Global Advocacy
Across every river basin where we work, from the Biobío to the Klamath to the Beni, Indigenous youth are defending their waters at home. But the decisions that shape those rivers are often made far from them.
Ríos to Rivers’ Global Advocacy Program ensures that Indigenous river defenders not only gain the skills to protect their territories locally, but also have the opportunity to influence the global conversations that affect them, and witness parallel issues in other river basins around the world.
We believe river justice must be shaped by those who live in relationship with rivers.
What is the Global Advocacy program?
Our Global Advocacy Program is our organizational commitment to:
Facilitate cross-basin exchanges between Indigenous youth leaders
Provide training in international environmental policy and advocacy
Support youth delegations to global convenings and decision-making spaces
Elevate Indigenous river voices in climate and biodiversity negotiations
Build long-term solidarity between river basins around the world
Through our programs, including Kayakimün in Chile, Paddle Tribal Waters in the US, and the Amazonian Rivers Initiative in Bolivia, youth gain the technical skills, cultural grounding, and leadership development necessary to step into global advocacy spaces with confidence and clarity.
Global Advocacy is where those skills meet the world stage.
From River Basin to Global Stage
Youth from our partner basins have participated in international forums, side events, and global campaigns where they:
Share lived experience from free-flowing and dam-impacted rivers
Connect with frontline defenders from other regions
Engage with policymakers, funders, and multilateral institutions
Advocate for rights-based, river-centered climate solutions
These exchanges strengthen global advocacy efforts, but also deepen local leadership when youth return home with expanded networks, knowledge, and perspective.
Rivers for Climate Coalition
Ríos to Rivers is proud to be a coordinating partner of the Rivers for Climate Coalition, a global alliance advancing the protection and restoration of free-flowing rivers as essential climate solutions.
Through this coalition, we support Indigenous leadership in international climate dialogues and work to ensure that river ecosystems are recognized for their role in biodiversity, cultural survival, and climate resilience.
Rather than operating as a separate program, Rivers for Climate is one expression of our broader Global Advocacy commitment.
The UnDam the UN Campaign
UnDam the UN is an initiative of the Rivers for Climate Coalition that calls on UN agencies and international financial institutions to align climate action with river protection, free-flowing ecosystems, and Indigenous rights.
Through the coalition, Ríos to Rivers supports youth delegations, side events, and high-level engagement that challenge harmful hydropower expansion and promote rights-based, nature-positive climate solutions.
As part of our Global Advocacy Program, we help ensure that Indigenous river defenders are present in the very institutions shaping global development finance and climate policy.
This campaign reflects our belief that river justice must extend beyond local restoration to also transform global systems.
Your Support Matters
Your contribution will directly support our mission to use whitewater kayaking and education to protect rivers worldwide and the communities that support them.
