About the Forum

The Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Forum was initiated in 2007 after a meeting between WWF, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the International Hydropower Association (IHA) about endorsement of the IHA Sustainability Assessment Protocol (2006) by parties outside the sector. The Forum members are representatives of developed and developing country governments, the hydropower sector, social and environmental NGOs, and commercial and development banks.

The Forum members are jointly reviewing and recommending enhancements to the IHA Sustainability Assessment Protocol (2006), developed as a measurement tool to assess social, environmental and economic performance of hydropower projects and operating facilities against criteria described in the IHA Sustainability Guidelines (2004).

The Protocol is used to assess a hydropower project at any stage in the project life cycle against a set of sustainability criteria, with a systematic and objective approach to scoring sustainability performance based on a review of objective evidence.

The Forum released a Draft Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol in August 2009, and after a period of consultation and trialling (September-November 2009), aims to produce a final Protocol in early 2010. A follow-on phase for the Forum is envisaged that will focus on pathways forward for the Protocol, including the potential for a sector standard.

Forum Membership

Forum Status Report (pdf)

Forum Communication & Operating Procedures (pdf)

HSAF homepage