What new global evidence means for Norwegian foreign, peace and security policy priorities.
International IDEA and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) will host a joint policy event connecting the findings of International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy 2026 report with PRIO’s annual Conflict Trends Report 2026: to ask what the intersection of conflict and democracy means for Norway’s security and foreign policy priorities going forward.
The discussion will consider what current evidence on democracy and violent conflict means for Norwegian development, peace and security priorities, and how support for democratic resilience can strengthen prevention and long-term development results.
The event will bring International IDEA’s comparative evidence into dialogue with PRIO’s peace and conflict research and Norwegian perspectives on how democratic resilience, conflict prevention and development cooperation can inform a coherent foreign and security policy in a more contested international environment.
Guiding questions
- What does the latest evidence tell us about how democratic decline, institutional weakness and violent conflict interact?
- What are the implications of these trends for Norway’s foreign and security policy priorities, including prevention, peace diplomacy and development cooperation?
- How can Norway better connect democracy support with conflict prevention, security policy and long-term development objectives?
- Where can Norwegian bilateral, multilateral and research partnerships make the greatest contribution to democratic resilience and sustainable peace?
- Where does Norway have a genuine comparative advantage—through long-term institutional partnerships, multilateral cooperation, peace diplomacy or engagement in politically difficult settings?
- How can Norway work with other middle powers and multilateral institutions to protect democratic norms and strengthen collective responses as traditional alliances and the international system come under pressure?
| Programme | |
|---|---|
| Welcome and introduction | Simon Reid-Henry, Research Professor, PRIO |
| Democracy in an age of conflict | Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General, International IDEA |
| Conflict in an age of democratic decline | Siri Aas Rustad, Research Professor, PRIO |
| Norway’s policy response: What should the evidence mean for Norway? |
State Secretary Andreas M. Kravik, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Democracy as a peace and security policy Moderated conversation |
Moderated by Simon Reid-Henry. Andreas M. Kravik, Kevin Casas-Zamora and Håvard Hegre (Research Professor, PRIO) |
| Three policy takeaways and closing | International IDEA, PRIO, Norwegian MFA |
