Major United Nations Event Calls for Safe and Healthy Indoor Air in Schools
New York / London, 23 September 2025 – In a landmark event at the United Nations today, global leaders, international organizations, and civil society are coming together to demand safe and healthy indoor air in schools. Safe Air Schools UK, an organization focused on improving air quality in classrooms, is taking part in this event and sharing the stage with world leaders.
Safe Air Schools’ air quality expert, Sotirios Papathanasiou, will be signing a pledge with other leaders to launch a movement dedicated to making indoor air healthy for all. This event marks a turning point in recognizing the importance of indoor air quality in education, inclusion, and public health.
According to Papathanasiou, “By making the invisible world of indoor air visible, air quality monitoring solutions give us the power to truly understand our spaces. This data-driven insight is the key that unlocks adaptive ventilation, allowing buildings to breathe intelligently – providing fresh air precisely when needed and cutting energy waste from needless over-ventilation.”
Founder of Safe Air Schools UK, Nathalie Pearson, emphasizes the importance of educating and empowering children in this movement. “Most children and teachers don’t realize how much classroom air matters. Those who do often face barriers to implementing action. Today, with their schools’ support, two Junior Ambassadors are at the UN to remind the world that the future must be seen and heard.”
The urgency of addressing indoor air quality is evident as we pass “Week 38,” a time when pediatric asthma and allergy hospital admissions typically surge. This issue is not limited to viruses, as airborne allergies also put children at risk. The Department for Education in the UK has issued CO₂ monitors during the height of the pandemic, but their use is not mandated and schools have reported challenges. The DfE acknowledges this in its CO₂ monitor guidance.
Safe Air Schools UK is a parent-led organization, supported by experts, working to improve air quality in classrooms. It brings together a growing coalition of independent organizations united in the same goal: ensuring all children can learn in safe, healthy environments.
Notes to editors:
Long Covid Advocacy is a coalition organization of Safe Air Schools.
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