12 November 2020 11.11.2020 - The first conference with decision-makers was held within the framework of the project “Information Management for Air Quality, Behavior Change, and Communication Services,” supported by the Millennium Foundation Kosovo (MFK) and funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). The conference of all key stakeholders took place with the aim of increasing cooperation and better coordination for improving air quality in the country. On this occasion, the elements of the campaign were presented, through which citizens will have the opportunity to regularly check air quality, provided by 12 air monitoring stations across Kosovo.
The nationwide campaign for air quality awareness is planned to start at the end of November in Kosovo with the aim of informing the public about the health risks caused by air pollution and the measures they should take to protect themselves, thereby changing their habits and making efforts to reduce pollution levels, especially during the winter season.
"The Air Quality Project is one of our concrete investments in creating a sustainable and modern data system, to increase the transparency of institutions and communication with the public," stated Petrit Selimi, Executive Director of MFK, during his opening speech at the conference.
Sarah Olmstead, MCC Director for Kosovo, singled out this project from others by stating: “This is among the projects I like the most, not only because it is connected with other energy projects, but also because it allows citizens to have control over air quality levels and to make decisions in accordance with the circumstances. The Air Quality Portal, the mobile application, and the subpage on the IKSHP website are some of the interactive tools developed by the air quality project, which will be made largely available to the public, enabling them to monitor air pollution levels.
The actors agreed to be in full coordination in carrying out activities to improve air quality, taking concrete measures both by institutions and by the citizens themselves. Among other things, they will engage in promoting the campaign, through which products will be launched that will contribute to creating a reliable air information system in Kosovo, thus enabling citizens to better understand the health damages caused by air pollution, as well as the measures they should take to change their habits in order to reduce the level of air pollution in the country.
This campaign is one of the main activities within the scope of the project “Provision of Project Management, Air Quality Information Management, Behavior Change, and Communication Services,” supported by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and MFK, implemented by NIRAS. MFK remains committed to helping IHMK and IKSHP in collecting and distributing information on air quality. The project aims to improve public availability and analytical use of environmental data by businesses, the government, civil society, and NGOs, thereby promoting data-driven decision-making.