OSCE Centre organizes study trip on pollution control for Kazakhstani specialists

ALMATY, 2 December 2005 - The OSCE Centre in Almaty has organized a study visit to Prague for members of the newly established Kazakhstani working group on pollutant release and transfer register.

The Kazakhstani delegation learned about the Czech experience in the field, as well as the legislative framework they use, which helped to identify national objectives and develop a working plan.

"The establishment of the working group and its plan for the preparation of integrated pollutant registers is an important step towards achieving an effective control and reduction of pollution in Kazakhstan," said Ambassador Ivar Vikki, Head of the OSCE Centre.

"In this respect, the participatory approach of Kazakhstan towards the ratification of the Kyiv protocol to the Aarhus Convention is fully supported by the OSCE".

The Kazakhstani working group consists of 11 representatives from the government, ecological non-governmental organizations, and a business association. It was set up by a decision of the Minister of Environmental Protection on 15 November, following the recommendations of a recent OSCE workshop.

The Kyiv protocol on pollutant release and transfer registers is the only legally binding instrument of the Aarhus Convention, known as the UNECE Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters, adopted on 25 June 1998.