International Rivers | People, Water, Life
Our Rivers, Our Water Future. 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.
Report | Rights of Rivers
A global survey of the rapidly developing Rights of Nature jurisprudence pertaining to rivers Background A new report by the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, Earth Law Center, and International Rivers finds that a movement to grant legal rights to rivers and nature is rapidly gaining momentum globally. The report examines how the...
About - International Rivers
We seek a world where healthy rivers and the rights of local river communities are valued and protected. We envision a world where water and energy needs are met without degrading nature or increasing poverty, and where people have the right to …
Reports & Publications - International Rivers
Rights of Rivers (2020) Report by the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice, Earth Law Center, and International Rivers finds that a movement to grant legal rights to rivers and nature is rapidly gaining momentum globally. The report examines how the ancient notion that nature possesses basic rights is being adopted in laws from New Zealand to Colombia.The report surveys just how ...
Take Action - International Rivers
International Rivers and our global networks are actively engaged in calling on decision-makers to preserve our precious rivers, protect our human rights, and implement truly sustainable solutions to our water and energy needs. Add your voice! Join the Global Call to Protect Rivers! The climate, biodiversity, and health crises have exposed the critical need to...
Asia - International Rivers
Asia’s rich tapestry of cultures and unparalleled ethnic diversity are connected by important transboundary river basins, including the Mekong, Salween, Indus, and Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna. These rivers originate in the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau, connecting ecosystems fed by glaciers and snowmelt to floodplains and major river deltas downstream. They support rich biodiversity, and ...
Mission, Vision & Strategy - International Rivers
Free-flowing rivers work like arteries, providing the world’s ecosystems with critical freshwater resources that sustain a higher biodiversity per square mile than almost any other ecosystem. Rivers are crucial to the food security, livelihoods, and cultural traditions of millions, especially indigenous and traditional peoples around the world. Yet …
Issues - International Rivers
Healthy rivers are critical to sustaining life on earth. They’re also at the nexus of the climate crisis and long-standing legacies of environmental injustice. As part of a global network of river defenders, we promote water, energy and food production systems that protect communities, regenerate river health, build social and ecological resiliency, and bring equity...
Where We Work - International Rivers
We work to protect rivers and rights, and promote real solutions for meeting water, energy and flood management needs around the globe. Based on five continents, our staff work closely with a global network of river communities, dam-affected people, environmentalists, human rights advocates and experts to fight destructive river projects and promote better alternatives.
History & Successes - International Rivers
In 1985, a small group of volunteers formed International Rivers Network. Their vision was simple and yet remarkably ambitious: to develop a worldwide network to protect rivers and promote just and sustainable energy development. For over 35 years, we have successfully supported river defenders as leaders in the global movement. Our work has included catalyzing...