International Rivers was established in 1985 as a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization of activists experienced in fighting economically, environmentally, and socially unsound river intervention projects.
Aware that destructive large-scale dam projects were planned worldwide, it opened a communication channel with river activists around the globe. From convening some of the first international gatherings of dam-affected communities to supporting landmark efforts to recognize the rights of rivers and more, International Rivers has been instrumental in protecting critical freshwater ecosystems and advocating for the rights of communities that depend on them. Here are some highlights:
1985
A diverse coalition of activists form the International Rivers Network (International Rivers).
International Rivers publishes the first International Dams Newsletter.
1986
U.S. Congress passes the Water Resources Development Act, effectively halting new major dams in the United States.
1987
The International Dams Newsletter is rebranded as the World Rivers Review.
Sweden’s Parliament outlaws dam construction on most of the nation’s last free-flowing rivers.
1989
Activists in India form the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada) protest movement.
Activists in Brazil hold a mass gathering on the Altamira River to pressure the World Bank to deny loans for a series of six dams.
1991
The Movement of Dam-Affected People is formed in Brazil.
International Rivers establishes its global headquarters in Berkeley, California.
1993
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation pulls out of Three Gorges Dam in China.
The World Bank withdraws from the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River in India.
1995
The World Bank cancels the Arun Dam in Nepal.
1996
The International Rivers Network goes online at www.irn.org.
International Rivers publishes Silenced Rivers: The Ecology of Politics and Large Dams.
1997
International Rivers opens its Latin American office in Brazil.
The First International Meeting of People Affected by Dams is held in Curitiba, Brazil. Participants adopt the International Day of Action Against Dams and For Rivers, Water and Life.
1998
The first International Day of Action for Rivers launches 50 actions in 24 countries.
The independent World Commission on Dams (WCD) is created.
The proposed Epupa Dam in Namibia is canceled.
1999
International Rivers establishes its first Africa office in Botswana.
Thai villagers occupy the Pak Mun Dam site for 14 months to demand compensation for lost fisheries.
A “Rally for the Valley” brings thousands together to march in opposition to dams in India’s Narmada Valley.
2000
International Rivers co-organizes a national dam removal conference in West Virginia.
International Rivers produces the first version of its dam-fighting guide for activists, Guardians of the River.
The World Commission on Dams publishes its seminal report, Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making which finds large-scale dams impose unacceptable harms.
The Lesotho High Court launches a series of cases against multinational companies accused of bribery in the massive Lesotho Highlands Water Project.
2002
European countries withdraw from the controversial Ilisu Dam, proposed for the Kurdish region of Turkey.
2003
International Rivers sponsors the second “Rivers for Life” meeting in Thailand, hosting 300 partners from 62 countries.
2004
Following criticisms raised by Chinese scientists and activists, Premier Wen Jiabao announces the suspension of 13 dams on the Nu River in China.
The Guatemalan government agrees to reparations talks with victims of the Chixoy Dam massacre.
2006
International Rivers opens its Southeast Asian office in Bangkok.
International Rivers publishes the first annual Dams, Rivers, People Report, entitled “Spreading Water Wealth.”
Following a hydrological analysis by International Rivers, regional governments in Africa recognize dams are to blame for the rapid shrinking of Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake.
2007
International Rivers exposes the UN Clean Development Mechanism for selling problematic carbon credits for hydropower projects.
2009
International Rivers moves its U.S. headquarters to the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California.
The Chinese edition of the World Rivers Review is launched.
Activists in Southeast Asia form the Save the Mekong Coalition to oppose proposed dams on the Mekong River.
2010
International Rivers opens its South Asia office in India.
International Rivers sponsors the third “Rivers for Life” meeting in Temacapulín, Mexico, hosting 300 people from 60 countries.
The Mekong River Commission study is published, recommending a ten-year moratorium on Mekong mainstream dams.
The African Development Bank pulls out of Gibe 3 dam in Ethiopia.
2011
International Rivers’ relocates its Africa regional office to Pretoria.
International Rivers’ documentary, A River Runs Through Us, launches in seven film festivals.
Myanmar’s president suspends construction of the controversial, Chinese-backed Myitsone Dam.
The European Parliament passes a resolution urging the World Bank to stop investing in large dams.
Sinohydro, the World’s biggest dam builder, adopts environmental and social safeguard policies.
2012
International Rivers launches an influential report on the climate risks of hydropower dams on the Zambezi River.
After nearly 10 years of campaigning, La Parota Dam in Mexico is canceled.
In Brazil, after protestors occupy the Belo Monte site, a high-level court suspends the Belo Monte Dam citing the lack of prior consultation with Indigenous communities.
Thai villagers file a groundbreaking lawsuit against Thai state agencies challenging the power purchase agreement for the Xayaburi dam on the Mekong River in Laos.
2013
International Rivers receives the MacArthur Award for Creative & Effective Institutions.
International Rivers launches the “State of the World’s Rivers,” a database of river basins.
2014
After pressure from river defenders and International Rivers, Chilean energy company Endesa announces plans to scrap six major hydroelectric projects on the Futaleufú, Puelo, Chillan, Bardón, and Huechún rivers.
U.S. Congress bans US support for dams at World Bank and other public banks.
2015
International Rivers publishes the first benchmarking report assessing the policies and practices of the biggest Chinese and international hydropower developers.
U.S. Congress enacts strict criteria for supporting dam construction at public development institutions.
2016
A Colombian court finds that pollution on the Atrato River violates the rights of frontline communities and the river itself, ultimately granting the Atrato legal rights.
The World Bank cancels involvement in Inga 3 dam in DRC.
An environmental licensing process for the São Luis do Tapajos dam in Brazil is halted.
China removes plans to dam the Nu River in the upper Salween from its 13th Five-Year Plan.
2017
International Rivers and Bankwatch CEE, central and eastern Europe’s largest network of grassroots, environmental and human rights groups, jointly convene the River Gathering in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The Green Climate Fund commits to not fund “business-as-usual” hydropower.
The New Zealand Parliament enacts the Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Claims Settlement Act) granting the Whanganui River legal rights.
2019
International Rivers and partners hold the first global Women and Rivers Congress in Nepal, hosting 100 women from 30 countries.
International Rivers co-publishes an influential report on the collapse of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower project in Laos.
2020
International Rivers launches the Coalizão Pelos Rios coalition in Brazil.
International Rivers, Earth Law Center, and the Cyrus R Vance Center for International Justice co-publish “Rights of Rivers,” a global survey on the Rights of Rivers movement.
2023
International Rivers supports the launch of the Rios Protegidos initiative in Chile.
Ecuador reverses the water authorization granted to the Hidrotambo Dam.
International Rivers elevates river protection as a central focus of the UN Water Conference.
After pressure from communities and International Rivers, the Colombian Constitutional Court delivers a landmark ruling in favor of communities affected by the Anchicayá Dam.
2024
International Rivers and partners launch the Biobio River Declaration of Rights in Chile.
International Rivers and partners co-convene the Asia Women and Rivers Congress in Thailand, with 125 people from 18 countries.
A Peruvian court grants the Marañón River legal rights.
Families displaced by the El Quimbo Dam in Colombia receive land restitution.
2025
International Rivers and partners celebrate 40 years of rivers and human rights activism.