International Association for Impact Assessment

September 2018 Enews

  • Check out the latest enews, sent 17 September

    September 2018 Enews

     IAIA September e-news

    Table of Contents

    1. 18 September free webinar:  A Rapid Tour of Emerging Technologies and IA
    2. Symposium on SDGs in Asia
    3. Mining symposium:  Sessions are posted
    4. IAIA19:  Abstract submission open, preliminary program to be posted
    5. Survey:  Teaching impact assessment
    6. Best practice, key citations updated
    7. HQ staff changes
    8. Upcoming Branch and Affiliate events


    1. Free webinar: “A rapid tour of emerging technologies and IA”

    Emerging technologies are dramatically changing the ways that many professions approach their work, from law to medicine, from architecture to astronomy. How will impact assessment (IA) be affected? What should we know now, and what should we be thinking about in the future? Join IAIA Past President, Marla Orenstein, on 18 September for a free 45-minute webinar to explore this topic and address three questions:

    1. What emerging technologies may play an increasingly large role in impact assessment?
    2. What is the best use of artificial intelligence (AI) within impact assessment right now?
    3. What are the logistic, social and ethical implications of using emerging technologies within IA?

    Click for a complete description and to register. 


     2. Symposium on SDGs in Asia

    Registration is now closed for “Using Impact Assessment to Achieve the SDGs in Asia,” a special symposium to be held 1-3 October 2018 in Kuching, Malaysia. This symposium will target how voluntary IA tools and techniques, such as sustainability assessments, life cycle assessments, risk assessments, and materiality analysis, can be utilized in a region where regulatory efforts around IAs continue to experience challenges, with both the private and public sector arguing against further investment and business regulation.

    See the symposium website for more information. #iaiasymposium

    Special thanks to the following Institutional Partners who helped make this event possible: Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus; Sanata Dharma University; and Natural Resources and Environment Board. Thanks also to Chiba University of Commerce, Sarawak Timber Association, and State Government of Sarawak as sponsors of the event.


     3. December mining symposium:  Sessions are posted

    An IAIA special symposium, “Improving Impact Assessment and Management in the Mining Sector” will be held 4-5 December 2018 in London, UK.

    How can we improve upon existing impact assessment and management processes and practices currently used in the mining sector? This symposium will highlight emerging issues in the sector and will use case studies to identify key challenges and solutions. Mining companies, regulators, financial institutions, environmental and social consultants, and civil society representatives will come together to discuss critical and emerging issues in the mining sector. IAIA will produce a symposium proceedings to capture the discussions and findings.

    See http://conferences.iaia.org/mining18/sessions.php for a preview of sessions or http://conferences.iaia.org/mining18/registration.php to register.

    A one-day training course will be held immediately prior to the symposium on 3 December: Key Concepts and Tools for Integrating Human Rights into Impact Assessment. Pre-registration and pre-payment by 15 November is required.

    IAIA is grateful to the following organizations who have pledged their financial and in-kind support of this symposium: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); Centerra Gold; ERM; Golder; Lydian Armenia; Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development; SLR Consulting; AngloAmerican; and SRK Consulting.


     4. IAIA19:  Abstract submission open, preliminary program to be posted

    IAIA19 will be held 29 April – 2 May 2019 in Brisbane, Australia, with training courses and technical visits planned for 27-28 April. #iaia19

    Abstract submission is open through 19 October. If you plan to submit an abstract, check out IAIA19 session submissions to see what topics are available!

    The preliminary program and registration information will be available online approximately 1 October.

    Sponsorship opportunities are available for IAIA19. Download the sponsorship opportunities brochure to learn more about sponsor benefits and how you can make your company visible at IAIA19.

    Thank you to the following organizations who have already committed to sponsor IAIA19: Tourism and Events Queensland; Brisbane Marketing.


     5.  Survey:   Teaching impact assessment

    Are you involved in teaching impact assessment? If so, you are invited to participate in an online survey for the “Best Practice Principles for Teaching Impact Assessment” research project funded by IAIA’s Innovation Grant 2018.
    The online survey is completely anonymous. Although the findings of the survey may be published, none of the information you provide can be linked back to you as an individual. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes of your time, and the deadline is 30 September. Please click here for more information and to take the survey: https://ecuau.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7OrFuu0Jk37bsNL. -- Submitted by IAIA members Angus Morrison-Saunders and Jenny Pope


     6. Best practice, key citations updated

    See IAIA Publications for updated Best Practice Principles for Biodiversity and Ecology and SIA key citations. Thanks to Jo Treweek, Susie Brownlie, Frank Vanclay, and Irge Satiroglu for their work on these documents!


     7. HQ staff changes

    HQ staff would like to take this opportunity to give a warm goodbye to one of our fellow employees. Loreley Fortuny is leaving HQ after 10+ years of service. She started with IAIA as a volunteer and has been our Training Coordinator and Financial Manager for the past several years. She has been a great colleague and friend to everyone in the office and we all wish her well.

    As we say goodbye to Loreley, we welcome Sue Quinn, HQ’s new Administrative Assistant. Sue will be the person you talk to when you call the office or write to “info.” She brings a number of skills to the table and we are happy to have her on board.


     8. Upcoming Branch and Affiliate events

    UVP-Gesellschaft e.V.  (German Affiliate), is holding a conference on “Fit for the future with environmental assessment - new law and new fields of action,” 26-28 September 2018, in Goslar, Germany. See http://www.uvp.de/de/14-uvp-kongress-2018 for more information.

    Ontario Association for Impact Assessment (OAIA): “Planning and Protecting Water Resources:  Emerging Issues, Approaches and Technologies” will be held 17-18 October 2018 in Toronto, Canada. With technological advancements, improvements in our use and understanding of scientific and Indigenous knowledge, policy enhancements, climate change, cumulative effects, regional and strategic EA and increased public scrutiny, EA practitioners are facing emerging water-related issues in EAs at an ever-accelerating rate. This year’s conference will explore these issues. For more information, visit www.oaia.on.ca.

    Associação Brasileira de Avaliação de Impacto (ABAI), IAIA’s pilot Affiliate in Brazil, will be holding the Brazilian Congress of Impact Assessment (CBAI), 22-26 October 2018. See http://avaliacaodeimpacto.org.br/evento/ for more information.

    New Zealand Association for Impact Assessment's (NZAIA) annual conference, "UnIntended Consequences:  Impact Assessment for Sustainable Regional Futures," will be held 28-29 November in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. This conference will consider the opportunities and challenges in applying impact assessment to regional development and will bring together invited speakers and submitted poster papers with examples and case studies. NZAIA invites the diverse impact assessment community in central regional and local government, universities, iwi, consultancies, the private sector, and NGOs to attend. Graduate students are particularly welcome. See the NZAIA web site for more information.


     IAIA International Headquarters | 1330 23rd St S, Suite C, Fargo, ND 58103 USA | +1.701.297.7908 | www.iaia.org

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