PRIO Events

Listen to this inspiring seminar with Professor Halleh Ghorashi, a leading scholar in diversity and inclusion at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). She shared how her understanding of engaged scholarship has evolved throughout her academic journey, highlighting its impact on academia, society, and refugee communities.Drawing from her work with the 'research within expertise' lab: Refugee Academy at VU, Professor Ghorashi showcased how engaged scholarship can drive meaningful change. Critical theory and feminist epistemology have been central for her in approaching engaged scholarship from a transformative angle.In conversation with PRIO Researcher Cindy Horst, Professor Ghorashi explored her work of co-generating societal change towards increased diversity and inclusion in the Netherlands. Her transformative engaged scholarship conceptually draws on epistemic justice and builds on methods of co-creating various forms of knowledge with communities.SpeakersHalleh Ghorashi is Professor of Diversity at VU. She proposes a critical approach of diversity and inclusion and shows the importance of the perspectives of migrants and refugees through narrative methodology in creating more inclusive structures.Cindy Horst is a Research Professor in Migration and Refugee Studies and co-director of the PRIO Centre on Culture, Conflict, and Co-existence. She is the author of Creative Resistance. The social justice practices of Monarch, Halleh and Diana (Lived Places Publishing, 2023), which includes a chapter about Halleh Ghorashi.The event is co-organized by the PRIO Migration Centre and PRIO Centre on Culture, Conflict and Coexistence.

PRIO was pleased to invite to a seminar with Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In this seminar, Albanese shared her firsthand experiences and insights from her work, focusing on the significant legal and political challenges facing the UN in Palestine.The seminar addressed several key issues, including the challenges surrounding the UN’s access to the occupied Palestinian territories, the humanitarian implications of the ban on UNRWA, and the ongoing cases before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) related to genocide and humanitarian aid access. Albanese also provided an update on the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and reflected on the potential of removing Israel’s seat at the UN in response to violations of international human rights law.The conversation was moderated by Jørgen Jensehaugen, Senior Researcher at PRIO.This event was a collaboration between the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and Palestinakomiteen Norge.

Once the war in Gaza ends, the narrow strip of land will require a massive reconstruction effort of unimaginable proportions. Large questions remain, such as who will pay? What political conditions can the reconstruction happen under?To help us understand some of these questions, with reflections from the Arab Gulf, PRIO hosted Ghassan Elkahlout, Palestinian scholar and Director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS) in Doha.Tor Wennesland, PRIO Practitioner in Residence.Jørgen Jensehaugen, Senior Researcher, PRIO.

As war and humanitarian crises unfold in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon, a new Middle East is emerging. How can local humanitarian actors rise to the challenge? What role do they play in addressing urgent needs, fostering long-term solutions and promoting reconciliation amidst turmoil? And how can they navigate the complexities introduced by the recent UNRWA ban?SpeakersKaram Abi Yazbeck, Regional Coordinator for Caritas Middle East and North Africa, sharing first-hand testimony directly from the groundJørgen Jensehaugen, Senior Researcher at the Peace Research Institute Oslo, providing a snapshot of the region's shifting geopolitical landscape and the implications of the UNRWA banRaymond Johansen, Secretary General of Norwegian People's AidArne Næss-Holm, Director of International Programmes, Norwegian Church AidIngrid Rosendorf Joys, Secretary General, Caritas NorwayThe discussion was moderated by Cindy Horst, Research Professor, Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).This event was a collaboration between the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), Caritas Norway, Norwegian People's Aid and Norwegian Church Aid.

In light of the shifting geopolitical landscape, the long-standing theory of democratic peace - asserting that democracies rarely wage war against each other - is facing critical scrutiny.This panel will discuss whether this principle still holds true in an era marked by shifting power dynamics, rising authoritarianism, and the erosion of liberal democratic norms.With conflicts increasingly shaped by hybrid warfare, economic rivalries, and regional instability, the traditional correlation between democracy and peace may be weakening.This discussion will explore whether contemporary democracies are more prone to conflict, or if the theory needs to be redefined for a multipolar world. The panel will also revisit Francis Fukuyama's "End of History" argument, which predicted the triumph of liberal democracy as the final form of human governance.As new global players and political ideologies emerge, panelists will assess whether this notion is still relevant, or if we are witnessing the rise of new patterns of conflict that challenge the foundations of democratic peace.SpeakersMs. Hilde F. Johnson, European Institute of PeaceProf. Carl Henrik Knutsen, University of OsloDr. Marianne Dahl, Peace Research Institute OsloThe discussion will be moderated by Dan Banik, Academic Director of Circle U's democracy hub.This event is part of Oslo Peace Days 2024. Follow this link for full programme.

AI shapes war, humanitarian emergencies and the roads to peace. Ongoing conflicts are also experimental laboratories, creating a boom in AI weapons systems.Before and during the Gaza war, AI-generated imagery and text has contributed to diametrically opposed versions of a ‘truth’ about violence, the plight of civilians and the intentions of humanitarian actors. While responding to hurricanes Helene and Milton, US authorities also struggled against AI generated imagery manipulating understandings about the danger and impact of the disaster and government assistance.In 2024, there are 120 armed conflicts around the world. Peace processes require finding shared grounds of knowledge. AI may be a double spoiler – heightening tension and eroding trust. This panel looks into the relationship between military technology and humanitarian law, how we understand claims about civilian suffering and societal devastation to be true – or not – and the impact of dis and misinformation on efforts to create pathways towards peaceful solutions.SpeakersKristin Bergtora Sandvik, University of Oslo and Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)Morten Tønnessen-Krokan, the Norwegian Red CrossOlav Østrem, faktisk.noThe discussion was moderated by Maria Gabrielsen Jumbert, Senior Researcher, PRIO.This event was collaboration between PRIO and the University of Oslo, and a part of Oslo Peace Days 2024.

The recent U.S. election has dominated the political discourse for months, but now the world’s attention is shifting to the potential implications of next year’s leadership transition. A diminished U.S. presence at the global scene could elevate China and various regional powers as primary initiators and guarantors in the mediation processes in the Global South. The ideals of inclusive, transparent and democratic transitions to peace might be especially threatened. Could the European Union assume the U.S.’s role as a "liberal peace guarantor" at the global level?Norway has long been a key player in conflict mediation and peacebuilding, supporting a range of European non-state organizations dedicated to peace process mediation and facilitation. These peace facilitation organizations (PFOs) have evolved into a specialized field, offering essential services at various stages of peace processes. However, in this changing world order, the continued existence of these PFOs depends on the ambitions and priorities of their Western donors, casting uncertainty over their future.This seminar will present and discuss findings from a research project investigating inclusivity and transparency in peace negotiations, focusing on the strategies PFOs use to promote these principles. The project is a collaboration between PRIO and the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The program will include brief presentations from the co-PIs, Øystein H. Rolandsen (PRIO) and Simone Tholens (EUI), followed by a roundtable discussion. A light lunch will be served afterwards.SpeakersØystein H. Rolandsen, Research Professor, Peace Research Institute OsloSimone Tholens, Part-time professor, European University InstituteHilde Frafjord Johnson, Senior Advisor, European Institute of Peace (EIP)Elisa Tarnaala, Senior Adviser, CMI Martti Ahtisaari Peace FoundationThe conversation will be moderated by Øystein H. Rolandsen.See all PRIO Events here: https://www.prio.org/events

As conflicts and crises escalate worldwide, higher education is often caught in a crossfire, depriving many of their fundamental right to learn and freely express, in a safe environment. In Palestine, we are witnessing the systematic and intentional obliteration of the wider education system by Israel, also referred to as ‘scholasticide’. In Myanmar, students and scholars remain severely at risk under the military junta, who continues to brutally crack down on their human rights and learning opportunities. As international calls for protecting academic freedom grow, how can we safeguard higher education against the pressures of conflict?Join us for the launch of the Scholars at Risk ‘Free to Think 2024’, a comprehensive annual report of the global state of academic freedom.This panel will particularly focus on Palestine and Myanmar, where scholars, students and universities are under siege. From military raids and campus closures to surveillance and detentions, the panellists will highlight how academic institutions and individuals are targeted in these regions and beyond, effectively turning learning spaces into battlegrounds.SpeakersJørgen Jensehaugen, Senior Researcher, PRIOMarte Nilsen, Senior Researcher, PRIOAsmaa Abu Samra, Academic from Gaza, Temporarily in Norway on a Scholars at Risk stay.The conversation was moderated by Selma Bratberg, President of SAIH.

What is the state of refugee rights in Pakistan? What role do civil society groups play to support refugees and advocate for their rights? What are the key challenges? On the 2nd of September PRIO hosted a discussion co-organised by DEGLOBAL and supported by the BEYOND project. This discussion forum brought together human rights activists and academics from Pakistan and the academics at the University of Oslo, PRIO, and University of Tromsø to exchange views on the state of refugee rights in Pakistan and the role of civil society groups in advocating and supporting refugees. The focus was on Afghan refugees. SpeakersHarris Khalique, Secretary General of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)Dr. Arshi Saleem-Hashmi, Professor Peace and Conflict Studies, National Defence University of PakistanDr. Farhat Taj, Associate Professor, University of TromsøThe discussion was moderated by Professor Marta Bivand Erdal at PRIO. Dr. Arjumand Bano Kazmi at UiO offered introductory remarks (not included in the recording).Read more here: https://www.prio.org/events/9135