Under Indonesian regulations, several industrial sectors are required to carry out this type of assessment—whether as part of a social and environmental impact assessment, human rights due diligence, or voluntarily in line with ISO 26000.
However, conducting such assessments should not be reduced to a mere formality or box-ticking exercise. It should not be done solely to comply with regulations without understanding why it is necessary, how it should be carried out, and what benefits it can bring when implemented effectively.
Ideally, all stakeholders in national development should respect one another and strive to avoid causing harm. In this spirit, businesses are expected to generate positive impacts while preventing, minimizing, or managing negative ones through ongoing improvements in policies, systems, and collaborative innovations.
If assessments are conducted without genuine understanding and a shared commitment to “growing together” or “mutual benefit,” they risk failing to achieve their primary purpose—namely, identifying risks and impacts. This approach can even allow risks to grow unchecked over time, making them harder to address.
It is also important to recognize that social risks are dynamic and constantly evolving. They emerge from interactions between individuals, groups, or within organizations composed of many people. Just as human behavior can shift—sometimes calm, sometimes volatile—social risks can change rapidly. For this reason, they demand serious attention and strong commitment from all parties involved.
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