In 1985, a dedicated group of volunteers united around a shared vision to develop a worldwide network to protect rivers and promote just and sustainable energy options. Today, that movement is still going strong. Join us in celebrating the communities and partners who oppose destructive hydropower, protect rivers, and advocate for the rights of rivers and riverine communities.
Since 1985, International Rivers has been at the heart of the global movement to ensure river-dependent communities’ voices are heard and their rights are respected.
Rivers are the arteries of the earth, supporting the highest rate of biodiversity compared to any other ecosystem and providing for the livelihoods of millions of local, indigenous and traditional peoples. Rivers are also under extreme threat, with less than 10% of the world’s river basins protected.
International Rivers strengthens movements of communities and civil society at the forefront of defending rivers by:
• Undertaking investigative research to generate robust data and evidence to inform policies and campaigns.
• Remaining independent and fearless in campaigning to expose and resist destructive projects.
• Developing a vision that protects rivers and the communities that depend upon them.
Media contact: Shayna Samuels, shayna@ripplestrategies.com, +1-718-541-4785 (Phone / WhatsApp) Environmental defenders are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, yet across the world they face escalating threats—from violence and criminalisation to exclusion from decisions that shape their futures. In launching a recent report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on…
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November 2025 – Environmental defenders are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, yet across the world they face escalating threats—from violence and criminalization to exclusion from decisions that shape their futures. In a recent report to the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders said: “In their struggle to…
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