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Note the iterative nature of the Strategy. These steps are elaborated below: Module

Who is involved in the process itself: are they adding legitimacy, credibility and saliency to the knowledge 3
base? Note that these three criteria were identified as key to the effectiveness of assessments. Legitimacy
refers to ensuring that the assessment is carried out in a fair and politically acceptable way, taking the
views and values of the respective audiences into account; saliency mean that the assessment addresses
Abu Dhabi, UAE
the information needs of its users; and, credibility means the technical and scientific reliability of the
information (J?ger and Farrell)

3.2.1 Step 1: Creating a “change” statement to anchor the impact strategy

An impact strategy is anchored by its “change statement.” This is an articulation of what the impact of your
assessment should be. What should be changed or done differently as a direct result of the assessment? This
first step will be the most challenging: to articulate clearly what the leaders and participants of the assessment
would like to see happen as a result of your IEA. Although your government may mandate assessments, it
is important to look beyond the simple requirement to undertake the assessment, and consider how the
assessment might lead to changes or improvements in sustainable development policy and planning.

For those conducting an IEA for the first time, it may be difficult at this point to state what the issues
are that need to be influenced. The change statement may be fairly broad, focused primarily on getting
people in positions of authority to actively use your report. For example:

Key departmental decision-makers will use the information gathered during the assessment to develop
policy priorities, departmental strategic plans and budgets.

Or: State, as well as national, level planners will review the findings of the assessment, and prepare
internal policy briefs on how they will address the recommendations of the assessment.

Remember that an important part of the IEA process is a scan of issue and policy priorities. In the context

of any given priority issue to be reported, major policy mechanisms that could or should be influenced
can also be identified. An impact strategy is a dynamic process. The change statement may start off fairly
broad or general, but as more data become available and analysis is carried out, the change statement can
be revisited and refined. During this training session, when you learn more in Modules 4 and 5 about data
and analysis, you may wish to reconsider how you have framed the change statements you will prepare in
the next section of this module. Based on the findings of previous assessments, or on the new data being

analysed, you may wish to focus on one key priority that you want your findings to inform and address, e.g.:

The government institutes a national watershed management plan that takes into consideration the
responsibilities and capacities of villagers to protect and rehabilitate their water sources.

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