IAIA Special Symposium: Using Impact Assessment To Achieve the SDGs in Asia

IAIA (International Association for Impact Assessment) Special Symposium
The competing challenges of sustainability and economic development: Using impact assessment to achieve the SDGs in Asia 
Hilton Kuching
Kuching, Malaysia
1 - 4 October 2018

The introduction of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development established a series of ambitious development goals for the international community. This is particularly the case for Asia, which is continuing to undergo rapid development and is increasingly becoming a center for global economic activity. Yet despite the significant economic growth and expansion within the region, there remain significant challenges to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), with issues around income and social inequality, a growing gap between rich and poor, and continued environmental degradation across developing Asia.

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.

For a full list of topics and symposium updates, visit http://conferences.iaia.org/kuching/index.php. A tentative schedule with the final program is available at http://conferences.iaia.org/kuching/preliminary-program.php.

In addition, two post-symposium training courses will be offered (3-4 October).

• Impact Assessment and Stakeholder Engagement: Effective Approaches and Techniques
• SIA in Conflict Zones in Southeast Asia: Approaching Sustainability and Understanding Power