Efforts to promote human rights are increasingly being challenged. Sadly, a number of new worries have emerged this year.

The Chr. Michelsen Prize for outstanding development research 2016 is awarded to Francesca R. Jensenius, Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI).

During my fieldwork in Ilam district, Eastern Nepal, I had the chance to visit many different homes, and to experience parts of the everyday life of Nepali families. So far, in every single stay, I was impressed by the children’s motivation for doing homework until late in the evening, and their great ability to speak English. One of them, a 4,5-years old was copying mathematical rules and letters several times, “just for fun, as he is doing it every evening”, as his older brother told me.

So far, kindergartens and shootouts have by and large been completely unrelated issues in my world. Not anymore. Now, for the past days, every morning around 7.30, I have slowed down and scouted cautiously: Does anyone seem tense, watchful? Are there any police troops in a state of mobilization hiding somewhere close? Are there any heavy fireworks all of a sudden, alerts of that something is about to happen?

Minister EEA and EU Affairs, Vidar Helgesen, presents Norwegian priorities. Mary Hallward-Driemeier (World Bank) shares findings on expanding job opportunities in developing countries. Followed by panel debate.

In mid-April 2015, news emerged about the killing of nine police-men in Angola's Huambo province. The incident involved the police and members of Juliano Kalupeteca's "Light of the World" religious sect. In the following days, grizzling reports emerged of a massacre of perhaps hundreds of sect members. We do not yet know the truth. Angola's government appears to do its utmost to prevent knowledge of it to transpire. Will the international community remain passive?

Today, Armenia commemorates the starting date of the massacre on the Armenian people. On 24 April 1915, leaders of the Ottoman Empire arrested Armenian intellectuals and leaders in modern day Istanbul.

The Norwegian government has appointed a committee that will evaluate Norway’s engagement in Afghanistan. The main objective is to review and draw lessons from the operation. Senior researchers Astri Suhrke and Torunn Wimpelmann at CMI will be part of the Commission.

Presentation of the evaluation of the training for peace programme.

If African economies are to transform, they need more than growth - they need growth with depth.

LIVE STREAMING NOW Angola is Norway's "biggest and most important economic partner in Africa" says the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Does Norway's activity in Angola contribute to Angola's stability and development over time?

LIVE STREAMING NOW Angola er Norges største økonomiske samarbeidspartner i Afrika. Bidrar norske investeringer til utvikling? Fellesrådet for Afrika og Chr. Michelsens Institutt (CMI) arrangerer en serie seminarer og debatter om Norges engasjement i Angola i tre norske byer i september.

Reem Abbas is impatient. -We are always told that we have to wait. Building the nation needs to come first, women´s rights come second. The young generation of activists is tired of being told to wait, she says.

Poverty is in decline in Nepal. Steady economic growth and labour migration is part of the explanation.

During the recent revolution in Egypt, Simon Bolívar- a man from a different war, a different century and a different continent- was watched over and embraced by protestors as a symbol for their struggle. Why?

What does the future hold for Afghanistan's women?

Since 2002, the Angolan government has invested 55 billion dollars in rebuilding the country's infrastructure. Angola has also rebuilt the once bustling Benguela railway all the way from the port of Lobito to neighbouring countries of DR Congo and Zambia. -The efforts to rebuild and strengthen the transport sector are crucial to development and economic growth in Angola as well as for the region, says Ana Duarte and Regina Santos.

Ethiopia has great success in its work to eradicate poverty. Yet, the human rights situation in the country makes cooperation a challenging task for the international community. Norway should support the country´s human rights work by strengthening Ethiopia's internal debates on human rights, says CMI-researchers. -The best way to do this is through institutional cooperation, and close collaboration with Ethiopian partners.

How do military-civilian relations stamp societies in upheaval and conflict? What role do they play in the transition to democracy? A new CMI project on military-civilian relations compares Latin America and the Middle East.

The unique collection has made the library at the Bergen Resource Centre for International Development the most popular specialized library in Norway. In 2011, more than 5000 volumes were on loan all over the country. -The collection is an invaluable resource to researchers and policymakers, says Carol Priestley.

The streets, shops, metros and buses are congested like a school of mackerel in syrup by people out spending their December wages. It is high-volume Christmas preparations.

Learning the right lessons from past experiences with corruption in the forest sector is crucial to prevent broad undermining of REDD+.

The transition from a feudal to a modern economy has changed the labour market in Nepal. There are more and better paid jobs available, also outside the agricultural sector. Yet, some Nepalese labourers in rural areas continue to have coercive traditional contracts with landlords. Government programmes can help poor families out of these contracts through access to insurance, credit and social services.

Reducing poverty and improving governance require evidence-based approaches that also pay attention to the political scope for reform.

Frøy Gudbrandsen (UiB) in conversation with Malawi activist Rafiq Hajat and Arne Tostensen (CMI)

Are we witnessing a power shift from the West to the East?

Current efforts to combat money laundering in the informal financial sector have had very limited effects. Informal money transfer systems cannot be treated and controlled like formal banks, says CMI advisor Jesper Johnsøn in a newly published article.

How do the emerging South powers promote economic co-operation, trade and investment? And how is development finance and aid provided?

Astri Suhrke and Jonathan Steele, two senior analysts, have both published books exploring Afghanistan and the international involvement. Livestreaming of the evet.

The seminar has been cancelled and will be moved to January

Two long-time analysts of the Afghan wars, Astri Suhrke and Jonathan Steele discuss their newly published books in conversation with Michael Alvarez. The event will be webcasted.

What are the objectives of Brazil's foreign policies, and how are they pursued?

A new collaboration project between Chr. Michelsen Institute and the University of Brasilia strengthens the academic bonds between Norway and Brazil. The project aims to explore the role of armed forces in transitions to democracy.