Introduction

This impact assessment tool is for everyone tasked with mainstreaming the horizontal perspectives – sustainable development, equality and a child rights and youth perspective – in the Nordic Council of Ministers. It helps you conduct an assessment that identifies the potential positive and negative effects of a particular activity. It also helps you find potential improvements for the activity in question by thinking about one or more of the three perspectives during the planning and implementation stage

Conducting an impact assessment involves reflecting on a series of questions and recording your thoughts in a form that varies slightly depending on the nature and relevance of the activity in question. All of the forms include questions on equality and accessibility, as well as the environment and climate. If the activity is relevant to children and/or young people (under 25), the form will also contain questions aimed at mainstreaming child rights and youth perspectives. For that reason, the initial questions below focus primarily on filtering for relevance to children and young people.

An activity consists of any type of defined task or process within your organisation – for example, networks, surveys, projects, work plans, tenders or conferences.

Conducting an impact assessment confronts some of the blind spots we all have. It is very much about being aware of what we know and don’t know and identifying opportunities to learn more. For example, when considering the relevance of equality in recruitment-related activities in the healthcare sector, it may be beneficial to focus on male role models.

Remember, as employees with a diverse range of expertise, you are not expected to have such in-depth knowledge of the horizontal perspectives that you are able to conduct an exhaustive analysis of relevant overlapping themes on your own. In this context, the following guidance may be helpful:

See the form as a learning opportunity rather than a test of “right” and “wrong”
- It is okay to skip a question if you are stuck
- The forms may seem inflexible, but remember, you can use them dynamically. For example, parts of them may serve as inspiration during the early planning stage of an activity.

Work together
- Gather one or more colleagues for a workshop and look at the tool/form together. You can also share your completed form with one or more colleagues for their feedback.

Be humble and critical about what you know
- Be aware of the distinction between what you actually know and assumptions/hypotheses
- Note any questions or gaps in your knowledge

Seek inspiration and somebody to talk to
- Search online and in Nordic publications and seek help from experts both within and outside the organisation

Return to the assessment and use the results in your work
- In principle, the cyclical nature of impact assessments means it is always possible to extrapolate a little more and refine your responses as you learn. The most important thing is that you get something out of the exercise, so that you can use the results to make your activities more inclusive, sustainable and effective.

Read more about the tool and its structure in the chapter More information about the tool.