In just six hydroelectric projects in the region, more than 60,000 people have already had to leave their homes or have had their life and/or food security threatened. Brazil, November 22, 2023 – More than 270 civil society organizations, experts and environmentalists have come together in an urgent appeal to government authorities, including President Luiz…
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by Flavio Montiel, International Rivers’ Brazil Manager Last month, I had the opportunity to participate in the second Brazilian Rights of Nature Forum held in Ilhéus, Brazil. The forum served as a gathering point for more than 300 people from diverse biomes of Brazil. The event brought together environmentalists, legal scholars, Indigenous leaders, original populations,…
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by Pianporn Deetes, Regional Campaigns Director, Southeast Asia Program October 18, 2023 – Over 80 people gathered at the Chiang Mai Administrative Court in Thailand today to mark the filing of a lawsuit against the Yuam/Salween Water Diversion Project. The lawsuit challenges the legitimacy of the project and the project’s environmental impact assessment (EIA), which…
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On Thursday, October 12, Mekong River defender Niwat Roykaew became the first Thai to receive the Leader on the Frontlines Award from the Asia Foundation, a nonprofit international development organisation based in San Francisco, California. Niwat Roykaew also known as “Kru Thi”, is the chair of the Chiang Khong Conservation Group and director of Mekong…
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We watch with grave concern the news that the Chungthang dam (also called Teesta III) has been destroyed as a result of torrential rains and a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) upstream on the Teesta River in the state of Sikkim, India in the early hours of October 4, 2023. As of October 16, more…
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CONTACT: v4climateleaders@gmail.com On Friday, September 15, Ms. Ngo Nhien (Nhien), Executive Director of Vietnam Initiative for Energy Transition (VIETSE), an independent Vietnamese energy think tank, was detained by the police. This comes on the heels of U.S. President Biden’s recent visit to Hanoi in which the two countries strengthened their partnership and discussed human rights…
Read MoreOn 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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Originally published in the Bangkok Post by Pai Deetes, “Future of rivers in PM’s hands” In a speech to Parliament on 11 September, the new Thai Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisn, outlined policies, commitments and actions his government will take over the next four years for the “benefit and happiness of all Thai people.” While limited…
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Originally Published in The New York Times by Josh Klemm and Isabella Winkler Mr. Klemm and Ms. Winkler are co-directors of International Rivers, a group that advocates for healthy rivers and the rights of river communities. The collapse of two dams in Libya, unleashing torrential floodwaters that left at least 3,000 people dead and over 4,200 still missing, was both…
Read MoreOn August 11, 2023, United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative in Viet Nam, Ms. Ramla Khalidi, delivered a speech at the consultation workshop for the draft “Resource Mobilization Plan” (RMP) – essentially the implementation plan – for Viet Nam’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). This $15.5 billion JETP was announced on December 14, 2022, by…
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts: Yujung Shin (+82 010 8452 0108, yjshin@jihyanglaw.com) Pillkyu Hwang (hopenvision@naver.com) or Youngah Park (mashil049@gmail.com) Emilie Pradichit (emilie@manushyafoundation.org) Joint statement in Thai On July 23, 2018, the auxiliary dam (Saddle D) of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydroelectric power project in Laos collapsed, killing 71 people, displacing thousands, and flooding homes and villages….
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