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Since 1985, International Rivers has been at the heart of the global struggle to protect rivers and the rights of communities that depend on them. We work with an international network of dam-affected people, grassroots organizations, environmentalists, human rights advocates and others who are committed to stopping destructive river projects and promoting better options.

Aysen (also spelled Aisén) is Chile's eleventh administrative region. It is the least populated region in Chile and it remains a region with huge communication problems due to lack of good infrastructure. The region is known for its unique ecological characteristics including unspoiled habitat for numerous endemic species. Its terrain and form are very similar to those of the Alaska Panhandle, the northern Norwegian coast, and New Zealand's Milford Sound region. Laguna San Rafael National Park, reachable only by boat or plane, is one of its most popular tourist destinations.

Commissioned by International Rivers and Environmental Defense By May 2005, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank are expected to decide whether or not to finance the US$1.3 billion Nam Theun 2 hydropower project in Lao PDR. If completed, the project would displace more than 6,200 indigenous people and negatively affect the livelihoods of up to 100,000 villagers living downstream. The World Bank claims that the project has been carefully planned so that, unlike past hydro projects, people displaced or otherwise threatened will not be left worse off. As well, the Bank claims that the dam&rs

June 2002 General comments International Rivers appreciates the generally positive response of the Asian Development Bank to the World Commission on Dams report. We note the commitments to follow-up action expressed in President Chino's letter of 22 December 2000 to Prof. Kader Asmal, Chair of the WCD, and in the comments made by Preben Nielsen at the third meeting of the WCD Forum in February 2001. We also appreciate ADB's efforts at disseminating and discussing the WCD report in member countries. International Rivers finds ADB's Planned Responses to Report of the World Commission on Dams to