IPRTR

Invitation to the Third Meeting of the International PRTR Coordinating Group

Geneva , 11 February 2008

To: Participants in the International PRTR Coordinating Group
Former IOMC PRTR Coordinating Group members
OECD PRTR Task Force members
Interested experts

Invitation to the 3rd meeting of the International Pollutant Release
and Transfer Registers Coordinating Group

Dear Sir/Madam,

You are cordially invited to attend the third meeting of the International Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers Coordinating Group, Tuesday 11 March 2008, in Paris, France. The OECD has kindly offered to host the meeting.

Background: At the 13th and final meeting of the Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers Coordinating Group (PRTR CG) of the Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC), it was agreed that an international PRTR coordinating group should be re-established and its meetings should be held back-to-back with international chemicals meetings, such as the meetings of the OECD PRTR Task Force, where these meetings take place in Europe. The first meeting of the new International PRTR Coordinating Group was subsequently held in Ghent, Belgium, on
20 March 2006.

Purpose : The overall objective of the International PRTR Coordinating Group is to improve coordination between international organizations, governments and other interested parties on their ongoing and planned efforts related to the further development and implementation of PRTR systems in developing countries or countries with economies in transition. The third meeting is expected to discuss reporting on PRTRs in the context of SAICM implementation, opportunities for technical cooperation and capacity-building for national PRTR development, and PRTR awareness-raising activities, among other topics.

Venue and timing: The meeting will take place from 10.00 to 17.00 in Room CC 18 at the OECD Conference Centre, OECD Headquarters, 2 rue André-Pascal, 75775 Paris, France.

Documentation : Please find attached the provisional agenda, registration form and practical information related to the meeting. Additional documents will be provided at a later date. You are kindly requested to bring your own copies of the documents with you to the meeting.

Registration: Participants are invited to register for the meeting by completing the attached registration form and returning it to the secretariat. Please send registrations electronically to public.participation@unece.org by 5 March 2008 .

Please note: Financial support is not available for the meeting.

If you have any questions concerning the upcoming meeting, please do not hesitate to contact Michael Stanley-Jones – email: Michael.Stanley-Jones@unece.org, telephone +41 22 917 2442.

With kind regards,

______________________________________

Jeremy Wates

Secretary to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention)

Attachments:

PRTRCG(2008)III/1 Provisional Agenda

Registration form

Practical information

Background materials:

PRTRCG(2008)III/2 Draft report of the second meeting

PRTRCG(2008)III/3 Reporting obligations under the Aarhus Convention and the development of a reporting mechanism under the Kiev Protocol on PRTRs

PRTRCG(2008)III/4 Building Capacity for Environmental Monitoring and Reporting by Enterprises and Public Authorities in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) and Western Balkan countries: A Concept Proposal

PRTRCG(2008)III/5 (Superceded by III/6 below)

PRTRCG(2008)III/6 Draft rommendations for revision of the PRTR Capacity-building activities matrix for ICCM reporting by IGOommendations for revision of the PRTR Capacity-building activities matrix for ICCM reporting by IGOs