Norway’s engagement in peace processes since 1993

Country

Norway’s contribution

Afghanistan

Different roles in Norwegian peace engagement since contact with the Taliban was established in 2006. Norway has emphasized a structured dialogue on human rights, women's participation in social life, and humanitarian access, in addition to peace.

Colombia

Central partner in the country's peace processes and has for several decades been involved in various dialogue initiatives between changing governments and guerrilla groups. Together with Cuba, Norway facilitated the peace negotiations with the FARC and is a guarantor country in the implementation of the peace agreement that was concluded in 2016. Norway is also a guarantor country in ongoing negotiations with the guerrilla group ELN and with the guerrilla group EMC. In 2023, a temporary ceasefire agreement was signed between the government of Colombia and the ELN. Norway also provides support for dialogue processes with other armed groups, including technical assistance for processes with urban, criminal groups.

The Philippines

Facilitation of negotiations between the communist movement NDFP and the government since 2001. Participates in the monitoring and disarmament process in the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao.

Guatemala

Facilitator of the negotiations that resulted in a peace agreement in 1996. Norway was a member of the Friends of Guatemala group, together with Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Venezuela and the USA, to assist the UN in its peace mediation. Three of the partial agreements were signed in Oslo.

Israel – Palestine

Norway facilitated the negotiations that led to the Oslo Agreement of 1992-1993. Led the people-to-people program that was agreed upon in the Oslo II agreement in 1995 and which was supposed to ensure greater popular inclusion in the process. Since its inception, Norway has led the Donor Countries Group for Palestine (AHLC), which since the Oslo Agreement in 1993 has financed large parts of the Palestinian Authority's budgets.

Myanmar

After the military coup in 2021, Norway stopped support for the peace process, but has continued peace initiatives related to capacity-building directed towards the armed ethnic groups and the democratic opposition. Norway has contact with all sides in the conflict, with a focus on humanitarian access and return to civilian rule. Broad support to civil society organisations in the area of ​​peace.

Nepal

Contributed with a unique and informal meeting place for the parties during the peace process. Supported UN assistance and monitoring. Peace agreement concluded in 2006.

Somalia

Supported various national and local peace and reconciliation processes for several years, including the development of the authorities' national reconciliation framework, as well as preparations of the parties for negotiations between Somalia and Somaliland.

Sri Lanka

Facilitation of the peace negotiations in the period 2000-2006. A ceasefire was agreed in 2002 and monitored by the Norwegian-led SLMM, before it was cancelled by the government in 2008.

Sudan and South Sudan

Since 2002, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States have formed the Troika, which has a special role in Sudan and South Sudan. The Troika was a driving force in the negotiations that led to the peace agreement in 2005, and supported IGAD's negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan on the Addis Ababa Accords in 2012.

In independent South Sudan, the Troika has supported IGAD's negotiations, which led to 1) the peace agreement of August 2015 following the internal conflict in South Sudan, and 2) the revised peace agreement of September 2018. Norway also supports implementation of the agreement.

Since 2019, Sudan has undergone a democratic revolution and a subsequent coup, before the war broke out in 2023. Norway has contributed to a humanitarian conference on Sudan, and is bringing together democratic and civilian forces for a political process.

Venezuela

Norway has facilitated negotiations between the government and the opposition in Venezuela on a political and inclusive solution to the conflict since 2019. Today's negotiation process is based on the Memorandum of Understanding that the parties signed in Mexico City in 2021. Several partial agreements have been reached, including the Social Agreement of 2022 and Barbados Agreement of 2023 that sets the terms for the presidential election in 2024.