Shedding light on pathways to clean air and blue skies in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, National Citizen Party’s (NCP) first senior joint member secretary Dr Tasnim Jara on Tuesday emphasised that people must remain at the centre of climate and environmental action.

"It’s about our children breathing freely. It’s about them living longer, healthier, more fulfilling lives. If we connect to that human story, it binds us across political lines and across borders," she said while speaking at a high-level panel discussion on the sidelines of the HKH Parliamentarians’ Meet 2025.

A popular figure known for her evidence-based health videos with millions of followers, Dr Jara outlined four key steps to tackle air pollution - building a shared scientific foundation, harmonising policies, mobilising finance and keeping people at the centre.

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She stressed the unique role of parliamentarians and said, "They are not just lawmakers. They are the bridge between science and people, between global commitments and local realities. That is why they must step forward and act.”

Dr Jara underlined that clean air is not a luxury, but a right.

Framing it as a political issue, she said, “If we can secure that commitment across the region, our partners will act together. The sky above belongs to all of us, and we must defend our right to clean air with urgency. We either fix this together, or we fail separately.”

Four Priorities

Monitoring of air quality in the region is still uneven, said Dr Jara, calling for a robust regional network of monitoring stations, shared datasets, and transparent science.  “If we cannot measure together, we cannot act together."

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“If one country tightens standards but another does not, the consequences cross borders,” she said, urging alignment of policies across the HKH region.

Dr Jara noted that poor air quality already costs countries a significant portion of GDP. “If we spent even a fraction of what we lose, we would gain much more in return,” she said, highlighting the need to access both international climate funds and domestic resources.

She warned of the severe health risks for children, higher chances of being born underweight or premature, increased asthma attacks and greater lifelong risk of heart disease and strokes. “We are literally stealing our children’s futures because of inaction.”

Dr Jara described air pollution as both an environmental and public health emergency. "It affects every second of our lives. It is also an economic issue, causing lost productivity and reduced GDP. We are already late in addressing this, we cannot delay any further," she said.

Citing Bangladesh as an example, she said 93% of its people breathe air that fails to meet even the least stringent World Meteorological Organization standards. “There is literally no safe air in my country.”

While Bangladesh has an air quality management plan, Dr Jara said implementation remains weak. “Policy making is only the start. Without strong action and enforcement, progress will remain inadequate,” she said.

She urged policymakers to make clean air a top political priority, pointing out, “If this affects our voters, it must affect our politics. We must ensure the political will to act.”

Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, Bhutan Sonam Tashi, Member of Parliament, Nepal Madhav Sapkota and Deputy Speaker and Chairperson of Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming Suriya Bibi spoke as the panellists while Air Lead at ICIMOD Ashish Tiwari made a presentation before the panel discussion on ‘Striving Together for Clean Air and Blue Skies in the HKH region’ chaired by Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs Adviser Supradip Chakma.

Speakers highlighted how air pollution threatens human health and ecosystems, stressing the urgency of joint action for cleaner air.

Exposure to polluted air can cause respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases and even premature death.

In contrast, clean air supports lung health, reduces the risk of chronic conditions and contributes to longer lives.