The 45th annual conference of the international association for impact assessment: Misinformation, disinformation, communication, & impact assessment

Impact assessment is the systematic process of identifying, predicting, and evaluating the potential environmental, social, and economic effects of a proposed initiative before it is implemented. An effective assessment requires stakeholder engagement through an approach based on trust, clear communication, and transparency. Understanding misinformation, disinformation, effective communication, and impact assessment is crucial for maintaining public trust, preserving democratic institutions, and making informed decisions. It needs to ensure that communities receive accurate, reliable, and evidence-based data to support institutions in building trust while minimizing panic during crises like natural disasters. This is the systematic process of evaluating the potential effects of policies, projects, or environmental changes, which requires fact-based dialogue and measuring impacts to ensure that public fears, misconceptions, or “fake news” do not derail necessary community developments or legal processes. 

From 19-22 May 2026, a board member of Open Development Cambodia Organization (ODC) attended the 45th Annual Conference of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA26) under the theme of “Misinformation, Disinformation, Communication, & Impact Assessment” at Québec City Convention Center, Québec City, Canada. The conference has brought together a unique mix of experts and professionals with over 40 years of experience, hosting more than 1,100 participants from over 80 countries. Participants attended the conference aiming to learn international best practices, build networks with people working in similar contexts worldwide, and share experiences with other participants.

The conference featured 148 sessions focused on environmental assessment and impact analysis, including pre-conference training courses, paper presentations, and workshops. The first day’s program began with a traditional welcome from Wendake locals, followed by introductory plenaries, a poster session, and a welcome reception. The conference was also divided into different sessions focusing on transparent communication, inclusive public engagement, environmental and regulatory literacy, digital impact studies, and combating misinformation. Participants could select topics relevant to their work and tasks.

Below, the ODC board member shared her key insights from the discussion sessions she attended: 

• The first session she attended focused on stakeholder engagement and compliance review, which discussed the use of an alternative dispute resolution called the “Independent Accountability Mechanism” (IAM). It is an approach centered around trust, clear communication, and transparency by facilitating dialogue and tracking feedback by a neutral party, as well as demonstrating how the parties’ input shapes actionable project decisions. To resolve complaints, the IAM conducts a compliance review by carrying out an assessment to assess whether there are any actual or potential harm has occurred or resulted from non-compliance. By successfully embedding collaborative decision-making into the process of dispute settlement, the result will bring better outcomes and more resilient relationships based on mutual respect and shared success.
• Another session looked at the engagement of indigenous communities in impact assessment, highlighting indigenous-led assessments and data sovereignty. By focusing on traditional knowledge and participatory science, communities can actively debunk misinformation, protect cultural well-being, and localize representation in decision-making. Also, transparent communication and culturally grounded risk interpretation are required to prevent confusion and project delays.
• Turning to data management, she also attended a session on data privacy that concentrated on the responsible management of sensitive, cultural, and indigenous knowledge. Data sovereignty, risks of traditional-knowledge sharing, ethical integration of AI, and emerging global approaches allow impact assessments to respect rights, diversity, and community-controlled information. Effective data management relies on establishing legal authorization and obtaining consent before collecting any personal or sensitive information. It is important to collect only data required to meet the assessment’s goals, limit data use to the disclosed purpose, and ensure that individuals can access, modify, or delete their personal information. Moreover, access to sensitive data must be limited to a strict “need-to-know” basis, and data should be encrypted both at rest and in transit. When sharing data with third parties, institutions must establish strict retention timelines and securely remove the data once it is no longer needed.
• Another session discussed territorial security for communities near industrial and resource-extraction projects that requires balancing economic growth with environmental, cultural, and physical safety, including safeguarding indigenous people’s land rights, mitigating industrial hazards, and ensuring local emergency preparedness and equitable governance. Securing lands and livelihoods against industrial growth needs a multi-layered approach to policy, protection, and community resilience, such as 1) establishing secure, customary tenure systems enables locals to have a voice in preventing unauthorized resource extraction, 2) introducing and mitigating industrial zone risks protects communities from threats like environmental contamination or severe technological accidents, and 3) expanding industrial operations frequently alter social, cultural, and economic landscapes, leading to reliance on volatile industries and potential loss of traditional livelihoods. Addressing these issues requires proactive, inclusive land-use planning and equitable benefit agreements that prioritize the affected communities.
• Another session on effective mis/disinformation response underlined the need for capacity building on social resilience. Immediate and concrete approaches include equipping teams with threat assessment playbooks, pre-bunking false narratives, and developing multi-sector communication networks. Teams should strategically evaluate risk instead of impulsively addressing every falsehood, which often amplifies the misinformation. Rather than exclusively depending on reactive debunking, institutions can build societal immunity by disseminating facts ahead of predictable disinformation. Additionally, institutions should ensure their digital platforms are transparent, accessible, and regularly updated with credible evidence to eliminate false information.
• The last session she attended was on rebuilding public trust, which discussed the importance of respecting self-determination, ensuring full transparency in data usage, creating accountable mechanisms to prevent marginalization, and providing authentic cultural safety and socio-political history training prior to engagement. Besides, data governance must be rooted in the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) to ensure that consent is always obtained before collecting, using, or disclosing any community or individual data. Finally, institutions must support building an indigenous data workforce by offering long-term funding to train community members as data stewards and researchers.

To conclude her participation in the conference, she expressed her appreciation: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to ODC and ODC’s generous financial support, which enabled me to attend the conference. Attending this event was an invaluable experience for me, and I had the opportunity to invest in my professional future. I truly appreciate your generosity and belief in me.”