Leaders from the European Lung Foundation (ELF) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) travelled to Cartagena, Colombia, from 24 to 28 March to take part in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Second Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health. They joined health patient advocates, health professionals and civil society groups from around the world to share why clean air matters and how we can protect our lungs and hearts from pollution.
The week began with the Emerging Leaders for Clean Air Forum, co-led by Achiri Elvis Ndikum, President of the Global Youth Strategy on Air Pollution and Climate Health, and a recipient of a Healthy Lungs for Life grant. He was joined by WHO’s Dr Maria Neira and others to discuss how air pollution, health and climate change are all linked – and what we can do about it.
Ed Powell, Chair of the ELF Youth Group, joined remotely in a session on how young people are speaking up for cleaner air. Nadine Peters, also representing the ELF Youth Group, shared relevant examples from projects that ELF is involved in, including the Healthy Lungs for Life for Schools, LungHealth4Life and FRESHAIR4LIFE projects.
Later, ELF joined a pre-conference meeting with the EU Healthy Air Coalition. Alongside ERS, HEAL and EPHA, we shared how we’ve worked with partners in Europe to turn WHO air quality guidelines into reality. Prof. Barbara Hoffmann, Chair of the ERS Advocacy Council; Prof. Zorana Andersen, former Chair of the ERS Environment and Health Committee; ELF Chair Dimitris Kontopidis; and ELF Director Pippa Powell spoke during the session.
They highlighted how research can shape better laws and why working together is key. ELF Chair, Dimitris, shared his personal experiences of breathing polluted air while living with a lung condition, highlighting key lessons learned from ELF’s work engaging patients in air quality policy advocacy.
Away from the conference, we helped bring lung and heart health directly to people in Cartagena with a Healthy Lungs and Heart for Life event in the city’s Parque Centenario. In partnership with ERS, the World Heart Federation (WHF) and local organisations, we offered free health checks to help people learn how air pollution affects their lungs and heart.
At the opening, speeches were given by Dimitris, Prof. Hoffmann, Chair of the WHF Air Pollution Expert Group Prof. Poornima Prabhakaran, and CEO and Founder of Lovexair Shane Fitch. During the opening, Prof. Poornima Prabhakaran said:
Many people think of air pollution as only affecting the lungs, but growing research shows it impacts every organ in the body. We’re especially concerned about its effects on heart health. That’s why we’re here in Cartagena, to raise awareness and help people understand how air quality affects their health. We hope you enjoy your time here and leave knowing a bit more about your lungs, your heart, and your overall wellbeing.
Left to right: Prof. Poornima Prabhakaran (Chair of the WHF Air Pollution Expert Group); Prof. Barbara Hoffmann (ERS Advocacy Council Chair); Shane Fitch (CEO and Founder of Lovexair); Dimitris Kontopidis (ELF Chair).
Back at the conference centre, we joined health leaders to show support for WHO’s global call to action for clean air.
Dimitris delivered the call to action to Dr Maria Neira, speaking on behalf of people living with diseases that are affected by polluted air. He said:
I am Dimitris Kontopidis, a person suffering from a chronic condition and an advocate based in Greece. I know how air pollution is a risk for my health, and I would like all people suffering from noncommunicable and other diseases to be more aware of this environmental risk factor. I have supported this call to action.
The call, now signed by nearly 50 million people, urges stronger action to protect our health from air pollution.
Left to right: Sofia Lasso, Angelo Moreno, Dimitris Kontopidis, Xoli Fuyani, Sandra Cortes, Maria Neira, Mark Hayden
Later in the week, we moved Healthy Lungs and Heart for Life to the WHO conference centre, where delegates came to take the same tests, see our outreach work in action and talk about how it could be used in their own advocacy work.
We’re proud to have brought patient voices and public engagement to this important global event, which would not have been possible without our local partner organisations. We say a big thank you to our local partners Cartagena de Indias, Sociedad Latina, Fundación Ayúdanos a Respirar, Lovexair Foundation, Fundación InspiraT, Latin Health Leaders, Fundación Fibrosis Quística Colombia, Fundación de Neumológica Colombiana, La Liga Colombiana Contra el Infarto y la Hipertensión, to ndd Medical Technologies for providing the testing equipment, and to the Clean Air Fund for making this project possible.
Healthy Lungs and Heart for Life in Cartagena, March 2025 @ the WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health
In a WHO conference session on strategic communications and outreach, Pippa spoke about the impact of the Healthy Lungs for Life campaign, showcasing it as an effective public engagement model for advancing clean air action and protecting health. She highlighted how the campaign has raised awareness of lung disease risk factors, engaged communities directly and contributed to policy advocacy. Pippa emphasised its adaptability, encouraging others to consider how similar approaches could support their own public health and advocacy efforts.
As the WHO conference came to a close, Pippa and Brian Ward, ERS Advocacy and Public Affairs Director, joined representatives from member states, UN agencies, civil society and key stakeholders in making commitments to take action on clean air for health and the planet. Over 50 countries, cities and organisations agreed to reduce the health impacts of air pollution by 50% before the 2040 edition of the conference.
On behalf of ELF, Pippa told the conference that ELF commits to:
The week sent a clear message: air pollution is a serious threat to our health, and tackling it takes all of us working together.
ELF will continue working with ERS and other key partners to help ensure everyone can breathe clean air, including through upcoming events and by supporting funding opportunities as part of the Healthy Lungs for Life initiative.
