the United Nations General Assembly in 2022.
b. Safeguard health for all, in both the short- and long-term.
c. Enhance pandemic preparedness, given that airborne diseases are primarily transmitted in indoor environments.
d. Uplift resilience of the built environment to climate change. Enhancing indoor air quality will help protect against the airborne impacts of wildfires and flooding, higher temperatures, and airborne pollutants.
e. Ensure workplace health safety protections for workers against airborne biological hazards and pollutants.
f. Improve accessibility and care for all, enabling all people to safely access public spaces, especially children, the elderly, marginalized communities, and individuals with chronic diseases, who face disproportionately higher health risks from poor indoor air quality. Childhood exposure to airborne pollutants can impact long-term health.
2. Prioritize and advocate for action on indoor air quality, including through contributions, where appropriate, to a guidelines document outlining future steps for consideration.
3. Collaborate across sectors and borders, including across governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, contributing to a global coalition to advance healthy indoor air.
4. Share successes and challenges around action on healthy indoor air, to exchange knowledge and accelerate learning for all.
5. Educate and empower the public about the importance of healthy indoor air.
6. Introduce new stakeholders to the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air, to strengthen the movement and accelerate progress.
7. Reconvene to share progress towards healthier indoor air.
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, “The Right to Healthy Indoor Air: Report on a WHO Meeting,” (2000).
World Health Organization, “WHO global air quality guidelines,” (2021).
United Nations General Assembly, “The Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment,” (2022).
