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SEAM

Activity IAa2.3

Objective

Impacted Party Engagement

Concept IA

Concept

Impact Assessment

Activity Type

Driver

Rating System Application

B+I:D B+I:O O+M:D O+M:O

Develop and implement ways of addressing impacts

Scope

Owner shall develop strategies based on the likely impacts identified in IAa1.4 and the impacted party feedback from IAa2.2. These strategies will aim to prevent or mitigate any negative impacts and maximize the project's positive impacts. In cases where the project results in significant changes to the community, the Owner shall also establish resources and mechanisms to assist the community in adapting to these changes. The scope includes developing and implementing these strategies but does not cover the evaluation of their effectiveness after they have been implemented.

Requirements

Act to Avoid Harm

  1. 01.

    A comprehensive strategy to prevent or mitigate each identified likely negative impact of the project. If applicable, Owner shall create a plan to support communities in coping with change brought about by the project since change could be considered an impact.

Benefit Impacted Parties

  1. 02.

    Implementation strategies to optimize the positive impacts of the project.

Contribute to Solutions

  1. 03.

    Long-term solutions that prevent the recurrence of negative impacts and/or optimize the positive impacts. This involves creating strategies that address the current project's impacts and build resilience and capacity within the community for future projects or changes.

Indicators

The performance indicator is the percentage of identified likely negative impacts where Owner implemented actions to prevent or mitigate the impact. The context indicator is the number of prospective long-term solutions implemented.

To calculate the performance indicator:

To calculate the performance indicator:

  1. Identify the total number of negative impacts that were expected from the project.
  2. Determine the number of these impacts where Owner implemented actions to prevent or mitigate the impact.
  3. Calculate the percentage of identified negative impacts where Owner implemented actions to prevent or mitigate the effect.

P = (M / T) × 100

P =
percentage of identified negative impacts where Owner implemented actions to prevent or mitigate the impact
T =
total number of negative impacts expected
M =
total number of identified negative impacts where Owner implemented actions to prevent/mitigate the impact

Scoring

Outcome threshold

100% of identified negative impacts where the Owner implemented actions to prevent or mitigate the impact.

Points assignment

Points Percentage of Negative Impacts Addressed
1 point 50-79% of negative impacts addressed
2 points 80+% of negative impacts addressed

Additional points assignment

Points Additional Requirement Satisfied
+1 point requirement for #2 satisfied
+1 point requirement for #3 satisfied

Documentation

  1. 01.

    List of financial, human, and material resources utilized for this activity.

  2. 02.

    Implementation Reports that provide details and evidence of the strategies being put into action.

  3. 03.

    Long-term Solutions Strategy Document that outlines the strategies to prevent the recurrence of negative impacts and/or optimize the positive impacts in addition to building resilience and capacity within the community for future projects or changes.

  4. 04.

    A strategy table that provides the strategies related to each likely project impact.

Guidance

On creating effective solutions for impact mitigation and benefit optimization

You can leverage proven methods and solutions from research or other projects to create more effective solutions.

Using the list of likely impacts from Activity IAa1.4, research solutions proven to work in similar situations. This could involve reviewing academic research, case studies, or reports from similar projects. Look for methods that have been successful in mitigating similar negative impacts or enhancing similar positive impacts.

Next, adapt the identified solutions to the specific context of your project. This might involve modifying the solution to fit your project's scale, location, or other unique characteristics. It's important to consider the specific circumstances of your project since what worked in one context might not work in another.

Ensure the implementation is completed systematically and organized to ensure the solutions are being implemented as planned.

To evaluate effectiveness, you should monitor the project's impacts over time and assess whether the negative impacts have been successfully mitigated and the positive impacts optimized. Use the results of this evaluation to adjust your strategies as needed. Document the findings and lessons learned and use these to inform the planning and implementation of future projects.

Referenced Source

  • Social Impact Assessment: Guidance for assessing and managing the social impacts of projects, International Association for Impact Assessment (2015)
SOCIAL IMPACT

SEAM Standard v1.1

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