International Association for Impact Assessment

International Association for Impact Assessment
Name	International Association for Impact Assessment
Formation	1980
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Falmouth, Cornwall
Region served	International
Leader title	President

Contents

International Association for Impact Assessment is a professional association focused on environmental impact assessment, social impact assessment, and policy analysis across sustainable development contexts. The association engages with practitioners, United Nations Environment Programme, World Bank, and regional agencies to advance standards in environmental law, project appraisal, and strategic environmental assessment. Its activities intersect with stakeholders such as the European Commission, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and multilateral institutions involved in environmental governance.

History

Founded in 1980 amid growing attention to environmental impact assessment processes, the association emerged alongside initiatives like the United Nations Environment Programme guidelines and the World Bank safeguard policies. Early convenings drew participants from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, European Environment Agency, and national agencies such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, and Australian Department of the Environment. During the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, the association contributed expertise to debates alongside actors like UNEP, UNDP, OECD, and International Union for Conservation of Nature. Over subsequent decades it engaged with frameworks such as the Aarhus Convention, Espoo Convention, and development financing by the International Finance Corporation.

The association is governed by an elected board and executive drawn from practitioners affiliated with institutions like World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace International, Conservation International, and academic centers including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Toronto, and Australian National University. Its governance models reference norms from bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and professional societies like the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and Institute of Environmental Sciences. Presidents and officers have held concurrent roles linked to entities such as United Nations Development Programme, World Bank Group, and national ministries including Department of the Environment (United Kingdom), Ministry of Environment and Forests (India), and Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources.

Membership comprises individual professionals, corporate members, and institutional affiliates from organizations including Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Siemens, Arup Group, AECOM, Jacobs Engineering Group, and civil society groups like Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club, and Natural Resources Defense Council. Regional chapters operate in territories represented by entities such as European Union, African Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Organization of American States, and national chapters with ties to universities like University of Cape Town, Peking University, University of São Paulo, and McGill University.

The association hosts biennial and regional conferences that attract delegations from United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, and donor agencies like DFID and USAID. Past conference locations have included cities linked to institutions such as Ottawa (city), Cape Town, Beijing, São Paulo, London, Paris, and New York City. Programs often feature panels with representatives from European Investment Bank, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, and corporate partners including General Electric and Shell.

The association publishes journals, guidance notes, and best-practice toolkits referenced by World Bank Operational Policies, International Finance Corporation Performance Standards, and guidance from OECD and UNEP. Its materials are used alongside scholarly outputs from publishers like Springer, Elsevier, and Routledge and cited in reports by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Resources Institute, and Global Environment Facility. Training resources connect to curricula at institutions such as Harvard University, Columbia University, University College London, and professional training providers like Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Initiatives include capacity-building programs linked with United Nations Development Programme, technical assistance for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment in partnership with World Bank Group, and thematic working groups collaborating with networks such as IUCN, Conservation International, WWF, and Wetlands International. The association has supported projects tied to legal frameworks like the Espoo Convention and conventions including the Convention on Biological Diversity and Ramsar Convention. It also runs accreditation and training programs that align with standards from ISO, professional bodies like the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and academic partners.

The association's influence is evident in adoption of impact assessment practices by multilateral development banks including World Bank Group, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Asian Development Bank, and in national legislation influenced by models from Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, and India. Criticism has come from scholars and NGOs such as Friends of the Earth, Global Witness, and academics publishing in Environmental Impact Assessment Review and Journal of Environmental Management regarding perceived ties to industry actors like ExxonMobil and potential conflicts noted by whistleblowers and investigative outlets such as ProPublica and The Guardian. Debates continue around methodological rigor, participation standards advocated by Aarhus Convention proponents, and the balance between development finance priorities advanced by International Finance Corporation and conservation aims championed by IUCN and WWF.

Category:International environmental organizations