By Aqeelah Hassen, Africa Program Communications and Campaigner International Rivers, Natural Justice, Himba community committee members and two researchers from the Kunene region convened in Windhoek, Namibia for the second Community Protocol workshop last August. The workshop started with a recap of the purpose of the Community Protocol and then focused on preparing committee members…
Read MoreProtecting Rights of the Himba Indigenous Community and Kunene River through Community Protocols
by Siziwe Mota, International Rivers Africa Program Director of International Rivers and introduction by Nalori Chakma, South Asia Senior Programme Coordinator, Transboundary Rivers of South Asia Introduction Globally, Indigenous rights to self-determination in relation to their rights to lands, territories and resources have been gaining support and attention at different levels. However, despite this a…
Read MoreOrganizations request new IDB President respect human rights and prioritize environmental protections
This week, International Rivers joined a group of organizations from Latin America and the United States in addressing a letter to the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Ilan Goldfajn. The open letter asks that the Bank strengthen its work by ensuring respect for human rights and the environment, as well as by creating…
Read MorePress Release | COP27: Groups warn of severe climate and human rights risk of new hydropower dams and schemes
Dams and hydropower schemes create major loss and damage, including producing significant amounts of methane, biodiversity loss, and community displacement. In a warming world, droughts and flooding make hydropower an unreliable energy choice and an increasing danger to downstream communities. An urgent shift away from false solutions that harm people and ecosystems is essential. For…
Read MoreGuinea is at a crossroads in meeting its energy needs and respecting rights
New study shows solar alternatives would cost less and outperform the proposed Koukoutamba Dam in Guinea by Josh Klemm & Ibrahima Kalil Bamba During a trip to Guinea last month, International Rivers and Centre de Commerce International pour le Développement (CECIDE) hosted a launch event for our latest study, “The feasibility of solar PV to…
Read MoreGeopolitics are not accounting for local communities
Originally published in Centre on Asia and Globalisation Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s newsletter Guest Column by Pianporn Deetes is Regional Campaigns Director, Southeast Asia Program at International Rivers Whatever the geopolitics of hydropower brings to the Mekong River, the people living alongside it must have a greater say in its future development….
Read More“We need infrastructure for the Amazon and not just in the Amazon” asks NGOs in letter to presidential candidates during 2022 Infrastructure Working Group (GT Infraestrutura) annual meeting
Alter do Chão (Pará) – More than 60 participants reunited this week in Alter do Chão, Pará, for 2022 GT Infraestrutura Annual Meeting, a group formed by environmental NGOs, social movements, and indigenous organizations. The resolution from the encounter was the Letter from Alter (bellow the full content) where entities aimed at Brazilian society with…
Read MoreDefenders of Brazilian Amazon travel to Europe to Denounce Threats and Rights Violations by Industrial and Illegal Mining
A delegation comprised of Brazilian Indigenous and community leaders from the Amazonian Xingu and Tapajós regions is traveling to Belgium and Switzerland to meet with European Union officials and denounce the invasions in their territories by mining companies such as the Canada’s Belo Sun and by illegal gold miners, who are driving the genocide of…
Read MoreInternational Rivers joins Acampamento Terra Livre, “Free Land Camp” event in Brasília
By Flavio Montiel – Interim Director International Rivers – Brazil Brasília (DF) – International Rivers is actively participating in the Acampamento Terra Livre (ATL) in Brasília, which has been taking place since April 4 and will continue until tomorrow, April 14. The ATL brings together more than 6,000 indigenous people from 200 ethnic groups from…
Read MoreHonoring Women River Defenders
All over the world, women play a critical leadership and community role in providing, managing and safeguarding water resources. Yet too often, governments ignore women’s lives and perspectives when making decisions about water. Years of experience have shown us that dams and other water infrastructure impact communities in gendered ways. Hydropower dam projects often exacerbate…
Read MorePRESS RELEASE: Klamath Dam Removal Process Enters Home Stretch: Environmental Review Confirms the Benefits of Dam Removal
Karuk Tribe • Yurok Tribe • American Rivers • Trout Unlimited • Institute for Fisheries Resources • California Trout • Sustainable Northwest • Salmon River Restoration Council • Native Fish Society • Northern California Council, Flyfishers International • Friends of the Shasta River • Save California Salmon • Mount Shasta Ecology Center • American Whitewater…
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