As a consequence of the globalisation of the economy and of the global spread of information, an increase is experienced in the number of international debates on the environmental and social acceptability of major development initiatives. This is especially so for initiatives that may impact on natural heritage or human rights and initiatives that have impacts that transcend national borders. To an increasing extent there is an international call for social and environmental accountability of individual governments, private investors, banks, insurance companies and agencies that fund development initiatives. This same call is also addressed to global economic and monetary institutions that, by means of drafting Structural Adjustment Programmes for individual countries, play a decisive role in the glob-alisation of the economy .
Commonly, the international debate is cumbersome, frustrating and time consuming and leads to huge societal and financial costs. Seldom the debate leads to a result with which the various stakeholders in the debate feel comfortable. International debate and controversy on intended projects, programmes and policies threatens the reputation of governments, funding agencies and banks and the reputation and commercial interests of private parties. Global juridical pathways to protect parties against unjustified allegations and to pinpoint liabilities are at the very start of their development
Private companies, banks, NGOs, scientists and also some governments have started to recognise the need for independent expert advice on the social and environmental consequences and risks of intended development activities, programmes and policies. Some initiatives to provide for independent advice have been put in place or are being developed .
None of these have a global scope and, at the same time, address Impact Assessment. There is a need for an independent international body that can provide advice on Impact Assessment on a global scale and there seem to be good reasons to believe that the idea of establishing the independent International Commission for Impact Assessment would yield the support of a broad range of stakeholders if the authority of such a Commission (and the limitations to that authority) would be cautiously designed and allowed to develop. |
