IAIA’06 - Power, Poverty and Sustainability: The role of impact assessment. Properly executed, impact assessment can contribute to poverty eradication and sustainable development and play a constructive role in the struggle between various interests involved in these efforts. The IAIA06 conference event, hosted by the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment with contribution from Statoil and other sponsors and donors, offers an opportunity for experts, decision-makers, industry and professionals of different visions and expertise to explore the ways different types of impact assessment are best applied to alleviate poverty and contribute to a sustainable future for all. “Power” can refer both to influence and to energy. IAIA06 will focus on impact assessment in relation to power and to oil, gas, and hydro development, climate change, land use planning, coastal zone management, biodiversity, development issues, Millennium Development Goals, and indigenous people. Experts on the various instruments of assessment (e.g., Health Impacts Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Social Impact Assessment) will be on hand to share the latest techniques and their applications in impact assessment. IAIA06, being the first IAIA conference in a Nordic country, will also have a focus on Nordic and circumpolar issues where EIA and SEA have provided important tools to stimulate sustainable development. Several training courses and four special meetings will be offered prior to the conference, and a variety of technical visits to interesting energy and other developments will take place during and after the conference.