Side events and workshops

Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) as a tool to support implementation of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management: Experience, challenges and opportunities
Side event to the Second International Conference on Chemicals Management
Geneva, 11 May 2009
ENG
UNITAR with the support of UNECE organized this 90-minute side event on behalf of International PRTR Coordinating Group. The session discussed how pollutant registers and PRTR capacity-building undertaken by international partners contribute to the SAICM Global Plan of Action. The session featured the GEF global POPs PRTR project led by UNEP and UNITAR and Swiss, Russian and Georgian experience in developing national and local PRTR systems.
Mr. Georg Karlaganis (Switzerland), Moderator ENG

Mr. Craig Boljkovac (UNITAR)
Mr. Jorge Ocana (UNEP) ENG
Mr. Michael Stanley-Jones (UNECE) ENG
Ms. Olga Speranskaya (Eco-accord, Russian Federation, and winner of the 2009 Goldman Environmental Prize Europe) ENG
Mr. Henrik Harjula (OECD) ENG

PRTRs Progress: Launching National Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers
Side event to the Third Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention
Riga, 12 June 2008

Protocol on PRTRs: Ready for take-off
Sixth Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe"
Belgrade, 10 October 2007
The pace of efforts to ratify the Protocol on PRTRs have stepped up, suggesting entry into force in 2008. With new initiatives to prepare countries to implement pollutant registers, the Protocol is "ready for takeoff."
See the provisional programme for the event and presentations by the secretariat and UNITAR.

PRTRs in Action
SAICM CEE Regional Meeting
Riga, Latvia, 5 December 2006
The side event introducted Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) national focal points to PRTRs. It illustrated how they are developed and outlined the next steps in implementation of SAICM and Multilateral Environmental Agreements through their application.
For more information, see the programme and presentations by Belarus and UNECE.
Workshop on Environmental Monitoring and Reporting by Enterprises
UNECE Working Group on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (WGEMA)
Warsaw, 4-6 September 2006
For more information, see the programme and presentation of the secretariat on the implementation of the Protocol on PRTR, with special emphasis on the reporting requirements of facility operators.
To view the presentation, click here.
From EPER to PRTR: German National PRTR Workshop
Karlsruhe, 10 May 2006
To view the secretariat's presentation,click here.

How electronic tools help implement the Aarhus Convention and PRTR Protocol: Side event
Second Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 25 May 2005

The UNECE, United Kingdom Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Environment Agency of England and Wales and UNEP/GRID-Arendal jointly organized the side event, "How electronic tools help implement the Aarhus Convention and PRTR Protocol." The event featured cutting-edge applications of electronic tools to improve public access to environmental information. It was chaired by Ms. Svetlana Zhekova (Bulgaria), Chair of the UNECE Task Force on Electronic Information Tools.

Among the featured projects were "'In Your Backyard' local environmental web portal pilot projects in the EECCA region"(UNEP/GRID and Pskov Region, Russian Federation), "Electronic Public Registers" (Environment Agency), "PRTR Virtual Classroom" (United Nations Institute for Training and Research and Greenwomen-Kazakhstan) and "Capacity-building for establishing pollutant release and transfer registers in new EU countries" (Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe).
 

PRTR Conference for the Americas
UNEP Chemicals and UNEP/ROLAC, in cooperation with UNITAR and the Mexican
Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT)
Mexico City, 21-23 April 2004
Fifty country delegations participated at this first hemisphere-wide conference on pollutant release and transfer registers. To view the presentation on the International Context of PRTRs by Jim Willis, former Director of UNEP Chemicals, click here.
The Aarhus secretariat's introductory presentation on the Protocol on PRTRs may also be downloaded here.
PRTRs Now
4th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health
Budapest, 23 June 2004
“PRTRs Now! How pollutant release and transfer registers can promote pan-European environmental and public health” was the seminar organized by UNECE on the opening day of the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health in Budapest: “The future for our children”.
For more information, see the programme and the press release. You may also download the presentations by:
Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (Hungary)
European Environment Agency (EEA)
Regional Environmental Center (REC)
Environmental Management and Law Association (Hungary)
European ECO-Forum (Ukraine)
UNECE Aarhus Convention Secretariat
and interventions by
Mr. Ondrej Velek (Czech Republic)
World Health Organization (WHO)