Empowerment, participation, accountability and non-discrimination: Operationalising a human rights-based approach to development, is the theme of this year's volume. CMI researcher Hugo Stokke explores the boundaries of state responsibility in his essay "What is left of State Responsibility? Turning State Obligations into State Responsibility in the Field of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Dr. Eddy Maloka is the CEO of the Africa Institute of South Africa. Previously, he was adviser to the former premiers of Mpumalanga and Gauteng, and he has worked closely with president Mbeki. He has written extensively on political and developmental issues in Africa, including the history of the liberation struggle in South Africa. Recently he has also written about the Sudan Peace Process and Africa in the new Millennium.

In his new book, senior researcher Roberto Gargarella argues that many of the problems currently attributed to modern constitutional democracies, are not unfortunate "distortions" of a properly organized institutional design, but rather foreseeable effects of that framework.

What are the achievements and challenges of peace building in Afghanistan? The conference will cover issues such as the achivements and challenges of peace building in Afghanistan, forms of intervention, human security, security system reform and the military and regional security.

Prof. S.K. Sitrampalam, Jaffna and Erik Solheim special peace envoy to Sri Lanka. The peace process in Sri Lanka is currently stuck. The tsunami put the peace process on hold. How can the peace process be put back on track? What new challenges and opportunities face the reconstruction and the peace process in Sri Lanka?

Siden 1990-tallet har Uganda vært en "stjerneelev" i bistandsmottaker-klassen. Når president Museveni nå gjør det klart at han ikke ønsker et flerpartisystem, rasler giverlandene med sablene og reduserer sin budsjettstøtte. Vil giverlandene fire på kravene om frie og uavhengige valg hvis Uganda fortsetter å fokusere på primærutdanning, helse og HIV/AIDS reduksjon? Kan demokrati ofres for andre mål spør Lise Rakner, CMI.

Does the possession of certain types of natural resource wealth undermine national economies and damage polities? Mick Moore has studied contemporary developing countries, focusing on the political consequences of resource rents. Mick Moore is Professor at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.

CMI has won a key joint-donor evaluation to assess post-Taliban humanitarian and reconstruction aid. The Danish Minsity of Foreign Affairs leads the evaluation on behalf of Sweden, U.K, Ireland and the Netherlands. CMI's Afghanistan expert Arne Strand will be team leader.