By: Maureen Harris, Programs Director International Rivers expresses its concern and regret about the tragic loss of life and hardship facing communities living downstream of the collapsed dam in Lao PDR. An auxillary dam that was part of the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower scheme on the Xepian River collapsed the night of July 23 as…
Today, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee took the decision to officially inscribe Lake Turkana as a World Heritage site “in danger” because of severe impacts caused by the Gibe 3 Dam, constructed upstream on Ethiopia’s Omo River. The dam and associated sugar plantations have severely restricted flows into Kenya’s Lake Turkana, the world’s largest desert lake. “We…
Chile Rejects Environmental Approval of Patagonia Megadams FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Berkeley, US: Today Chile’s Committee of Ministers – the country’s highest administrative authority – cancelled the environmental permits for five controversial dams proposed on two of Chilean Patagonia’s wildest rivers – the culmination of an eight-year battle. “This is the right move and an import step…
PRESS RELEASE | International NGOs Call for Release of Prominent Environmental Defender in Vietnam One Year After 5-Year Prison Sentence Environmental Lawyer Dang Dinh Bach Is One of Several Silenced by the Vietnamese Government After Attempts to Wean the Country Off of Coal and Protect Communities from Public Health Hazards For Immediate Release: January 24, 2023 MEDIA…
Welcome to the Press Center. Here you will find our current press releases and statements, media contacts, and other resources for journalists. For all other media inquiries, please reach out to jklemm@internationalrivers.org. Spokespeople Press Releases New Report Highlights the Missing “Just” from Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) June 16, 2024 | Vietnam – A…
In April 2025, International Rivers’ long-time friend Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayari received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her work securing legal protections for the Marañón River. International Rivers was proud to nominate Mari Luz, celebrate her win at the Goldman Prize ceremony, and, together with the Goldman Foundation, co-host a webinar with Mari Luz and…
By Maureen Harris, Senior Advisor of International Rivers Today, 24 January 2025, marks three years since the unjust trial and sentencing of our partner and friend, environmental lawyer and climate advocate Dang Dinh Bach (Bach). Bach is a river defender. He worked for years to raise awareness about the downstream impacts of dams on the Mekong…
The Civil Court of Loreto issued a ruling this week that upholds the rights of the Marañón River, marking a significant victory for environmental justice and Indigenous rights in Peru. Originating in the Andes and flowing into the Amazon, the Marañón is critical to biodiversity and Indigenous communities, particularly the Kukama people who have long…
A new in-depth report about Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) was released in June 2024, outlining the problems with the financing, governance, energy solutions, and participation necessary to achieve a truly just transition. The report, ‘The Missing “Just” in Vietnam’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP),’ [MOU1] examines Vietnam’s transition away from coal-based energy from…
During this year’s COP28 climate meeting in Dubai, International Rivers and partners brought attention to the critical need for prioritizing and addressing human rights and a just energy transition if our global climate goals are to truly succeed. The UNFCCC Climate meeting took place from November 30 to December 12, 2023. Sessions and negotiations on…
