External report

On 8 June 2017, Mekong communities in Thailand - represented by the Rak Chiang Khong Group - filed a lawsuit against Thai government agencies regarding their responsibilities in relation to the Pak Beng Dam proposed for the Mekong River in Lao PDR and expected cross-border impacts on communities in Thailand. The lawsuit is the second case filed against Thai government agencies regarding a dam project outside of Thailand and addressing the transboundary environmental and social impacts of hydropower projects on the Mekong River. The following is a summary of the key points raised in the lawsuit

On March 16, in the wake of the tragic killing of the Honduran environmental and indigenous leader Berta Cáceres on March 2, Reps. Hank Johnson (GA-04) and Keith Ellison (MN-05), together with 60 House colleagues, sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew requesting their support in combating human rights violations and rampant impunity in Honduras. In the letter, members of Congress call for an independent, international investigation into the murder of Cáceres with backing from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The letter wa

“People of our village and other villages, we don’t want to lose this river, to lose our land, our forests. This is our original place. What would you think if someone came to your home area and said, ‘You go, I want to take your home and land for my own project?’ Would you like that if someone came and just moved you from your home, from your land? Would you like that? That is what is waiting us. What we know is we just have to wait and see what is going to happen with this river. If the government comes, they should just kill us, here, next to our river.” - Kara woman from Lower O

แผนสร้างเขื่อนบนแม่น้ำสาละวินในจีน-พม่า และชายแดนไทย-พม่า เครือข่ายสาละวินวอชต์ Salween Watch เดือนสิงหาคม 2556 มีรายงานข่าวว่าเจ้าหน้าที่ระดับสูงในกระทรวงไฟฟ้าพม่าเปิดเผยว่าพม่ากำลังมีแผนพัฒนาโครงการไฟฟ้าพลังน้ำ 6 แห่�

A 2007 Review of the Don Sahong Dam's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report carried out by the Mekong River Commission Secretariat for the Lao government. The review expresses the following concerns, as well as concerns over the report's numerous shortcomings: Concerns over the dam's fishery impacts and its 'conceptual' mitigation plans (Point 47,64-69); MRC clarification that the project is indeed a Mekong mainstream dam that needs to undergo the MRC's 'prior consultation' process (Point 35); the report's lack of consideration of social impacts on upstream and downstream communities,

Chile’s energy sector is at a turning point. It has enormous potential to develop renewable energy and energy efficiency to become a global leader. The country can take advantage of its remarkable and varied natural resources, as well as its expanding economy to foster growth in its renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors.

By The Ene River By Thomas Munita Este libro es un estudio del Programa Global de Apoyo al Ciclo Electoral (GPECS, por sus siglas en inglés) y de la Dirección Regional (DRALC/RBLAC) del PNUD, que, en América Latina y el Caribe, se ha implementado entre los años 2011 y 2013 en seis países de la región: México, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru y Bolivia. El objetivo principal del GPECS es contribuir a incrementar la participación política y electoral que, en nuestra región, se ha focalizado en los ciudadanos indígenas, en especial de las mujeres y los jóvenes indígenas. En est

With a heavy concentration of dams in the northern third of the world the tropical areas of North, Central and South America are now a primary frontier for new dam construction. This is especially true in the Andean Amazon, where regional governments are prioritizing new hydroelectric dams as the centerpiece of long-term energy plans. There are plans for 151 new dams greater than 2 MW over the next 20 years, more than a 300% increase.

Dams do not last forever. While countries like India and China are in the middle of a dam building spree, there is no proper mechanism for periodic assessment of the performance of these dams. India is yet to have clearly defined, legally binding accountability mechanisms in case of dam failures. It is time India and her neighbors start seriously planning for dam decommissioning as a viable option for restoring the ecology of rivers and creating more free-flowing rivers.