About

The Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies (NCHS) and the Criminology of Humanitarianism Research Network (IKRS, University of Oslo) welcome you to a breakfast seminar on the Arctic refugee crisis and the implications for Norway as a humanitarian actor.

  • What is happening at Storskog and what are the legal challenges and humanitarian issues at stake?
  • How has the Norwegian-Russian relationship shaped public and political perceptions of the refugee flow- on both sides of the border?
  • Schengen frontier countries continue to witness a mass refugee influx. What are the potential challenges and tensions between Norway's status as a Schengen frontier country and Norway's self-ascribed status as a moral humanitarian actor?
  • Are we witnessing a form of exceptionalism that will lead to a loss of credibility- and what will be the consequences home and abroad?

Speakers and Program

08:20 **** Breakfast & coffee

08:30 **** Welcome & introductions

08:35 **** Presentation by panellists-

**** Chair: May-Len Skilbrei(IKRS, UiO)

  • Marek Linha (Legal Adviser, the Norwegian Organisation for Asylum Seekers (NOAS)): Storskog: a brief overview of humanitarian and legal challenges

  • Pål Nesse (Senior Advisor, the Norwegian Refugee Council): Norway, Refugees and Human Rights; Double standards abroad and at Home?

  • Julie Wilhelmsen (Senior Researcher, NUPI): Security dynamics and the peril of humanitarian concerns

  • Pavel Baev (Research Professor, PRIO): The Refugee Crisis: A Russian Perspective

  • Katja Franko (Professor of Criminology, IKRS, UiO): Forgotten Schengen Frontiers and the Politics of Humanitarian Border Control

  • Elisabeth Gade (Project Leader, Norwegian Red Cross): The Red Cross and Humanitarian Challenges at the Arctic Border

09:45 **** Q & A session

N.B. This breakfast seminar will be held in English and is organized by the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies (NCHS) and theCriminology of Humanitarianism Research Network (IKRS, UiO), in collaboration with the PRIO research groups on Humanitarianism and Law and Ethics.

A light breakfast will be served.

Contact info:

Eric Cezne- ericez@prio.org / Tel: +47 478 20 359 ****