23 April 2010: The first meeting of the governing body of the 2003 Kiev Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR) culminated in the adoption of a declaration and a set of decisions to operationalize the Protocol.
In an opening address to the meeting of the Parties, Ján Kubiš, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Executive Secretary, stressed that the Protocol enables ordinary citizens to use the Internet to find out about major sources of polluting emissions in their immediate neighborhoods. The Protocol’s Meeting of the Parties adopted rules of procedure, a system of reporting on implementation, a scheme of financial arrangements and a work programme, and a compliance mechanism, whereby any member of the public may trigger a review of compliance by submitting a complaint.
The PRTR Protocol was drawn up under the auspices of the UNECE but also is open to States from outside the UNECE region. It entered into force on 8 October 2009, and helps to identify major sources of pollution, including those emitting greenhouse gases (GHG). [UNECE Press Release]