The role of health impact assessment in advancing sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The World Health Organization's (WHO's) Commission on Social Determinants of Health formally adopted Health Impact Assessment (HIA) more than a decade ago as a promising concept to address underlying health issues. Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) remains one of the regions of the world with minimal application of HIA in public programs and policies. This special report documents the need for public mechanisms to incorporate HIA, the benefits from its application, and steps to promote its use.

Integrated environmental impact assessment: a Canadian example.

The Canadian federal process for environmental impact assessment (EIA) integrates health, social, and environmental aspects into either a screening, comprehensive study, or a review by a public panel, depending on the expected severity of potential adverse environmental effects. In this example, a Public Review Panel considered a proposed diamond mining project in Canada's northern territories, where 50% of the population are Aboriginals. The Panel specifically instructed the project proposer to determine how to incorporate traditional knowledge into the gathering of baseline information, preparing impact prediction, and planning mitigation and monitoring.