Press Release

Indigenous Peoples Launch New Occupation on Belo Monte Dam Site

About 200 indigenous people affected by the construction of hydroelectric dams on the Xingu, Tapajós and Teles Pires rivers began an occupation of the largest construction site of the Belo Monte Dam on Thursday, May 2. They are demanding the suspension of dam construction until regulated free, prior and informed consultations with indigenous peoples, and the withdrawal of troops from their land.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Some 200 indigenous people affected by the construction of large hydroelectric dams in the Amazon launched an occupation yesterday on one of the main construction sites of the Belo Monte Dam complex on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon.

PR: Controversial Belo Monte Dam Featured in New Film

Monday, April 22, 2013
Brasilia, Brazil – A documentary launched today, Damocracy, focuses on the cultural and natural heritage the world stands to lose as the foundations of two controversial large-scale dams are being laid despite widespread opposition and resistance – the Belo Monte Dam in the Brazilian Amazon and the Ilisu Dam in southeast Turkey.

Court Suspends Military Operation For São Luiz do Tapajós Dam Studies

Armed forces arrived to Itaituba in March
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Brasilia, Brazil: A federal appeals court in Brazil has ordered the suspension of “Operation Tapajós,” a military and police intervention organized to control indigenous protests over technical studies on their lands in preparation for the controversial São Luíz do Tapajós Dam in the Amazonian state of Pará.

New Protest Paralyzes Brazil's Belo Monte Dam

Thursday, March 21, 2013
Today some 150 protestors from four indigenous groups and allied riverbank communities occupied a major work camp and halted construction of the controversial Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River in the Brazilian Amazon.

Human Trafficking and Prostitution Scandal Threatens Belo Monte Dam

Federal Police broke up a trafficking and prostitution ring operating at the Belo Monte construction camp
Friday, March 8, 2013
The human trafficking scandal broke in mid-February when a 16 year-old girl escaped from a nightclub at the Belo Monte construction site and denounced that she and several others had been held as sex slaves in abysmal living conditions.

International Rivers Wins Prestigious MacArthur Foundation Award

Thursday, February 28, 2013
International Rivers Wins Prestigious MacArthur Foundation AwardOrganization Recognized for its Extraordinary Creativity and Effectiveness Berkeley, USA: International Rivers is one of only 13 nonprofit organizations around the world to win this year’s MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The award, which was announced today, recognizes exceptional grantees who have demonstrated creativity and impact. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation sees this sizable one-time grant as an investment in International Rivers' long-term effectiveness. In Asia, Africa and

Cambodia’s Lower Sesan 2 Dam’s Draft Law Evades Costs and Concerns

Monday, February 11, 2013
Phnom Penh: Cambodian lawmakers are set to debate a new draft law for the controversial Lower Sesan 2 Hydropower Dam at this Friday’s National Assembly session. The draft law offers government guarantees to the project developers in the event that Electricité du Cambodge fails to pay for the electricity it has promised to purchase or in case of a political force majeure that would affect the project developer’s interests. The law is based on an implementation agreement between the government and Hydropower Lower Sesan 2 Company Ltd that has significantly reduced the project’s compensat

China Moves to Dam the Nu, Ignoring Seismic, Ecological, and Social Risks

Friday, January 25, 2013
In a blueprint for the energy sector in 2011-15, China’s State Council on Wednesday lifted an eight-year ban on five megadams for the largely free-flowing Nu River, ignoring concerns about geologic risks, global biodiversity, resettlement, and impacts on downstream communities.

Cambodia, Vietnam, and Donors Challenge Laos on Mekong Dams

Thursday, January 17, 2013
On January 17, it became clear that Cambodia and Vietnam remain concerned with Laos' construction of the Xayaburi Dam and plans to build a cascade of dams on the Lower Mekong River.

Xayaburi Dam Left Off MRC Council Agenda

Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Mekong governments have left the controversial Xayaburi Dam off of the agenda of this week’s annual Mekong River Commission (MRC) Council meeting.

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