OSCE supports seminar on implementing Pollutant Release and Transfer Register Protocol in Kazakhstan

An OSCE-supported two-day training seminar on the application of the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) Protocol to the Aarhus Convention in Kazakhstan for some 60 representatives of government entities, the private sector, Aarhus Centres and environmental NGOs concluded on 31 October 2017 in Astana.

The PRTR Protocol, adopted in 2003 in Kyiv, is a legally binding instrument which requires parties to establish publicly accessible registers containing information on the release and transfer of pollutants.

The training workshop focussed on existing national legislation, obligations under the PRTR Protocol and practical aspects of launching a pollutants monitoring system in Kazakhstan. The participants also reviewed opportunities to increase the role of the public in environmental decision making and exchanged views on opportunities for achieving financial sustainability in the operation of Aarhus Centres.

The event was organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in partnership with the Energy Ministry’s Information and Analytical Centre of Environment Protection, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Centre for Sustainable Development Cooperation.

The Aarhus Centres network serves local stakeholders in 14 countries in South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia and aims to achieve higher standards of environmental democracy through raising awareness, fostering transparency and accountability in environmental decision-making.

The event is part of the Programme Office’s longstanding efforts to promote the international standards of the Aarhus Convention in Kazakhstan.