Session Description
In recent years, the practice of impact assessment has undergone a profound transformation. Across the world, Indigenous Peoples and Nations are increasingly asserting their rights, strengthening their technical capacities, and establishing their own approaches to environmental, social, cultural, and cumulative effects assessment. Indigenous-led impact assessments, Indigenous knowledge systems, and Nation-specific consultation and decision-making frameworks are becoming central components of project planning and evaluation, reflecting a broader shift toward self-determination and shared governance. This evolution is occurring alongside growing recognition of international frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the emergence of new regulatory and policy expectations. For proponents, regulators, consultants, and Indigenous governments alike, this changing landscape presents both opportunities and challenges. Increasingly, there is recognition that impact assessments themselves must incorporate Indigenous perspectives, values, worldviews, and knowledge systems as integral components of understanding impacts and evaluating outcomes. By doing so, impact assessment expands towards a holistic process that captures cultural, social, environmental, spiritual, and intergenerational dimensions of wellbeing. This session will bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners, community leaders, regulators, project proponents, and organizational decision-makers from around the world to share experiences, lessons learned, and innovative approaches for addressing these challenges in the changing Indigenous worlds.
Session Summary
The session aims to generate practical insights for advancing impact assessment processes that are credible, inclusive, culturally informed, and capable of supporting better outcomes for Indigenous communities, project proponents, and society.
Session Chair
Paul Wattez
WSP Canada Inc.
Canada
Session Co-chair
Reginald Profitt
WSP New Zealand
New Zealand