The UNECE Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs), adopted in Kiev at an extraordinary meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention in May 2003, tackles the burden of pollution andwaste by establishing publicly accessible national pollutant registers and requiringcompanies to produce annual reports on their releases and transfers of specified pollutants. The Guidance aims to assist Parties in implementing the Protocol on PRTRs. It should also serveto promote understanding of this novel regulatory instrument and especially of the public’s role in promotingbetter environmental performance through the study and use of PRTRs. The guidance is designed to help Partiesto the UNECE Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTR Protocol) interpret and fulfil their obligations. It also aims to assist officials in countries considering accession to the Protocol toevaluate and prepare for these obligations, as well as to aid potential users in understanding and taking advantage of PRTR systems. Part One of this guidance document continues with chapter II, which presents the key issues that Parties should address in the institutional and legislativeimplementation of the Protocol. Chapter IIIreviews the scope of the Protocol, focusing on the including the different methods for determining facility and waste thresholds. Part Two covers data issues: chapter IV reviews the types of data covered, and chapter V describes the systems needed to handle data flows. Part Three then reviews the Protocol’s data dissemination requirements (chapter VI), and capacity-building and public awareness, includingareas for international cooperation (chapter VII). The annexes provide background information,including a glossary, a table of analytical methods,indicative lists of pollutants and the references usedin preparing this document. The Guidance is presently available in English hard copy and on CD-ROM, or in English and Russian in electronic format. A French version is in preparation.
