The Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) presents its compliments to the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in India and invites nomination of concerned scientists, experts and professionals for participation in an International Workshop on ‘Air Pollution and Public Health: Challenges and Interventions’, that would be organized in New Delhi, INDIA during 5-7 February, 2020 in partnership between the NAM S&T Centre and Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, India.

Air pollution is recognized as one of the top five causes of mortality linked to respiratory and heart diseases worldwide. According to the State of Global Air 2019, the annual report by Health Effects Institute (HEI) in cooperation with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), ambient (outdoor) and household (indoor) air pollution have contributed to about 4.9 million deaths (8.7% all deaths globally) and 147 million years of healthy life lost (5.9% of all Disability-Adjusted Life Years DALYs globally), making it the fifth highest cause of deaths worldwide. According to the same report, 8 out of the 10 countries with highest mortality are from the global south.

In developing countries, outdoor air pollution primarily results from industrial emissions, vehicular combustion processes, fires, biogenic productions, burning of agricultural wastes as well as dust particles blown by wind from one region to the other. Common outdoor air pollutants include Particulate Matters (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5), Ozone, Carbon Monoxide, Sulphur Dioxide and Oxides of Nitrogen as well as spores and pollens. It is imperative for all the stakeholders, including scientists, doctors, policy makers and industrialists, to come together and deliberate on how to improve traditional approaches as well as the use of science, technology and innovation to mitigate air pollution and the health effects associated with it.

The main objective of the Workshop is to deliberate upon the emerging causes and hazards of air pollution; to plan and strategize various traditional and scientific approaches to mitigate air pollution and its harmful effects on health and to promote International Cooperation on programmes for mitigating the hazards of air pollution on public health.

Request for attending the above Workshop may please be sent to the NAM S&T Centre (E-mail: namstcentre@gmail.com) by completing the Nomination Form, a copy of which is included in the attached Announcement (also available on the Centre’s website www.namstct.org). English will be the official language of the Workshop.

Free local hospitality, including accommodation and meals, will be provided to all the NAM S&T Centre sponsored foreign participants from 4^th February 2020 (Noon) to 8^th February 2020  (Noon) i.e. for 4 nights beginning from one day before the commencement of the Workshop and for an additional day after its conclusion. The participants should arrange their flight schedules accordingly; otherwise they will have to make their own arrangement of stay beyond these days.

It may, however, be noted that while the NAM S&T Centre will reimburse the international airfare to the nominees from its 47 member countries to attend the above mentioned event, since your country has still not joined the NAM S&T Centre as its Member, according to our guidelines, your scientists and professionals for their participation in the International Workshop will have to make their own arrangement for their international travel and also pay to the Centre a Processing Fee of US$500 each to partly offset the expenditure incurred by the Centre in holding this scientific event.

The last date for submission of application in the prescribed Nomination Form, complete in all respects, is Monday, 23^rd December 2019.