Clean Air for All: Kyrgyzstan Advances National Efforts Against Transport Pollution

Organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision, with support from the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and the UN Environment Program (UNEP), and with participation from bilateral and multinational partners, the dialogue gathered over 100 participants from across Kyrgyzstan. It produced practical recommendations to accelerate action on transport-related air pollution and will feed into the upcoming 2026-2027 national plan to combat air pollution.

Opening the event, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision Meder Mashiev underscored the need for a systematic, fact-based, and socially fair approach by the newly composed inter-ministerial commission. He highlighted the ongoing implementation of the 2024–2025 Priority Action Plan—focused on the transition to clean transport and the introduction of a modern air quality monitoring system—and noted that preparation of the next 2026–2027 plan is already underway. He called on development partners to support Kyrgyzstan’s shift toward real environmental investments, stressing that air quality is not only an environmental but also an economic, social, and humanitarian priority.

UN Resident Coordinator Antje Grawe highlighted the timely convening of the Dialogue ahead of the winter season and emphasized the importance of sustaining clean-air action year-round and extending efforts beyond Bishkek to all cities of Kyrgyzstan, particularly in the transport sector. She further noted that, together with Member State partners, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank, the United Nations system continues to support the Government of Kyrgyzstan’s efforts.

Aidai Kurmanova, Head of UNEP's Central Asia Office, further underscored how the transition to cleaner fuels, the electrification of public transport, and expansion of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure will bring cleaner air and immediate benefits to people’s health and the climate. She also reiterated that UNEP, as the leading UN agency working on air quality in the Kyrgyz Republic, remains committed to continue working closely with the rest of the UN System in Kyrgyzstan, the Government, and all development partners to promote science-based, data-driven solutions to tackle air pollution in Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan.

Air pollution remains one of the most visible environmental and health concerns in Kyrgyzstan. Analyses by UNEP and the World Bank show that during warmer months, when heating is not a factor, transport accounts for nearly half of fine particulate emissions in Bishkek.