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Five years after the Taliban\u2019s return to power, Afghanistan is governed through an increasingly consolidated system of totalitarian control under the Islamic Emirate. While there is heightened tension with Pakistan, and no signs of further international recognition, most other regional actors are engaging pragmatically with the Taliban. Amongst Western governments the overall trends are towards increasing de-facto normalisation, driven in parts by migration control. Whereas some call for a more principled approach, others suggest that isolation has done little to change the Taliban\u2019s policies on education and other fundamental human rights. Humanitarian needs remain immense \u2013 exacerbated by natural disasters and the impact of climate change. And, at the same time as international funding is shrinking, millions of Afghans forcibly returned from neighbouring countries, placing additional pressure on already strained communities and public services. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Against this backdrop, a young generation \u2013 that\u00a0constitute\u00a0a majority of the Afghan population \u2013 faces unprecedented restrictions, limited opportunities, and increasing uncertainty about the future. Together, these developments do not only raise fundamental questions about Afghanistan’s trajectory, but also the effectiveness and sustainability of current approaches to development and in securing an increased respect for humanitarian dignity and rights.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Afghanistan is approaching a turning point, one that demands fresh analysis, honest reflections, and renewed discussions and dialogue.\u00a0<\/span>At the heart of Afghanistan Week 2026 lies a simple but urgent question:\u00a0<\/span>If current approaches are not delivering the desired outcomes, what should we do differently?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By bringing together different perspectives and encouraging open and critical discussion, the Afghanistan Week\u00a0seeks\u00a0not only to understand the current situation but also to contribute to a more informed and forward-looking conversation around Afghanistan’s future.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_color=”#ffffff” scene_position=”center” bottom_padding=”6%” left_padding_desktop=”10%” constrain_group_2=”yes” right_padding_desktop=”10%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” row_position_desktop=”default” row_position_tablet=”inherit” row_position_phone=”inherit” overflow=”visible” class=”a-nytt” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=”” gradient_type=”default”][vc_column column_element_direction_desktop=”default” column_element_spacing=”default” desktop_text_alignment=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_backdrop_filter=”none” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” column_position=”default” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” animation_type=”default” bg_image_animation=”none” border_type=”simple” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” column_padding_type=”advanced” content_layout=”default” gradient_type=”default”][tabbed_section style=”material” tab_change_animation=”fade” alignment=”left” spacing=”default” tab_color=”Accent-Color” vs_content_animation=”fade” vs_link_animation=”opacity” vs_navigation_alignment=”left” vs_navigation_width_2=”25%” vs_navigation_func=”default” vs_navigation_width=”regular” vs_navigation_spacing=”15px” vs_navigation_mobile_display=”visible” vs_tab_spacing=”5%” icon_size=”24″][tab icon_family=”none” title=”Seminars” id=”1791477667348-10″ tab_id=”1791477667349-4″][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n Afghanistan is the world’s sixth most climate-vulnerable country and among the least equipped to respond, yet it stands outside international climate finance and normal diplomatic relations. Five years after the Taliban took power, large-scale armed conflict has ended. The pressures on stability now run through water, land and livelihoods. Development assistance, including over USD 800 million in climate financing, was suspended in 2021. Yet engagement has widened. Where does that leave technical cooperation on climate adaptation? Meanwhile, recommendations to the UN and donors wait on political decisions no one is close to taking.<\/p>\n This seminar asks what can be done in the meantime, and which structures on the ground can carry the work.<\/p>\n For over two decades, the main discourse around the Western intervention in Afghanistan has been articulated around ideas of modernisation, progress, emancipation and democracy, with youth and women as the main recipients and beneficiaries of such an endeavour. <\/span>From the very early stages of the American-led occupation, this narrative lens became the justification that tightly linked the civilian presence to the military agenda thus tarnishing any pretence of neutrality of aid and development initiatives. <\/span>The space of contemporary cultural production and consumption became one of the primary channels to convey the occupying forces\u2019 political agenda through music, film, visual arts and photography. This contested arena proved to be as divisive as it was transformative. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n Freshta Safi<\/strong> holder en kort innledning f\u00f8r filmen.<\/p>\n The film 25 Years in Afghanistan<\/em> follows Mir from the age of eight to adulthood as a family man, from 2002 to 2026. It is an updated version of the film My Childhood, My Country \u2013 20 Years in Afghanistan<\/em>, which won a BAFTA in addition to a long list of other awards around the world. This newly released version covers the lives of Mir and his family after the Taliban takeover in 2021. The two filmmakers began filming Mir when, as an eight-year-old, he was playing in the ruins of the destroyed Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley, where his family lived as refugees in a cave. Later, the filmmakers followed him as a teenager who often missed school because he had to help provide food so that the family could survive. In his twenties, Mir gets married, has children, and moves to Kabul, where he learns the trade of camera operator for news channels. He helps cover the Taliban’s advance and subsequent takeover of Kabul in 2021. This becomes a new turning point in the family’s lives and the start of a more difficult period. Throughout the story, the Western intervention in Afghanistan, along with the shifting priorities and changes in how the war was fought, forms the backdrop to the family’s lives over the 25 years.<\/p>\n Filmed & directed by Phil Grabsky & Shoaib Sharifi, Storbritannia 2026, 99 min. Watch the trailer here.<\/a><\/p>\n The screening is sold out.<\/strong><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n Afghanistan today receives comparatively scant attention in international media and research. Restrictions on media and on freedom of speech add to the difficulties faced by those outside (and inside) the country in keeping track of current developments. This panel will<\/span> take<\/span> a closer<\/span> look<\/span> at political<\/span>, social<\/span>, gender<\/span> and economic<\/span> dynamics<\/span> of<\/span> current-day<\/span> Afghanistan, bringing<\/span> together<\/span> analysts<\/span>, aid<\/span> workers<\/span> and journalists with<\/span> recent<\/span> experience<\/span> in the<\/span> country. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n China\u2019s relationship with Afghanistan is deeply embedded in the broader China-Pakistan-Afghanistan geopolitical landscape. While Afghanistan is far less important to China economically than Pakistan, it has significant strategic relevance due to its location, security implications, and potential role in regional connectivity. China has maintained diplomatic engagement with the Taliban since 2021 and, although limited, continued official and private investments in mining, energy and infrastructure. Terrorist attacks and the low intensity war between Pakistan and Afghanistan challenges Chinese investments, influence and non-interference policy in what has become a highly volatile region.<\/p>\n Taliban\u2019s Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has held power since September 2021 when an interim government was established in Kabul with military commanders in key positions. Except for closure of the Ministry of Women Affairs the ministry structure and functions remain in place, including some former administrative staff. The IEA have gradually assumed control over Afghan embassies and representations, though some remain with Islamic Republic appointed staff \u2013 as to the United Nations. The IEA differ from most other states with its absence of an elected or appointed national assembly or Loya Jirga and a ratified Constitution. Except for Russia no other states have recognised the IEA due to their repressive gender practices, continued hosting of terror groups and for lack of a more representative government. There is, however, an acknowledgement of IEA\u2019s full control over Afghan territory and most regional countries have maintained diplomatic representation in Kabul.<\/p>\n The questions we ask in this session are: How did the Taliban transform from a decentralised resistance movement to a highly centralised theocracy, and how is power and influence balanced within the IEA and between cities and the countryside? To what extent can international actors influence IEA policies and how it is possible to ascertain if conditionality and sanctions, or rather diplomacy and dialogue might have larger impact?<\/p>\n Afghanistan is facing one of the world’s most severe human rights crises. Since the Taliban’s return to power five years ago, women and girls have faced unprecedented restrictions on their access to justice, legal representation, education, employment, and public life. At the same time, Afghan women and men, both inside and outside the country, have continued to document violations, advocate for women’s rights, and seek pathways to justice and accountability. <\/span><\/span>This panel brings together leading human rights defenders and experts to explore what access to justice means in Afghanistan today. The discussion will connect developments inside Afghanistan with international accountability efforts, while placing the experiences, leadership, and resilience of Afghan women at its <\/span>centre<\/span>. By highlighting both the current challenges and ongoing initiatives, the panel aims to deepen understanding of how justice and accountability can be pursued under extraordinarily critical circumstances and critically examine how different actors can support these efforts. <\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Five years after the Taliban’s return to power, contact with the Islamic Emirate is becoming normalised even though formal recognition is still mostly withheld. Regional actors engage pragmatically, and among Western governments there is a trend towards de facto normalisation, driven partly by migration control. The restrictions on women and girls have meanwhile been tightened: girls are barred from secondary school and university, and women are shut out of most work and much of public life. Humanitarian needs are growing, funding is shrinking, and millions of Afghans forced back from Iran and Pakistan are straining communities further.<\/p>\n Afghanistan Week 2026 opens with the question that runs through the whole programme: If current approaches are not delivering, what should we do differently?<\/em><\/p>\n Opening speech from Liv Kj\u00f8lseth<\/strong>, Secretary <\/span>General, <\/span>Norwegian Afghanistan Committee<\/span><\/span> (NAC).<\/span><\/p>\n Briefing from Kabul High-level panel: Dialogue or distance? Afghan perspectives: Beyond dialogue or distance Cultural segment<\/span><\/span><\/strong> Afghanistan has one of the youngest populations in the world. Whether young people find work and a stake in their society will shape the country’s stability for decades \u2013 and, as in many countries with a growing youth cohort, the alternative is migration, marginalisation and vulnerability to radicalisation. Job creation is not only a development issue but a peace and security issue. Beneath the headlines, young Afghan entrepreneurs are creating jobs and livelihoods \u2013 in microbusinesses, start-ups and youth-led initiatives across the country. Many of them do so with skills and networks gained abroad, as millions of Afghans have returned in recent years. But they operate under limits they cannot change on their own: sanctions and banking restrictions that cut them off from payments and trade finance, an almost complete absence of investment capital, and an international community that has largely withdrawn since 2021. This session gives young Afghan business owners the floor first. They will describe the current moment as they see it \u2013 what is possible, what is not, and what kind of support actually makes a real difference. International stakeholders then respond: what can donors, development banks and the private sector realistically do within today’s constraints, and where do the constraints themselves need to change? The discussion also speaks to a Norwegian debate. Prosjekt Vendepunkt, the government’s review of Norwegian development policy, has put job creation forward as a priority for Norwegian aid. Afghanistan is a test of what this means. Is it possible to invest in youth and the private sector in Afghanistan?<\/p>\n For almost five years, girls and women in Afghanistan have been denied access to education beyond primary school. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls and women are formally excluded from secondary and higher education. More than 2.4 million girls are currently unable to attend secondary school, while women have been barred from universities since 2022. Today\u2019s crisis is deep, rooted in a political battleground over modern education and shaped by struggles over curriculum, tradition, ideology and religion. But education has not stopped. Across Afghanistan and beyond its borders, students, educators and organizations are developing alternative ways for women and girls to continue learning, from community-based and home-based education to online learning, non-formal education and opportunities to study abroad. This seminar will explore the current status of education in Afghanistan and what can be done differently moving forward. How are alternative pathways keeping learning alive? What does quality and relevant education look like in the current context? And what can donors, policymakers and education actors do to support these efforts?<\/p>\n The program opens with a student perspective from Nasiba Salehin<\/strong> on why education form women matter, followed by Mustafa Himmati (NAC)<\/strong> on (de)colonistaion of education in Afghanistan, before Torunn Wimpelmann (CMI and SAIH)<\/strong> presents new research on education pathways for Afghan women. The program culminates in a panel discussion on keeping higher education alive in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n The event will conclude with a poetry performance by Eman Ghazniwal<\/strong>, a poet, student activist and former teacher from Kabul.<\/p>\nRegister<\/span><\/a>[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]Seminar overview<\/strong><\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n
26 October<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”accent-color”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]From armed conflict to climate risk
\n<\/strong>11:30-1:00 PM
\nContributing partner:<\/strong> Nowegian Institute of International Affairs (Nupi)
\nPlace:<\/strong> Nupi, Rosenkrantz\u2019 gate 22, Oslo
\nLunch will be served from 11:30 and the programme will start at 11:45<\/em><\/p>\nPanel<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/strong>5:00-6:00 PM
\nPlace:<\/strong> Vega Scene, Hausmanns gate 28, Oslo<\/p>\nPanel<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\n<\/strong>6:30-8:30 PM
\nContributing partners:<\/strong> The Oslo Documentary Cinema, Vega Scene
\nPlace:<\/strong> Vega Scene, Kino TRE, Hausmanns gate 28, Oslo<\/p>\n27 October<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”accent-color”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]Afghanistan Today
\n<\/strong>8:30-10:00 AM
\nPlace:<\/strong> Henry Dunant Hall, Hausmanns gate 5, Oslo<\/span><\/p>\nPanel<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/strong>10:30-11:30 AM
\nContributing partners:<\/strong> Chr. Michelsens Institute (CMI), Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)
\nPlace:<\/strong> Henry Dunant-salen, Hausmanns gate 5, Oslo<\/p>\nPanel<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/strong>12:00-1:30 PM
\nContributing partner:<\/strong> Chr. Michelsens Institute (CMI)
\nPlace:<\/strong> Henry Dunant-salen, Hausmanns gate 5, Oslo<\/p>\nPanel<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/span><\/strong>2:00-3:30 PM
\n<\/span><\/strong>Contributing partners:<\/strong> Norwegian Human Rights Fund (NHRF), Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI)
\nPlace:<\/strong> Henry Dunant-salen, Hausmanns gate 5, Oslo<\/p>\nPanel<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/strong>6:00-7:30 PM
\nPlace:<\/strong> Henry Dunant Hall, Hausmanns gate 5, Oslo<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Opening <\/span>statement on behalf <\/span><\/span>of<\/span><\/span> <\/span>United <\/span>Nations <\/span>Assistance <\/span>Mission <\/span>in <\/span>Afghanistan<\/span> (<\/span>UNAMA<\/span>) by <\/span><\/span>Charity <\/span>Watson<\/span><\/strong>,<\/span> Climate, Peace and Security Advisor.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Norway has kept a channel of dialogue open, in line with its long-standing principle of talking to all parties in a conflict. Ireland, which holds the EU Presidency this autumn, has warned against contact that normalises the regime and put its weight behind international accountability. Can dialogue and pressure work side by side, how should European governments coordinate when they disagree, and what would a more effective approach look like?<\/p>\nPanel:<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/strong>The international debate is locked in a choice between dialogue and distance. In this all-Afghan panel, Fereshta Abbasi, Orzala Nemat and Zuhra Bahman will take stock of where Afghanistan stands. How do Afghans see dialogue and pressure, and what has each meant in practice? The panel then turns to how to move forward. What new thinking is emerging among Afghans, and are there approaches that go beyond the dialogue-or-distance track? Finally, they will say what they want the politicians in the room to do differently, and how the international community can best contribute.<\/p>\nPanel<\/h4>\n
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<\/span>Poetry reading by Khaleda Froagh<\/span><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”20″][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]\n28 October<\/h3>\n[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”Full Width Line” line_thickness=”1″ divider_color=”accent-color”][vc_column_text css=”” text_direction=”default”]Building Horizons for Afghanistan – A future beyond sanctions and isolation
\n<\/strong>8:30-10:00 AM
\nContributing partner:<\/strong> CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation
\nPlace:<\/strong> Kulturhuset, Youngs gate 6, Oslo<\/p>\nPanel<\/h4>\n
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\n<\/strong>10:30 AM-12:00 PM
\nContributing partner: <\/strong>The Norwegian Students\u2019 and Academics\u2019 International Assistance Fund (SAIH)
\nPlace:<\/strong> Kulturhuset, Youngs gate 6, Oslo<\/p>\nPanel<\/h4>\n
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