Protecting rivers and defending the rights of the communities that depend on them

#DontBankOnDams

The World Bank Group is renewing
its involvement in hydropower.
We’ve seen how this ends.

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Our Rivers, Our Water Future

Since 1985, International Rivers has been at the heart of the global movement to ensure river-dependent communities’ voices are heard and their rights are respected.

Our Approach

Rivers are the arteries of the earth, supporting the highest rate of biodiversity compared to any other ecosystem and providing for the livelihoods of millions of local, indigenous and traditional peoples. Rivers are also under extreme threat, with less than 10% of the world’s river basins protected.

International Rivers strengthens movements of communities and civil society at the forefront of defending rivers by:

• Undertaking investigative research to generate robust data and evidence to inform policies and campaigns.
• Remaining independent and fearless in campaigning to expose and resist destructive projects.
• Developing a vision that protects rivers and the communities that depend upon them.

Our Impact

0 Number of community groups, movements, and civil society organizations we have partnered with to provide campaign and advocacy support.
0 Destructive river projects delayed or stopped, resulting in millions of people retaining access to their traditional lands and livelihoods.
$ 0 B Funds (USD) channeled away from investment in destructive projects, toward sustainable and just alternatives.
Explore Our Priority Areas

Latest News

OvaHimba and OvaTjimba leaders hand Baynes Dam Petition to Namibia’s Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy

OvaHimba and OvaTjimba leaders hand Baynes Dam Petition to Namibia’s Minister of Industries, Mines and Energy

The Kunene River forms part of the border between Namibia and Angola and sustains the lands, livelihoods and cultural traditions of OvaHimba and OvaTjimba communities. For these Indigenous communities, their customary lands are more than a place to live, they encompass grazing areas, water sources, sacred sites and ancestral graves that connect generations and sustain…

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Protecting the Amazon’s Rivers Means Defending Human Rights

Protecting the Amazon’s Rivers Means Defending Human Rights

Pedro Arrojo-Agudo’s report calls for halting new large dams, confronting pollution and placing Indigenous Peoples and communities at the center of Amazonian water governance. For communities across the Amazon, a river is a source of drinking water, a fishing ground, a route to school or the nearest health clinic, and a place of cultural and…

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