The Global Air pollution and Health - Technical Advisory Group (GAPH-TAG) was convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2021.
The GAPH-TAG will act as an advisory body to WHO through providing technical guidance and inputs to support WHO’s work on (1) health impact assessment of air pollution, related methods and input data, including on SDGs, (2) methods for assessing the co-benefits of climate action, (3) desert dust and health and (4) interventions and policies to address the health impacts of air pollution, that will feed into the global agenda on non-communicable diseases.
Role and responsibilities:
- To review and further advise WHO on the methodologies and data input to assess population exposures to specific air pollutants, including in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators 7.1.2 (Access to clean fuels) and 11.6.2 (Air quality levels in communities);
- To review epidemiological data - both health outcomes and exposure-response functions – including, but not limited to, for the SDG 3.9.1 (Mortality from air pollution);
- To advise WHO methodologies on source-specific attribution for burden of disease assessment;
- To support WHO’s activities related to desert dust, such as assessing human exposure to and related health impact, reviewing the evidence on the impact of desert dust on health; and explore further developments on good practices to reduce health impact from sand and dust storms;
- To review, evaluate and select criteria for cost-effective air pollution and health interventions and policies and provide synthesis and guidance also for the identification of indicators of policy monitoring and what can be agreed good practices and ‘best-buys’;
- To support WHO’s activities in assessing the health and economic implications of climate mitigation policies that also impact air pollution, reviewing and synthesizing evidence, and developing, guidance and tools to support integrated air pollution and climate policies.