Why co-drafting guidelines to support Health Impact Assessment (HIA) implementation in Georgia?
Abstract
Following recent regulatory changes in Georgia related to the integration of health in environmental assessments (EAs), a group of experts from a European-twinning project co-developed HIA guidelines by actively involving Georgian practitioners from the health, environment and urban planning sectors. Three core principles drove the elaboration of the guidelines: promoting a holistic approach to health and social justice; adopting a systems thinking approach to tackle multiple interactions between health, environmental, and socio-economic issues; strengthening formal collaboration between stakeholders. The final objective of the guidelines is to operate a just transformation, making health and equity a central focus in the professional practices. Therefore, the main challenge is to turn this document into a reference guide that can be used on a daily basis. To achieve this, an iterative process of two years was implemented, involving various forms of practical and collaborative exchanges between the expert team and future users using Georgian SEA case studies, and training modules bringing together representatives from different institutions. Thanks to the adaptation of the Gothenburg HIA methodology and tools to fit in the EA procedure, the result is practical guidelines that present an innovative way to better integrate health in EAs and builds a bridge between environmental health and health promotion. Although the production of these guidelines represents a significant milestone, it is a beginning of the process to make this document truly transformative and evolving.
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