How Might IAIA Respond to Our Members` Concerns Raised in the IAIA COVID-19 Surveys?

How Might IAIA Respond to Our Members` Concerns Raised in the IAIA COVID-19 Surveys?

IAIA recently released the second of a series of surveys on how COVID-19 is affecting the policy and practice of impact assessment. The survey obtained the views of over 700 individuals involved in impact assessment across the globe. A summary of key points from the second survey can be found here, and the first survey can be found here. Based on the surveys, Charles Kelly, a lead author of both surveys, provided an IMPACT/REACT guest blog entitled: "Unless it changes, impact assessment risks becoming irrelevant"; followed by Peter Croal`s "The world is pivoting due to COVID-19. Should IA as well?" and Susie Brownlie and Jo Treweek`s  "Don`t blame the bats."

The survey raises a number of issues facing IAIA and our future, including:    

How might our Association support impact assessment practitioners who are finding their work more difficult to carry out? 

We know IAIA staff will continue to offer support (e.g., through webinars, best practice guidance, forums and special symposia), drawing on membership experiences and insights. An issue before us is whether we might provide greater assistance. Could IAIA launch an initiative that would publicize or ameliorate some of the adverse effects on professionals who find themselves without the catalytic resources needed to keep their work from being curtailed?  How would such an initiative be funded? Could alternative strategies for member support be developed, endorsed and fast tracked so response is timely? 

How do we address the finding that 45% of respondents indicated that, as a result of COVID-19, impact assessment laws and regulations have been or are proposed to be relaxed?

Peter Croal`s blog raises concerns over the growing pressure to bypass or loosen IA regulation and law in the name of COVID-19 economic recovery.  Perhaps one response would be to consider establishing a technical IAIA/legal collaboration to examine and develop models for what more effective IA processes might look like.

To what degree do existing or proposed "effective" processes have common features? Might we actively engage top IA and legal talent in efforts to improve IA law and regulatory best practice alternatives for different sectors?  What other approaches might we take as an Association?