Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission Raises Serious Concerns about Impacts of Mekong River Dams

By Rin Sohsai In early October, the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC) sent a letter to Thailand’s Prime Minister expressing serious concerns about the plans for four more hydropower projects to be built on the mainstream of the Mekong River near the Thai-Lao territorial border— namely, the Sanakham, Pak Chom, Ban Kum and…

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STATEMENT | International Rivers statement on Teesta-V hydropower station destruction in Sikkim

STATEMENT | International Rivers statement on Teesta-V hydropower station destruction in Sikkim

On August 20, 2024, the world witnessed another major landslide that badly damaged a hydropower project in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem along the river Teesta. This latest landslide caused major destruction of the 510 MW NHPC Teesta-V hydropower power station in Sikkim, India. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported but the region is still reeling…

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Placing the Interests of the Public and Planet at the Center of Thailand’s Power Development Plan 2024

Placing the Interests of the Public and Planet at the Center of Thailand’s Power Development Plan 2024

By Rin Sohsai and Tanya Lee Roberts-Davis. Originally published in the Bangkok Tribune. Opinion piece highlights are below. In the coming months, Thailand’s updated draft Power Development Plan (PDP 2024-2037) is due to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval. This master plan underwent limited online public hearings in mid-June. Yet to date, the text…

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Communities Left in Dire Straits After the Construction of the Souapiti Dam in Guinea

Communities Left in Dire Straits After the Construction of the Souapiti Dam in Guinea

By Genny Ngende, Senior Campaign Coordinator, Africa Program Introduction The Africa Program works in partnership with a local organization in Guinea, Centre du Commerce International pour le Développement (CECIDE). Individually and collectively, we conduct research, engage with government and economic actors, publish reports and organize workshops for communities adversely impacted by hydropower projects.  It is…

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Sites of Struggle and Sacrifice: Mapping Destructive Dam Projects along the Mekong River

Sites of Struggle and Sacrifice: Mapping Destructive Dam Projects along the Mekong River

by Pai Deetes, Phairin Sohsai and Tanya L. Roberts Davis Today, International Rivers is releasing a map illustrating sites of struggle along the Mekong River where communities and allied civil society groups have been able to hold their ground —significantly delaying the planned development of destructive hydropower dams — and sacrifice zones where the build…

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Campaigners call on development banks to reject controversial Rogun mega dam in Tajikistan

Campaigners call on development banks to reject controversial Rogun mega dam in Tajikistan

Co-published with Rivers without Boundaries, Coalition for Human Rights in Development and other partners Today on the 27th International Day of Action for Rivers, international and local civil society organizations (CSOs) share the appeal they sent to the World Bank and 15 other financiers – members of the “Rogun Coordination Group”.  In Tajikistan, the government is…

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MAP: Hydropower Dams in Sub-Saharan Africa

MAP: Hydropower Dams in Sub-Saharan Africa

French below/ Version Française plus bas Only one-third of rivers remain free-flowing, largely due to dams. Globally, large hydropower dams have displaced up to 80 million people and compromised the livelihoods of 472 million more downstream. Although dams are on the decline in most parts of the world, in Africa, there is an incline in planned…

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Developing news: Controversial Pak Beng Dam on the Mekong hits major milestone, despite warnings of widespread damage to environment and people

On September 13, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, or EGAT, signed a Power Purchase Agreement for the controversial Pak Beng Dam on the main stem of the Mekong River.  Located in northern Lao PDR, Pak Beng would be built on the Lower Mekong mainstream and is expected to  displace people in over 25 villages….

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Finance in Common Summit shows reality is not meeting rhetoric when it comes to support for human rights and civic space

Finance in Common Summit shows reality is not meeting rhetoric when it comes to support for human rights and civic space

By: Josh Klemm, Co-Executive Director of International Rivers Earlier this month, I had the chance to attend the fourth annual Finance in Common (FIC) Summit in Cartagena, Colombia. A relatively new phenomenon, the Summit brought together over 500 public development banks from all over the world who together represent tens of billions of dollars in…

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