Save The Tigris
Foundation
For decades, water politics in the Mesopotamian region have not acknowledged access to water as a human right.
The Tigris-Euphrates rivers have been degraded by megaprojects, pollution, drought and climate change. Local communities have been omitted from genuine participation in the decision-making process over water resources management.
Save the Tigris advocates internationally for the protection and democratic use of the Tigris-Euphrates rivers.
Our Mission
We are a civil society advocacy platform aiming to promote water justice in the Mesopotamian basin. Save the Tigris seeks to link groups and movements from Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran concerned with the protection of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Learn MoreOur Work
Our platform provides international solidarity and supports the exchange of knowledge. We advocate for policies that secure ecological justice including the equitable and democratic use of water in the Mesopotamian region, promoting water as a tool for peace.
Learn More
A new report by Save the Tigris Foundation – May 2026
The Impact of Climate Change Induced Water Scarcity
on the Economic Life of Inhabitants in the Central and Western Hammar Marshes of Iraq
Our latest report examines the impact of climate change and water scarcity on the economic livelihoods of communities living in the Central Marshes and Western Hammar Marsh in southern Iraq. It highlights how recurring droughts, declining water resources, and environmental change are threatening traditional livelihoods, cultural heritage, and the resilience of the Marsh Arab (Ahwar) communities whose lives have been intertwined with these unique wetlands for generations.
Click the image to access our Mesopotamian Water Forum page!
Diyarbakir, Turkey, 17-19 October 2025
2nd Mesopotamian Water Forum
For a Water Future Shaped by the Will of the People in Mesopotamia;
‘Integrating Waters, for a Common Life!’
Three hundred activists, academics, researchers, students, women, ecological organizations, and local government representatives from Turkey, Syria, Iran, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region gathered, on the banks of the ancient Tigris River.
Read the full declaration of the 2025 Mesopotamian Water Forum
