World Environment Day is an annual event organized by UN Environment on 5 June and celebrated by ADB's Environment Thematic Group. This year's theme, "Beat Air Pollution", is aligned with the operational priorities of ADB’s Strategy 2030 including those aimed at making cities more livable and providing better health for all. In order to address air pollution integrated approaches from the urban, transport, energy and health sectors are needed.

This opening session was designed to raise awareness within the general ADB community of the current state and importance of addressing air pollution in Metro Manila and other Asian cities. During this event, resource persons identified air quality is among one of the region’s most serious environmental pressures, with 98% of Asia’s cities are exposed to air pollution levels that are of significant risk to health. It was estimated that by 2060, air pollution could be responsible for a reduction in global economic output of $330 per person, whilst annual healthcare costs due to air pollution could increase to $­176 billion. The event also emphasized the need to urgently scale up our actions to address the region’s air pollution problem, which will, in turn, have climate change, health, and other socio-economic co-benefits.