Symposium Theme
IAIA Special Symposium
The competing challenges of sustainability and economic development: Using impact assessment to achieve the SDGs in Asia
Hilton Kuching
Kuching, Malaysia
1 - 2 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.
Impact assessment (IA) can provide an important basis for providing both the private and public sector the necessary tools and techniques to better engage in a more balanced and equitable development approach. These tools and techniques will be important in supporting the achievement of the SDGs, with this symposium opening important avenues for exploring how and what tools may be used to better achieve these ambitious goals.
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.
