The association's mission is "to advance sustainable hydropower by building and sharing knowledge on its role in renewable energy systems, freshwater management and climate change solutions.

[3] IHA has managed the roll-out and implementation of the protocol since its launch in 2011, and works in partnership with 15 leading companies around the world to promote a better understanding of how this tool can be used in different local and regional contexts.

It has been held in Turkey (2007) Iceland (2009), Brazil (2011), Malaysia (2013), China (2015), Ethiopia (2017), France (2019), Costa Rica (2021), and Indonesia (2023).

The event has since been held in Reykjavík, Iceland (2009), Iguassu, Brazil (2011), Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia (2013), Beijing, China (2015), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2017), Paris, France (2019), San Jose, Costa Rica (2021), and Indonesia (2023).

[5] The Board aims for a balanced geographic distribution of representation in its composition and conducts its affairs, including two-yearly elections, according to a formal written constitution and by-laws.

[6] IHA acts as a voice for hydropower in international governmental and sector water, energy, and climate change forums and in the media.

The topics cover the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic, and environmental, and include issues such as downstream flow regimes, indigenous peoples, biodiversity, infrastructure safety, resettlement, water quality, and erosion and sedimentation.

The Project is a global initiative to improve understanding of the impact of reservoirs on natural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a river basin.

The application of these Guidelines to a set of representative reservoirs worldwide allows the building of a reliable, standardized results database, in order to develop the basis for predictive modelling capability.

[14][15] The tool is intended to inform decision makers if there is likely to be any significant GHG footprint associated with the purposes for which the reservoir is being developed.

It has been developed as an empirical model, making use of existing published data on gross GHG emissions from previous assessments of 169 reservoirs around the world.

[14] Launched in 2015, the Mosonyi Award for Excellence in Hydropower recognizes individuals within IHA's membership for outstanding contributions to the sector.

Individual contributions related to the award may include: Proposed candidates are reviewed by a panel convened by the IHA Board.

The choice of location was criticized for appearing to legitimize local government plans to build dams that would displace tens of thousands of people.

IHA President Richard Taylor responded by emphasizing that the congress would be "international in nature" and would represent "alternative viewpoints".