Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI)

📝New Blog - Unmaking Belonging: The Mass Deportation of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan In recent months, over a million Afghans have been expelled from Iran and Pakistan – one of the largest mass deportations in recent history. Behind the statistics lies a profound human tragedy: the forced unravelling of decades of community, labour, and shared life. In a new blog post, Antonio De Lauri explores how these deportations reveal a deeper crisis – one that stretches beyond borders. Deportation is not simply an administrative act, but “a form of unmaking, the systematic dismantling of social worlds.” As Afghanistan faces economic collapse, climate stress, and isolation, the return of millions intensifies existing vulnerabilities and exposes the moral contradictions of regional and global politics. ➡️ Read the full post via the link in comments 👇

🌍 Hvordan få klima og natur tilbake på dagsorden? 📅 Fredag 31. oktober 2025 🕣 08:30–09:30 📌Jekteviksbakken 31 Hvordan klarer politikere å overse vår tids største utfordring? Hvor har det blitt av engasjementet for klima og natur, til tross for stadig tydeligere advarsler fra forskere og FN? Neste måneds klimatoppmøte (COP30) i Brasil skal gjøre planer om til handling, selv om forskning viser at det kanskje ikke lenger er mulig å nå 1,5-gradersmålet. Nye olje- og gassprosjekter planlegges og troen på at klima og miljø vil forbedre seg er lav – særlig blant unge. - Hva skal til for å snu dette? - Hvordan kan språk, politikk og samfunnsdebatt bidra til å gjenreise engasjementet? Bli med på en spennende panelsamtale om miljøsosiologi, retorikk og politikk – og hvordan vi kan få klima og natur tilbake på dagsorden. 🎙️ Med: Gisle Andersen | Ida Vikøren Andersen | Kine Ellingsen | Andreas Breivik Ormevik | Tom Skauge

❓Did you miss out on the Bergen Exchanges 2025? Recordings from the events are now available online. This includes the CMI/LawTransform - Centre on Law & Social Transformation RightAct panel, where partners from the Global South shared how human rights activists adapt strategies and maneuver shrinking civic space. You can also watch the Annual Lecture on “The Future of International Human Rights Law” by Payam Akhavan, followed by a panel discussion with several scholars, including CMI’s Munzoul Assal. 👉Read more about the Bergen Exchanges and catch up with the recordings here: https://lnkd.in/eMvNdbFS

📝‘How does my pen become a pen for the cause that I believe in?’ Sudanese writer and activist Reem Abbas has turned her words into a force for change. In a portrait interview, she reflects on growing up in exile, working as a journalist under censorship, and mentoring young feminist activists in Sudan. Through writing and documentation, she has found ways to reach communities, inspire change, and keep movements alive even under repressive conditions. Learn more about Abbas’s journey into activism and human rights advocacy here - https://lnkd.in/e665yTes Through the CMI/LawTransform - Centre on Law & Social Transformation RightAct project we engage with practitioners like Reem Abbas whose experiences inform our research and help us produce actionable knowledge that can support human rights advocacy in countries where civic space is shrinking.

➡️Tomorrow is the last day of the IHSA Conference 2025, but you can still follow the closing keynote online or in person in Bergen or Istanbul! 📅Fri 17 October 🕝17:45 CET 📌Bergen Global & Online 🎤The keynote will be given by Heath Cabot, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Bergen. 📝This year's conference is exploring 'Humanitarianism in Crisis: New Realities in Practices and Knowledges.' 👉Check out the IHSA website to follow online - https://lnkd.in/dTuCA2x 🔗 Find zoom links for the keynote speeches: https://lnkd.in/e8Ti5Qx6

🎉 The IHSA 2025 Conference 'Humanitarianism in Crisis: New Realities in Practices and Knowledges' has officially been opened by IHSA president Antonio De Lauri. We would like to remind you that the entire 3-day programme is hybrid from Istanbul and Bergen! You can attend all of the panels online if you are located in person in Istanbul, Bergen or anywhere else in the world. 🔗 Find the programme on our website: https://lnkd.in/gAXAQ4gi #IHSA2025 #HumanitarianStudies #HumanitarianAction #Conference #Istanbul #Bergen #Hybrid #Networking | Nazanin Zadeh-Cummings | Andrew Cunningham | Palash Kamruzzaman | Carla Vitantonio (she/ella/elle) | Susanne Jaspars | Selman Salim | Rodrigo (Rod) Mena | Marmara University | Türk Kızılay | Global Disaster Preparedness Center (GDPC) | Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI)

Has the fiscal contract between states and citizens outlived its usefulness as a lens for understanding taxation and governance? What aspects of state-society relations does it miss and what new frameworks might better capture today’s realities? These questions will guide the final TaxCapDev conference (Oslo, 21–23 October 2025). For more than ten years, the TaxCapDev network has connected scholars and practitioners to examine how taxation shapes governance, state-building, and development. This conference marks both a culmination and a turning point - taking stock of what we’ve learned and exploring where research and policy should go next. Join us in asking what comes next for tax and development. https://lnkd.in/dYCevx_z #tax #taxation #governance #fiscalcontract The TaxCapDev network is a collaboration between CMI, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Tax Justice Norge, African Tax Institute, the Alliance for Rebuilding Governance in Africa (ARGA), and @mzumbe university Dar es Salaam Campus College.

'This year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado is firmly in line with Alfred Nobel’s original intent - that peace requires dialogue, disarmament, and fraternity between nations. The award comes at a time when democracy is in decline globally, multilateral cooperation is under strain, and armed conflict has reached its highest levels since the mid-20th century. It underlines that defending democracy is not just a political issue but a prerequisite for lasting peace', writes CMI senior researcher Arne Strand in this comment for Panorama nyheter. Here he notes that the Nobel Peace Prize has evolved: from recognising disarmament and mediation to increasingly emphasising democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression, often with implicit criticism of authoritarian systems. The 2025 prize highlights how peace and democracy are inseparable, and how civil society and women’s participation remain central to both. Read the full comment here 👇 https://lnkd.in/ed5C82F8   #NobelPeacePrize #Peace #Democracy #HumanRights

📢 New CMI report from Adriana Rudling on the Colombian Truth Commission and conflict-related sexual violence This new report examines the Commission’s mandate, operations, findings, and recommendations, focusing on how it addressed sexual violence and the role of civil society and international actors in pushing for gender justice. 🔍 Key takeaways: Aimed to redefine sexual violence as a gender-neutral harm. Linked it to structural inequality and discrimination. Called for systemic change and prevention. Colombia’s peace court has opened a macro-case on sexual violence. 📄 Read the full report via the link in the comments. The report is available in English and Spanish.

➡️ Sudan’s war is not forgotten – it is being ignored. As the conflict in Sudan deepens, it remains strikingly absent from international headlines and policy discussions. Researchers at CMI are working to change that, contributing to public debate and challenging narratives that shape global responses. 📝In recent op-eds and interviews, CMI scholars have drawn attention to: - How the war is ignored, not forgotten - The credibility of peace efforts led by global powers - How racism influences which humanitarian crises receive attention CMI’s engagement in Sudan spans more than 60 years of academic collaboration. Through the Sudan–Norway Academic Cooperation (SNAC) project, we continue to support Sudanese scholars, amplify Sudanese perspectives, and promote inclusive policy dialogue – even as war forces many academics into exile. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eF5aapAT #KeepEyesOnSudan