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…
Read MoreCampaigners 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…
Read MoreFinance 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…
Read MoreInternational Rivers joined 42 organizations in calling on the OECD to ensure Brazil can end deforestation & protect human rights as it considers the nation for membership
Today, October 3rd, a civil society group published and sent a letter to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and relevant government agencies calling for a careful evaluation of Brazil’s climate and environmental policies, processes, and track records. The letter also highlights the necessity for strong due diligence, including third-party assessments, independent reviews, and…
Read MoreCivil society organizations call on the VP of the Inter-American Development Bank for more transparency and participation in IDB Access to Information Policy
International Rivers joins 23 organizations delivering a letter addressed to Richard Martínez Alvarado, Vice President of theCountries Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) This week, 24 civil society organizations(CSOs) raised concerns about the consultation process designed for IDB’s Access to Information Policy (AIP) review. In the letter, addressed to the Vice President for Countries of the Inter-American…
Read MoreOrganizações da sociedade civil questionam ‘Política Verde’ do Pará na COP 26
Documento redigido por organizações nacionais e internacionais será entregue para paísesque estão em negociação de subsídios para o Estado do Norte, como o Reino Unido e aNoruega. Brasil, 4 de novembro de 2021 – Organizações que atuam na defesa do meio ambiente elaboraram um alerta aosfinanciadores internacionais que negociam um acordo com o governo do…
Read MorePress Release | Civil Society Groups Across Asia demand the ADB recalibrate its Draft Energy Policy in line with climate and community realities
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** Manila, Philippines –Civil society groups across South, Southeast and Central Asia are raising the alarm as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) gears up to announce a new Energy Policy that — unless recalibrated — will fail to reflect the realities of climate science and local peoples’ burning concerns. On September 6th, the…
Read MorePress Release | Riverscope: A New Geospatial Tool To Assess the True Costs and Financial Risks of Hydropower
For immediate release OXFORD, UK and OAKLAND, US, August 25, 2021—A new geospatial assessment tool for hydropower, Riverscope, launched today. Riverscope was developed by TMP Systems in collaboration with International Rivers. It is the first comprehensive tool to assess often-overlooked environmental and social risks and connect them quantitatively to the commercial performance of hydropower projects….
Read MoreAsian Development Bank: It’s Time to Stop Financing Large-scale Hydropower and other False Climate Solutions
Yesterday, International Rivers’ Southeast Asia Program Director Gary Lee joined partners at the NGO Forum on ADB press conference. The science and historical evidence is clear–if we want to tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis, increase resiliency and food security, and protect the rights of people, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) energy policy must prohibit…
Read MoreDear China, it’s time to talk: Despite saying it takes multilateral cooperation seriously, China has not yet responded to civil society concerns in Latin America
By: Cooperacción, Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN), International Rivers, China-Latin America Sustainable Investments Initiative At the end of April, 263 civil society groups from around the world sent a letter to the heads of various Chinese institutions about financial aid to help coronavirus-affected projects connected to the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s global infrastructure program. They…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE | Eight Organizations alert the OECD on serious weaknesses in Brazil’s Responsible Business Conduct policies (Policy Brief)
In a brief published today, FIDH and seven brasilian and international NGOs alert on the serious governance gaps that need to be urgently addressed.
Read More