In 2016 the Iraqi Marshes were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Ahwar. Each year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee reviews reports on the state of conservation of the property and follows up with the State Party of Iraq in case it is not properly managed. Iraq’s 2020 State of...
Statement by the Hasankeyf Coordination, 17 January 2020 The filling of the controversial Ilisu Dam continues despite the ongoing strong critic and protests by the affected communities along the Tigris River and civil society organizations from all over Turkey. Almost two weeks ago the raising dam reservoir has reached the 12,000 years old town Hasankeyf...
Permanent protections for free-flowing rivers need to be a centerpiece of every country’s national climate action plan. Chile can lead the way. New York Times, 29 December 2019 By Macarena Soler, Monti Aguirre and Juan Pablo Orrego Ms. Soler is the founder of Geute Conservación Sur, Ms. Aguirre is the Latin America program coordinator of International Rivers and Mr....
Civil Society Society Statement, 10 December 2019 In the context of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP25 Madrid On behalf of 276 civil society organizations from around the world, we are calling upon the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) to abandon the certification of destructive hydropower projects as climate-friendly. The proposed hydropower criteria developed by CBI...
By Alexandra Marvar – The Nation, 11 November 2019 In times of conflict, war, and climate change, hydropower is state power Since the early 2000s, a massive hydropower project in southeastern Turkey has been mired in controversy, moving forward in fits and starts. But as of this past July, construction is finally complete. As the...
By Will Christou, Syria Direct, 10 November 2019 AMMAN— Northeast Syria is facing an acute water shortage as a result of damage to civilian water infrastructure and the roughly 108,000 Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) who fled the Turkish offensive, “Operation Peace Spring,” early last month. On October 29, the Autonomous Administration of North and East...
Statement by Save the Tigris Campaign, 12 October 2019 On 9 October, Turkey started a military offensive in northeast Syria. A move which will have disastrous consequences for the region. This armed conflict will have a direct impact on populations, ecosystem and post-conflict recovery of the area. Concerns mount of a humanitarian catastrophe. Water is...
Stop the filling of the Ilisu Dam! Statement by Save the Tigris Campaign, 29 July 2019 Despite strong domestic and international opposition, the Turkish government has commenced filling the reservoir of the controversial Ilisu Dam on the Tigris River in the Kurdish Southeast of Turkey without giving any official warning to those still living in...
Following years of neglect under the Assad regime and the struggle against Daesh, North-East Syria continues to be plagued by water scarcity. Overconsumption from the Turkish side of the border has reduced supplies to the area. Since agriculture is the main source of income for the local population, they rely heavily on water. In addition,...
Humat Dijlah Association (Tigris River Protectors) – the Iraqi partner for Save the Tigris Campaign – and a wide range of Iraqi civil society organizations, movements, and individuals (signed below) address the Turkish Government to abandon the decision to flood the Ilisu Dam because of the serious environmental effects that will affect directly on Iraq....
