ABOUT US

What we do

The HIA4SD project (full title: ‘Health impact assessment for engaging natural resource extraction projects in sustainable development in producer regions’) is an inter- and transdisciplinary research initiative implemented in four African countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique and Tanzania). The overarching objective of the HIA4SD project is to conduct research – complemented by a strong capacity building component – that will inform and facilitate a policy dialogue for strengthening the application of impact assessment as a regulatory mechanism (i) to avoid negative effects of natural resource extraction projects (NREPs) on public health; and (ii) to actively engage NREPs – and any other large infrastructure developments – in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and, thus, development in Africa.

In the research phase between August 2017 and July 2020 a sound evidence base at the national and local levels on the strengths and limitations of current impact assessment practice in engaging NREPs to work towards health-related SDG targets was generated.

The HIA4SD project is guided by the following questions:

  • What is the current institutional setup for regulating and implementing the public health dimension in impact assessment of NREPs?
  • What effects of NREPs on health-related targets of the SDGs can be observed at the national and local level?
  • How do NREPs interact with, and have an effect on local health systems?
  • What policy options can be proposed for more actively engaging NREPS in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?

Learn more about our findings here.

Who we are

The HIA4SD project is implemented under the lead of Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in collaboration with partner institutions in Africa and Switzerland. The consortium of the project is composed of scientists with extensive experience in public health, epidemiology, social sciences, health economics and human geography.

The project is funded (CHF 2.7 million) through the Research for Development (r4d) programme, which is a joint funding initiative by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

 

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