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Synergies in PRTR capacity-building activities Michael Stanley-Jones Environmental Information Management Officer Aarhus Convention Secretariat Steering Committee for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) medium-sized project “POPs monitoring, reporting and information dissemination using Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs)” 1 to 4 June 2009, Santiago de Chile United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Kiev Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers • First legally binding international instrument "to enhance public access to information through the establishment of coherent, nationwide pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs) – Negotiated under the auspices of the UNECE – Legal mandate found in the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), article 5, para. 9: – “to establish progressively…a coherent, nationwide system of pollution Inventories or registers” – adopted at the fifth ‘Environment for Europe’ Ministerial Conference in Kiev in May 2003" – Open to accession by any Member State of the UN or any regional economic integration organization 2 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Kiev Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers • Assist Governments to collect and disseminate information on emissions of greenhouse gases and hazardous substances, contributing to the fight against global warming and toxic chemicals, which pose the most significant threats to the global environment and human health – Stockholm Convention POPs and Kyoto Protocol GHGs included through Protocol’s facility-specific reporting requirements • With 14 of the 16 ratifications by member States needed for entry into force, the Protocol is expected to enter into force in 2009 • European Community is a Party; through EU PRTR Regulation European PRTR release on 30 September 2009 3 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe International activities • UNECE serves as secretariat to the International PRTR Coordinating Group working with UNEP, UNITAR, OECD, European Commission, North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation, Regional Environmental Centers and donor Governments (Belgium, Canada, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, UK and USA) to develop national PRTRs 4 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe PRTRs and the SAICM Global Plan of Action (GPA) Possible work areas and associated activities nos. 124–126, 177–180 • • • • • • • Design process Mechanisms Guidance Framework Political consensus Dissemination Harmonizing performance SAICM Quick Start Programme funding opportunity ? 5 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 6 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe PRTR capacity-building activities matrix online Launch of PRTR capacity-building matrix in the Aarhus Clearinghouse for Environmental Democracy http://aarhusclearinghouse.unece.org 7 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 8 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 9 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 10 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 11 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Selected OECD PRTR Publications – Resource Compendium of RETs, Parts 1-3: Summary of Techniques for Point Sources; Diffuse Sources and Off-site Transfers – Uses of Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Data and Tools for Their Presentation: A Reference Manual – Framework for Selecting and Applying PRTR Release Estimation Techniques – Study on the inclusion of releases and transfers from small and mediumsized enterprises in PRTRs 12 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe PRTR Databases • Global Portal to PRTR Information www.PRTR.net • Resource Centre for RETs www.oecd.org/env/prtr/rc • Centre for PRTR Data www.oecd.org/env/prtr/data 13 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 14 United Nations Economic Commission for Europe For more information UNECE Working Group on PRTRs / International PRTR Coordinating Group www.unece.org/env/pp/prtr.htm E-mail: [email protected] 15