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 the food, livelihoods and cultural systems of the region’s people are intimately connected with their flows. Large dams, ill-conceived infrastructure projects and climate change threaten to wreak havoc on these systems.
Our Work
We work closely with local communities to protect these sacred, productive and biodiverse rivers. We seek to ensure that women, indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities have their voices heard and rights respected in the decisions that affect their lives, and we build movements to stop destructive projects and promote a just energy transition.
A woman pans for gold along the Upper Salween River| Photo by Pai Deetes, International Rivers 
International Rivers’ Pai Deetes and partners at the Salween River, Day of Action 2018 |Photos by International Rivers
River Basins
Related Resources
Latest Updates
- Placing the Interests of the Public and Planet at the Center of Thailand’s Power Development Plan 2024
By Rin Sohsai and Tanya Lee Roberts-Davis. Originally published in the Bangkok Tribune. Opinion piece highlights are below. In the coming months, Thailand’s updated draft Power Development Plan (PDP 2024-2037) … Read more - Sites of Struggle and Sacrifice: Mapping Destructive Dam Projects along the Mekong River
by Pai Deetes, Phairin Sohsai and Tanya L. Roberts Davis Today, International Rivers is releasing a map illustrating sites of struggle along the Mekong River where communities and allied civil … Read more - PRESS RELEASE | Historic Asia Women and Rivers Congress Unites Over 125 Women Leaders Calling for Equity and Justice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 10, 2024 Congress photos here MEDIA CONTACTS: Lin Hnin Aye, Oxfam, lin.hninaye@oxfam.org + 95 9 761 994118 Bonnie Barclay, International Rivers, bbarclay@internationalrivers.org, +1 323 363 … Read more - Women and Rivers Learning Paper: Lessons from Co-Creation of a Platform for Women in Water Governance in the Mekong Region
Published in partnership with Open Development Mekong All over the world, women play a critical role in providing, managing and safeguarding water resources. Yet too often, governments ignore women’s lives and … Read more