Session Description
After more than fifty years of social impact assessment (SIA), we have stronger legislation, more robust rights frameworks, improved methodologies, and deeper approaches to engagement. Yet practitioners across sectors continue to encounter remarkably familiar challenges. Decisions are often made before assessment can meaningfully influence outcomes. Communities still question whether their voices genuinely shape decisions. Projects supported by thoughtful SIAs do not always achieve the social outcomes they intended. It can feel a bit like Groundhog Day: the contexts change, but many of the underlying tensions remain.
This Solution Room invites participants to move beyond diagnosing these persistent challenges and instead explore how the next fifty years of SIA could look different. Ahead of the session, we invite abstracts on examples that illustrates a recurring challenge, breakthrough, or lesson from practice. A small selection of diverse case studies will be chosen to seed the conversation, representing a range of sectors, regions, and perspectives.
During the session, contributors will briefly introduce their cases before participants work in facilitated roundtable discussions to compare patterns across projects, identify why these issues continue to persist, and explore where meaningful change is possible. Together, participants will examine the systemic, institutional, and practice-based factors shaping social outcomes while identifying opportunities for innovation across policy, governance, engagement, and assessment practice.
The session concludes by looking ahead to 2077. If social impact assessment has finally become everything we hop
Session Summary
An interactive Solution Room using participant case studies and facilitated discussions to identify recurring social impact assessment challenges, compare lessons across contexts, and co-create practical actions for the future of SIA.
Additional Information
Participants will be invited to submit a short case example in advance describing a recurring challenge, breakthrough, or lesson from SIA practice. A small number of diverse case studies will be selected to seed the discussion. The session will begin with brief (3–5 minute) lightning presentations from contributors, followed by facilitated roundtable discussions where participants identify recurring patterns, compare lessons across contexts, and co-develop practical actions for advancing SIA. The session will conclude with a plenary discussion.
Session Chair
Juliana Cesar
Pesca Environment
Canada