WCD Web-Conference (http://www.dams.org/conference.htm)

Webster Whande (mailto:wwhande@DAMS.ORG)
Mon, 10 May 1999 12:59:31 +0200 

Message-ID:  <412C517E8333D2119AA100A0C9DBD4D70C3907@damsserver.dams.org>
Date:         Mon, 10 May 1999 12:59:31 +0200
From: Webster Whande <mailto:wwhande@DAMS.ORG>
Subject:      WCD Web-Conference (http://www.dams.org/conference.htm)
To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU


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Dear fellow subscribers,
My apologies for the virus from last week's communication. I am
attaching here the details for the web-conference on SIAs, EIAs and
large dams.


 <<WCD Web-Conference.htm>>






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WCD Web-Conference





















World Commission on Dams (WCD)’s =
Conference Invitation




Welcome to the World Commission on Dams’ =
Web-Conference!




This conference is to be a =
discussion/debate on the role of
Environmental Impacts Assessments (EIAs) and Social Impacts Assessments =
(SIAs) in the
context of dams. Contributions made through the conference will inform =
the draft review
paper to be prepared by the WCD for presentation at the International =
Association of
Impacts Assessments (IAIA) conference in Glasgow in June 1999. This =
draft would be
discussed as a follow-up to this conference sometime in July. =





Conference topic: EIAs and SIAs for =
Large Dams




EIA has been defined as the process of =
identifying,
predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social and other =
relevant effects
of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and =
commitments made. In the
context of large dams, EIAs have been widely applied and a large =
experience in both good
and bad practice has been accumulated in the last thirty EIAs. =




Similarly, SIA is the process of =
assessing or estimating, in
advance, the social consequences that are likely to follow from =
specific policy actions or
project development. SIA has been less widely practised in the context =
of large dams as a
separate analysis; it has often been integrated to EIAs. The rising =
concerns with
displacement of populations without adequate resettlement and =
compensation highlight the
need for a full-fledged SIA, be it conducted as a separate analysis or =
continue to be part
of EIAs.



Concerns have been raised on the =
effectiveness of EIAs and
SIAs in providing adequate support to key decisions on dam projects. =
The WCD’s task
related to this thematic review therefore is to:




  
Evaluate the effectiveness of EIA =
and SIA in incorporating
  environmental and social concerns into the decision making process on =
large dams
  (including the consideration of their =
alternatives).

  
Identify ways to improve the =
usefulness of EIAs and SIAs in
  the context of dams.






Overview of the =
programme:



The discussion will be held over a =
period of five weeks, from
May 3rd to June 6th,1999.



Different topics will be discussed each =
week.




  
On weeks one and two =
(May 3rd - May 14th), we will focus on analysing =
the
  past and current contribution of EIAs and SIAs as tools to inform the =
decision-making on
  dams.

  
On week three (May =
17th - May 21st), we will move on to discuss the
  effectiveness of EIAs and SIAs as planning tools in preventing, =
compensating, mitigating
  or offsetting negative environmental and social =
impacts.

  
On week four (May =
24th - May 28th), we will then discuss ways in
  which the performance of EIAs and SIAs can be improved.=


  
In week five (May =
31st - June 6th), we shall have a round-up
  discussion by re-visiting any of the above-mentioned topics. =






The topics raised above are only an =
example of the large
diversity of issues that the WCD would like to address within its =
EIA/SIA thematic review.
Contributions made on any other questions related to the thematic =
review will be warmly
welcomed at any time during the duration of the =
conference.



In order to participate, enter your name =
and email address in the form below and click =
signup.









Name: 






Email: 















Please address any =
queries to the conference moderator, email wcdmoderator@dams.org



 





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