On 6 November, Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide and Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik received the report from the Afghanistan Commission assessing Norway’s engagement in the country.
The report – Norway in Afghanistan 2015–2021 – reviewed the country’s military, civilian and diplomatic engagement in Afghanistan from 2015 to 2021, including the evacuation from Kabul in August 2021.
The Commission assessed Norway’s engagement against three key goals: being a reliable ally, contributing to the international fight against terrorism, and helping support democratic state-building in Afghanistan.
The report identified lessons that can strengthen Norway’s future participation in international operations, improve crisis preparedness and civilian-military coordination, and guide the follow-up of Norwegian military and civilian personnel and local partners.
Two senior researchers at PRIO were on the Afghanistan Commission. Torunn L. Tryggestad, Senior Researcher, and Kristian Berg Harpviken, Research Professor (affiliated), brought long-standing thematic and country-specific knowledge to the work of the Commission. Their contributions helped place gender perspectives, peace diplomacy and local contextual knowledge at the centre of the conversation.
“This report offers a crucial opportunity not only to account for Norway’s engagement in Afghanistan, but to ask how we mobilise all dimensions of national capacity – civilian, military, diplomatic and multilateral – when engaging in protracted, high-risk theatres abroad. The Commission hopes that our report will contribute to actual learning, public debate and reflection about future Norwegian engagements in a rapidly changing world,” said Torunn L. Tryggestad.
