A new short film tells the remarkable story of the man who risked his life to save a river he loved. One of International Rivers’ founder and river guardian extraordinaire: Mark Dubois. Would you risk your life to save a river? This man did. In 1979, Mark Dubois chained himself to a rock behind New…
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On March 14, 2021, we celebrated the 24th annual International Day of Action for Rivers. On this day people all over the world, gathered to protect and celebrate rivers. The International Day of Action Against Dams and For Rivers, Water and Life was adopted by the participants of the first International Meeting of People Affected…
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By: Margaret Zhou, Partnerships Manager This March 14, International Day of Action for Rivers, thousands of river stewards, defenders, and allies took action both in person and online. Despite the health and safety challenges faced by many countries around the world with the COVID-19 pandemic, over 50 direct actions were registered across 23 countries/nation-states with…
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By: Pai Deetes, Thailand & Myanmar Campaigns Director FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Today, the Network of Thai People in Eight Mekong Provinces submits additional evidence to the Thai Supreme Administrative Court in the ongoing lawsuit regarding the Xayaburi dam on the Mekong River in Laos. The lawsuit targets five Thai state agencies and challenges the legitimacy…
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By: Pai Deetes, Thailand and Myanmar Campaigns Director In a momentous win for the Mekong River, this week the Thai Cabinet formally called for cancellation of the Lancang-Mekong Navigation Channel Improvement Project, popularly known as the Mekong “rapids-blasting” project. The cabinet decision is the culmination of decades of campaigning by Thai Mekong communities and civil…
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In an open statement to ASEAN leaders as they gather in Bangkok for the 34th ASEAN Summit, 110 community and civil society organisations and networks have urged ASEAN to respect people’s rights and livelihoods. Noting that ASEAN economic integration has prioritised the interests of investors with little regard to the negative impacts on people’s territories, livelihoods…
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By: Maureen Harris, Programs Director This article originally appeared in The Myanmar Times The International Finance Corporation’s Vikram Kumar published a letter in the September 20 Myanmar Times in response to an article on civil society and community boycotts of IFC-sponsored consultations on hydropower in Shan State. The consultations form part of a cumulative impact assessment of…
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International Rivers’ advocacy training in DRC aimed at strengthening the movement of civil society partners and community groups to effectively advocate for the protection of rivers, rights of dam affected communities, and energy access. At the end of the training, groups were encouraged to sing their visions for their campaigns, which helped them take ownership…
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By: Pianporn Deetes, Thailand and Myanmar Campaigns Director This article originally appeared in The Bangkok Post. A year ago, the cabinet issued a resolution recognising an obligation to protect human rights in Thai outbound investments. With Thai companies increasing their operations in neighbouring countries in sectors that carry significant risks for human rights and the environment, further…
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By: Kate Horner, former Executive Director & Igor Vejnovic This article originally appeared on Open Democracy. This week, activists from across the world are meeting in Tbilisi to share their experiences of resisting hydropower projects and the money that supports them. Free-flowing rivers are often the unsung heroes of the natural world. They support immense biodiversity, as…
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By: Sarah Bardeen, former Communications Director Dipti Vaghela is passionate about micro hydro. To be fair, she’s also obsessed with other mini-grids, including biomass gasifiers and small-scale solar. But since 2006, Vaghela has been deep in the weeds on this subject, working as both a researcher and a practitioner to develop community-based micro-hydro in South…
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