1. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) The Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers and SAICM Global Plan of Action: Launch of the online matrix of PRTR capacity-building activities Michael Stanley-Jones Environmental Information Management Officer Aarhus Convention Secretariat Second International Conference on Chemicals Management, 11 to 15 May 2009, Geneva

2. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 2 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), adopted at the fifth ‘Environment for Europe’ Ministerial Conference in Kiev in May 2003" Expected to exert significant downward pressure on levels of pollution, as no company wants to be identified as among the biggest polluters and facility- specific information about releases and transfers provides feed-back to decision-makers, contributing to improved environmental performance

3. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 3 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 – Protocol’s facility-specific reporting requirement 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

4. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 4 International activities ECE 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 (Canada, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, UK and USA) to develop national PRTRs in more than 50 countries ECE a partner in the Global Environment Facility (GEF) PRTR project on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), supporting development of national PRTRs in 6 countries of Central and South Asia, Eastern Europe and South America

5. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 5 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

6. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 6

7. 7

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10

11. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 11

12. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 12

13. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 13 PRTR capacity-building activities matrix online Launch of PRTR matrix in the Aarhus Clearinghouse for Environmental Democracy http://aarhusclearinghouse.unece.org

14. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 14

15. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 15

16. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 16

17. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe 17 For more information International PRTR Coodinating Group http://www.unece.org/env/pp/prtr.htm aarhus.clearinghouse@unece.org aarhus.clearinghouse@unece.org E-mail: aarhus.clearinghouse@unece.orgaarhus.clearinghouse@unece.org