This is a two-part event about the situation for Afghan civilians under the current conflict.

  • The first part features Afghan researchers and humanitarian workers with experience from the region. They will talk about how Afghans survive and live in today's situation.
  • The second part of the seminar features an update about Norway's policies towards Afghan asylum-seekers and refugees (the second part will take place in Norwegian).

Surviving in Today's Afghanistan

16:30-17:30

War is intensifying across Afghanistan. According to recent reports, the Taliban and other anti-government groups control or contest almost 70 percent of the country, whereas the US has escalated its military operations significantly.

The number of internally displaced people have increased manifold in the last few years and the conflict claims a growing number of both military and civilian lives. At the same time, humanitarian aid agencies report greater difficulty in accessing many people in need. Likewise, many areas are out for reach for journalists and human rights monitors, making it difficult to assess the exact situation on the ground. However, it is abundantly clear that civilians are directly targeted by Taliban and other anti-government groups, causing mass casualties in both rural and urban areas. Civilians are also casualties of aerial and ground operations by government and Western forces, whose conduct has become less transparent in recent time.

This panel discussion seeks to enhance our understanding of life in war-torn Afghanistan and the conflict’s impact on civilians.

  • How do the conflict and continuing violence shape the everyday existence of Afghans across the country?
  • What support structures are in place to aid civilians affected by the conflict, and to mitigate harm against them?
  • What is it like to live, work and build a future in a country ravaged by war for four decades?
  • How and to what extent can ‘development’ take place in the current context?

Speakers

  • Orzala Nemat, Director Afghanistan Evaluation and Research Unit (AREU)
  • Borhan Osman, Senior Analyst, International Crisis Group
  • Dan Tyler, Regional Protection and Advocacy Adviser, Norwegian Refugee Council
  • Patricia Gossman, Senior Researcher on Afghanistan for Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Chair: Norunn Grande, Special Advisor, Nansen Center for Peace and Dialogue

Norsk praksis overfor afghanske asylsøkere

18.00-18.30

Etter debatten om sikkerhetssituasjonen og hverdagslivet for afghanske sivile vil generalsekretær i NOAS, Ann Magrit Austenå, orientere om norsk asylpraksis og om situasjonen for afghanere som har søkt om asyl i Norge. Hvor står norsk asyl og returpraksis nå, sammenlignet med andre vest-europeiske land? Hva skjer med 'Oktoberbarna'? Kan barnefamilier henvises til internflukt?

Talere

  • Ann Magrit Austenå, generalsekretær i NOAS, i samtale med Yngvild Gotaas Torvik, journalist i Klassekampen

Relevant Blog Post

This seminar is organized in collaboration with Norwegian PEN.

The Afghanistan Week 2018 is a series of events related to Afghanistan, which is a collaboration between the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee (NAC), the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).