My name is Elvis Ndikum from Cameroon, and I’m a clean air advocate leading the Global Youth Strategy on Air Pollution and Climate Health (GYS). GYS works on mobilizing global action through advocacy to address air pollution and its impact on climate health. Recently, I helped organize a pre-conference with the World Health Organization (WHO) on the margins to the WHO 2nd Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health (25-27 March 2025).
At the preconference youth day event titled; Emerging Leaders for Clean Air Forum (ELCAF), I helped bring together over 50 energetic leaders including early-career professionals, and advocates to discuss ways to tackle air pollution and its links to health and climate. Through collaboration, capacity-building, and strategic planning, participants developed a unified policy statement after gaining advocacy skills and exchanging innovative solutions that will be driving global action for clean air.
It gives me hope to see the outcomes of this very successful second global conference on air pollution and health. Additionally, the landmark ELCAF Youth Cartagena Declaration will be important to fast track global and country action to curb the climate crisis especially on vulnerable populations including children and youth living with non communicable diseases like asthma, stroke, heart attacks and more. It is crucial to include more topics on air pollution and health impacts on the agenda for the upcoming UN High Level Meeting on NCDs and COP30 happening in 2025. There is an urgent need to end the silence for clean air now.
