Rivers for Life, Thailand

On November 28, 2003, roughly 300 grassroots activists, people affected by large dams and representatives from NGOs gathered in a small village in Rasi Salai district in Northeast Thailand. They met for a five-day conference on large dams under the rallying cry of “Rivers for Life.” The conference provided a forum for activists to exchange experiences, evaluate progress and devise new strategies to protect rivers, cultures and livelihoods from large dams.

As many dam builders have become painfully aware, dam fighters and critics have formed one of the most effective international civil society networks. The network’s power has come from its base of strong grassroots movements of people directly affected by dams.

To find out more about Rivers for Life, please look at the meeting declaration or download the proceedings.

Watch a short video about the meeting.