In order to achieve the aims presented in the objectives-chapter, the World's Large Rivers Initiative (WLRI) has been established.

This Initiative was approved by the Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO on 20 June 2014, in its 21st session, in Paris by its decision IHP/IC-XXI/DR5.

The decision requested the IHP Secretariat and the UNESCO Chair on ‘Integrated River Research and Management’ to establish a working group, mandated with ‘elaborating the scope, activities and desired outputs of this initiative, on the basis of consensus and upon request of the countries concerned’. The Working Group was concluded with the 3rd Working Group Meeting (17th/18th May 2018) and has fulfilled its objective. In the 23rd session of the Intergovernmental Council of UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme (11th - 15th June 2018) the WLRI was continued as part of IHP's Workplan by adoption of Resolution XXIII-3.

3rd WLRI Working Group Meeting - 17th / 18th May 2018 in Vienna

The third Working Group Meeting took place from 17th to 18th May 2018 and finalised the common methodology developed in the previous meetings. First findings and results were presented for selected rivers. The Working Group was concluded with this meeting and has fulfilled its objective set out in the 21st session of the Intergovernmental Council of the IHP.

2nd WLRI Working Group Meeting - 27th / 28th June 2016 in Vienna

At the second Working Group Meeting international experts discussed a common methodology for the assessment of the World's Large Rivers. Three rivers were selected to test this methodology and representatives were nominated to assist the WLRI team with data acquisition.

1st WLRI Working Group Meeting - 25th / 26th June 2015 in Vienna

This meeting can be seen as the beginning of a process that will aim at exchanging ideas and facilitating cooperation between different stakeholders such as researchers and scientists, with a view to develop a scientific basis for an integrated river research by exchanging expertise and good practices. The outcomes of the working group will be reported to the next IHP-Intergovernmental Council in 2016.