News from ILPI

ILPI update

Relevant ILPI activities and news are presented below, from new employees and projects, to partners and more practical information.

Jorunn Taksdal Stubhaug joins ILPI, focussing on humanitarian disarmament and victims’ rights. (06.02.2012)

Anti-corruption in Africa. ILPI is undertaking work for DFID and other bilateral donors in several African countries to develop collective donor responses to corruption. This work draws on a policy developed by OECD DAC and aims at improving the coherence and impact of donor engagement on corruption in the context of development assistance. (15.1.2012) 

Framework Agreement with NOREF. ILPI scored as 13 out of 25 successful international bidders on a four year framework agreement with NOREF (Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre). (21.12.2011)

Mari Dahl Schlanbusch joins ILPI on part-time basis, working on human rights topics such as the Universal Periodic Review. (01.12.2011)

Framework Agreement with the Norwegian Embassy in Dar es Salaam. ILPI has signed a four year framework agreement with the Norwegian Embassy in Dar es Salaam related to work in Zanzibar, Tanzania mainland and the East African Community. (15.11.2011)

Registry of gifts to religious institutions? ILPI is writing a study for the Norwegian Ministry of Culture on a possible registry of private gifts to religious institutions. (30.11.2011)

Right to liberty. Njål Høstmælingen gave a lecture at the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s Annual Seminar on 17 November 2011 on the Right to Liberty. (18.11.2011)

New website: The Nuclear Weapons Project. ILPI’s Nuclear Weapons Website nwp.ilpi.org was launched Monday 10 October 2011 (11.10.2011)

Discrimination of Prisoners? Njål Høstmælingen participated in a panel discussing the right to privacy and the freedom of religion or belief for prisoners in Norway, arranged by Juss-Buss at the Faculty of Law. In the panel participants from the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the Oslo Prison, the Committee of Justice at the Norwegian Parliament and Juss-Buss. (11.10.2011)

E-learning at the Norwegian MFA. ILPI gives two e-courses for the Norwegian MFA fall 2011; one on Human Rights and one on Humanitarian Law by Gro Nystuen, Jon Esben Hvam and Njål Høstmælingen (3.10.2011)

Successful business in and from Africa. The Norwegian African Business Summit held in Oslo 29 September 2011 paved the road for successful business relations between Africa and Norway. High profile business personalities, politicians and institutions gave an insight to the emerging and sustainable market possibilities. More to come from the Norwegian African Business Association in the future. (29.9.2011)

Training religious leaders. Njål Høstmælingen gave a half day lecture on freedom of religion or belief at the University of Oslo on 27 September 2011, as part of a training program for heads of religious institutions in Norway. (27.9.2011)

Eritrea discussions at Gothenburg Book Fair. Kjetil Tronvoll participated in the Gothenburg Book Fair 23.09.2011 discussing the human rights situation in Eritrea. (23.9.2011)

Rules on detention. Gro Nystuen held a lecture on the rules on detention in non-international armed conflict (NIAC) under human rights law as part of the Annual Seminar 2011 for the Norwegian Red Cross. (22.9.2011)

Isaak discussion in Gothenburg. The Gothenburg Book Fair will on 23 September mark the 10th commemoration of the Eritrean political crack-down and the arrest of the Eritrean-Swedish journalist and author Dawit Isaak. ILPI senior partner Prof. Kjetil Tronvoll will participate in a panel discussion at the book fair with Swedish authors, journalists and the brother of Dawit Isaak, discussing the human rights situation in Eritrea and Dawit Isaak's struggle for freedom of expression. (21.9.2011)

Pavan Saeed and Birgitte Wilhelmsen Wessel join ILPI. Pavan Saeed and Birgitte Wilhelmsen Wessel from the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo join ILPI as student interns. (20.9.2011)

Ban on circumcision in Norway? Njål Høstmælingen has been interviewed about the Norwegian debate on banning male circumcision in Dagen and Fri Tanke, following a proposal on by Human-Etisk Forbund. (20.9.2011)

A Palestinian state? Gro Nystuen was interviewed about the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state by NRK Television URIX. (19.9.2011)

Maja de Vibe joins ILPI. Maja de Vibe joins ILPI as from 17 October, strengthening ILPI with her competence on corruption and good governance. (19.9.2011)

Algeria next? Jenny Holmsen comments upon the situation in Algeria in the financial daily Dagens Næringsliv. (19.9.2011)

UN and Norwegian politics. Cecilie Hellestveit participated in a debate with Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre at Litteraturhuset Monday 5 September. (5.9.2011)

Christian Holmboe Ruge joins ILPI. Christian Holmboe Ruge leaves Retina and joins ILPI, strengthening ILPI with his special competence on arms and security. (26.8.2011)

The arrest of two Swedish journalists in Ethiopia. Two Swedish journalists were arrested in the Ogaden region of Ethiopia in the beginning of July. They had illegally crossed the border in order to document the humanitarian and human rights situation in the region, being accompanied by fighters from the resistance movement Ogaden National Liberation Front. The two journalist are no awaiting trial in Addis Ababa, under investigation for possible breaches of the Ethiopian anti-terror law.  Prof. Kjetil Tronvoll, ILPI senior partner and Ethiopia expert, has commented on the case to several Swedish news media (such as SVT, Metro and Dagens Nyheter) over the last two months. (16.8.2011)

Trial against Mubarak in Egypt. Cecilie Hellestveit commented upon the trial against Mubarak in NTB 3.8.2011 and NRK Nyhetsmorgen 15.8.2011. (15.8.2011)

Libya and military intervention for the protection of civilians. Cecilie Hellestveit has commented upon the military intervention for the protection of civilians in Libya on various occasions, such as in Morgenbladet 1.4.2011, NRK Nyhetsmorgen 5.8.2011, Litteraturhuset 10.5.2011, Rød Lunsj Blindern 13.4.2011, and NUPI 13.4.2011. (11.8.2011)

The famine in the Horn of Africa. More than twelve million people are affected by hunger in the Horn of Africa. The worst drought in 60 years is the catalyst to the hunger; however there are political reasons that turn drought into hunger and ultimately famine. Prof. Kjetil Tronvoll, senior partner at ILPI, and a Horn of Africa expert, has been interviewed by several news media in Norway (such as NRK Dagsrevyen and NRK P2 Ekko) during the summer in order to explain the background factors to the hunger situation. (8.8.2011)

Niels Jacob Harbitz, Torbjørn Graff Hugo, Esben Hvam, Benedicte Olsen, and Geir Sundet join ILPI. ILPI main office in Oslo is strengthened by five new employees fall 2011, working within a wide range of international law and policy areas. (5.8.2011)

Terror in Norway. Cecilie Hellestveit was interviewed by Financial Times and by the daily newspaper Vårt Land about the terror in Oslo and Utøya, while Njål Høstmælingen was interviewed by the Chinese Central Television CCTV. (4.8.2011)

Corporate Social Responsibility. Njål Høstmælingen held an introduction on CSR for Martha’s Vineyard Rotary Club in Oak Bluffs. (20.7.2011)

Foes or friends? Njål Høstmælingen gave a talk on freedom of religion and freedom of speech at the Summer Lecture Series at the Chilmark Public Library on Martha’s Vineyard in the US (6.7.2011)

Global Human Rights. Njål Høstmælingen held a lecture on human rights norms and mechanisms for the Edgartown Public Library on Martha’s Vineyard in the US (29.6.2011)

The ICC and Libya. Cecilie Hellestveit was interviewed by Aftenposten and participated in Dagsnytt 18 on the ICC process relating to Libya, followed by an article in Morgenbladet. (27.6.2011)

The Middle East Peace Process. Cecilie Hellestveit was interviewed by Bistandsaktuelt 17.5.2011 and NRK Søndagsavisen about the peace process in the Middle East, followed by an article in Morgenbladet 27.5.2011(27.5.2011)

Gaddafi as a lawful target. Cecilie Hellestveit was interviewed by Aftenposten on Gadddafi as a lawful target under international humanitarian law. (19.5.2011)

Minority Women and Human Rights. Njål Høstmælingen held a lecture on the human rights of minority women in Norway for NKS (Norske Kvinners Sanitetsforening) in Oslo 7 May 2011. (9.5.2011)

The killing of Osama bin Laden. Gro Nystuen debated the killing of Osama bin Laden on Dagsnytt 18 NRK Radio and Television 2 May 2011, and was interviewed by the newspaper Aftenposten the day after and by NRK.no 4 May. (4.5.2011)

Tonje Olsrud joins ILPI as an intern. Tonje Olsrud, finishing her MA in International Political Economy and Conflict Dynamics at Stellenbosch in South Africa, joins ILPI as an intern for the summer of 2011. (4.5.2011)

The Rights of the Child and Norwegian Law. Njål Høstmælingen held a lecture on the rights of the child and Norwegian law for JUS (Norwegian Lawyers Education Centre). (3.5.2011)

Stanford legal interns summer 2011. Annie Bersagel, Alex Westerfield, and Ingrid Price will serve as legal interns the summer of 2011. (3.5.2011)

The Arab Spring. Cecilie Hellestveit discussed the Arab Spring at a seminar arranged by CIVITA 4.4.2011 and a seminar at Litteraturhuset 29.4.2011. (29.4.2011)

Biased reporting on Israel? Cecilie Hellestveit presented her analysis of NRK coverage of Israel the past 3 years for the NRK board, cited in various media and followed up with an interview in Vårt Land. (28.4.2011)

The “Post Satanic Verses” period. Ann-Margit Austenå’s new book “Arven etter Sataniske vers” (on politics in Norway and the Nordic countries following the Satanic Verses by Rushdie) was released at Litteraturhuset 28 April, where Njål Høstmælingen participated in a panel discussing the book. (28.4.2011) 

The arrest of President Gbagbo. Kjetil Tronvoll commented upon the arrest of President Gbagbo of the Ivory Coast at URIX NRK Television 11 April 2011. (12.4.2011)

Al-Jazeera in Oslo. Njål Høstmælingen commented upon freedom of speech and the importance of Al-Jazeera in Dagsnytt NRK Radio and Morgennytt NRK Televison. (12.4.2011)

The Ibrahim Prize. Kjetil Tronvoll was interviewed by NRK Radio about the Ibrahim Prize, stating that Gbagbo was obviously not a candidate. (6.4.2011)

The best interest of the child during education. Njål Høstmælingen held a lecture 30 May 2011 for the Ministry of Education on the best interest of the child during education, touching upon topics such as harassment, right to privacy, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. (6.4.2011)

Rikke Elisabeth Hennum to join ILPI. Rikke Elisabeth Hennum joined ILPI from 1 April 2011, filling in with her competence on especially Women, Peace and Security. (1.4.2011)

Libya and the ICC at Litteraturhuset. Cecilie Hellestveit participated in a debate at Litteraturhuset in Oslo arranged by the UN Association of Norway on Libya and the ICC. (31.3.2011)

Immigration and Human Rights. Njål Høstmælingen held a lecture on immigration and human rights at the Holocaust Centre in Oslo Sunday 20 March. (20.3.2011)

Security Council resolution 1973. Gro Nystuen was interviewed about the use of force in Libya on Dagsnytt 18 Friday 18 March. (18.3.2011)

Crucifixes in Italy. The Grand Chamber ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Lautsi vs. Italy was debated in Dagsnytt 18, where Njål Høstmælingen participated. (18.3.2011)

Return of converted muslim refugees to Iran. Iranian asylum seekers that have converted from Islam to Christianity are returned to Iran by Norwegian refugee authorities, creating debate where Njål Høstmælingen has been interview by Vart Land and NRK Dagsnytt 18. (3.3.2011)

Blasphemy set-back in Pakistan. The assassination of Minorities Minister Shahbaz Bhatti in Pakistan is an attack both against freedom of speech and freedom of religion, Njål Høstmælingen explained in an interview on NRK Dagsnytt 18. (2.3.2011)

New interns from the Faculty of Law (Oslo). Three law students have joined ILPI for six weeks of work: Cecilie Aspelund, Marthe Engøy, and Jarle Langeland. (28.2.2011)

Eurovision contest winner met with racism. An internet discussion about the Norwegian Eurovision contest winner Stella Mwangi ended up with comments on her culture and ethnicity. “The comments are probably a violation of Norwegian legislation on racism”, Njål Høstmælingen argued in an interview with the Norwegian broadcaster NRK. (16.2.2011)

Ethiopian refugees seeking church asylum in Oslo. Kjetil Tronvoll has been interviewed by several newspapers and broadcasters on the situation for the Ethiopians seeking church asylum in Domkirken in Oslo. (9.2.2011)

The situation in North Africa and the Middle East. Cecilie Hellestveit is frequently asked by Norwegian media to analyze and comment upon the current situation in North Africa and the Middle East, as in NRK Television, TV2 and the newspaper VG. (2.2.2011)

Anne Guro Dimmen to join ILPI. Anne Guro Dimmen has joined ILPI for the spring semester, mainly working on the NABA project. (29.1.2011)

Norwegian African Business Association Eivind Fjeldstad has launched the Norwegian African Business Association (NABA), as a project at ILPI. Fjeldstad will be visiting Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda this spring. (20.1.2011)

Universal Periodic Review in Tanzania At the Norwegian Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Njål Høstmælingen held an introduction on the UPR process at the UN Human Rights Council, where Tanzania is in for review October 2011. (19.1.2011)

Corporate Social Responsibility in Zanzibar ILPI presented the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility to local politicians, lawyers and representatives for the business community in a seminar arranged by Dimoso and Partners. (18.1.2011)

Meeting the Government of National Unity in Zanzibar The Government of National Unity invited ILPI, represented by Kjetil Tronvoll, Sterling Roop, and Njål Høstmælingen, to a series of meetings in Zanzibar, discussing challenges and possibilities. (16.1.2011)

New interns from the Pecos Programme Chris Sutherland, Elsa Nordviste, Mathias Ganss, and Salomé Blum have joined ILPI as interns for the spring semester. (8.1.2011)

Federalism in Ethiopia Kjetil Tronvoll was interviewed by Reuters on federalism in Ethiopia and questions on unity (8.1.2011)

Mega-dams in Ethiopia Kjetil Tronvoll asks how Norway will ensure that local concerns and critical expert opinions are heard when preparing two mega-dam projects on the Blue Nile. Read his article “Norway wades in troubled Nile waters” in Development Today (6.1.2011)

ILPI in Kapital The biweekly Norwegian magazine Kapital presented ILPI in its 21st issue of December 2010, focussing on ILPI’s CSR consultancies. (2.12.2010)

Prostitution and Human Rights Three Norwegian NGOs arranged a seminar in Oslo 29 November 2010 on HIV, drugs and prostitution, where Njål Høstmælingen held an introduction on Prostitution and Human Rights. (29.11.2010)

Development without Freedom? Leslie Lefkow presented the Human Rights Watch report Development without Freedom. How Aid Underwrites Repression in Ethiopia in a seminar at Litteraturhuset (Oslo) 8 November 2010 arranged by ILPI. Comments were given by State Secretary Ingrid Fiskaa and Kjetil Tronvoll. (9.11.2010)

CSR: emerging legal regulations? The Federation of Norwegian Commercial and Service Enterprises (HSH) had invited Njål Høstmælingen to hold a lecture on Corporate Social Responsibility on Wednesday 4 November 2010 in Oslo. (4.11.2010)

Book Launch “The Convention on Cluster Munitions - A Commentary” (edited by Gro Nystuen and Stuart Casey-Maslen and published by Oxford University Press) was launched at ILPI in Parkveien 37 (Oslo) on 25 October 2010. (26.10.2010)

Human rights protection in Africa - a utopia? Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik and Njål Høstmælingen asks for support to the African Court of Justice and Human Rights in an article published by Dagbladet 21.10.2010 (21.10.2010)

Human rights monitoring in Norway. Njål Høstmælingen gave a presentation on human rights monitoring in Norway to a Chinese delegation on Tuesday 19 October. (19.10.2010)

Human rights and development assistance in contexts of violent conflict and fragility. Cecilie Hellestveit presented ILPI’s report to the World Bank in Washington D.C. on Wednesday 6 October 2010. The session was chaired by Anna Bjerde, and comments given by Vikram Raghavan. (7.10.2010)

Jens F. Reinertsen joins ILPI. Jens F. Reinertsen, who holds an LL.M. in Chinese and Comparative Law from Beijing, will join ILPI full time from 1 October 2010. (28.09.2010)

Fair trial in Russia. ILPI Senior Advisor Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik lectured Russian human rights lawyers on international fair trial standards in Moscow and St. Petersburg 4-9 October, as part of the International Commission of Jurist’s delegation. (28.09.2010)

Protection of civilians in current conflicts. Gro Nystuen gave an introduction on IHL Rules and Principles on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict at the VII In-Depth Seminar on International Humanitarian Law, arranged by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College and the Red Cross. (24.09.2010)

Lecture on CSR compliance for Norwegian companies. Njål Høstmælingen gave an introduction on CSR compliance for Norwegian companies at a conference hosted by Plan Norway, the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Litteraturhuset (Oslo) on 23 September 2010. (24.09.2010)

Revised edition of “Human rights in a nutshell”. Universitetsforlaget published the second edition of “Hva er menneskerettigheter” (“Human rights in a nuthsell”) by Njål Høstmælingen. (10.9.2010)

Better human rights protection in the Norwegian Constitution? A debate carried out in the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten by attorney Frode Elgesem, professor Hans Petter Graver and managing partner Njål Høstmælingen. (6.9.2010)

Article on elections in East Africa. Eivind Fjeldstad at ILPI has published an article on elections in East Africa in the Norwegian journal Ny Tid. (13.08.2010)

Seminar on the Zanzibar referendum. ILPI arranged a referendum briefing seminar at Zanzibar Serena Inn on Friday 30 July and a debrief on Sunday 1 August. (02.08.2010)

Observation of the Zanzibar referendum. As part of ILPI's long term engagement in analysing and observing, on behalf of the Norwegian Embassy in Dar es Salaam, the political reconciliation process and the electoral cycle in Zanzibar, ILPI coordinated the international diplomatic observer group to the Zanzibar referendum on the formation on a Government of National Unity the 31 July. (28.07.2010)

Kravik joins ILPI in full time position. Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik, an ILPI affiliate since 2009, leaves Drammen City Court to take up a full position at ILPI on 23 August 2010. (24.06.2010)

Seminar on Peace, Stability and Development in MENA. Cecilie Hellestveit and Njål Høstmælingen presented the draft ILPI report on Human Rights and Development Assistance in the Middle East and North Africa at a seminar 24 June 2010 at PRIO (Hausmanns gate 7, Oslo). (24.06.2010)

Christian Gahre to join ILPI. Christian Gahre, a Norwegian Red Cross Country Representative in Afghanistan, takes up a position at ILPI on 23 August 2010. (23.06.2010)

The Norwegian flag under pressure? In interviews with the newspapers VG and Vårt Land, Njål Høstmælingen argues that it is highly unlikely that the European Court of Human Rights will put a ban on the Norwegian flag, as suggested by some law professors commenting upon the ban on crucifixes in Italian classrooms. (14.06.2010)

Field course on the Horn of Africa Kjetil Tronvoll lectured at the Rift Valley Institute’s annual field course on the Horn of Africa, 29 May - 4 June 2010. The course, which was held at Lamu (Kenya) was targeting diplomats, development workers and other ex-pats working in the region. (04.06.2010)

Education under attack. Njål Høstmælingen gave an introduction on human rights implementation at the seminar “Education under attack”, hosted by Norad, UNESCO, SAIH, and LNU/StL. (31.05.2010)

Business as usual in Ethiopia. Kjetil Tronvoll comments upon the elections in Ethiopia in an interview with Reuters “Ethiopia’s ruling party set for a landslide win” (24.5.2010).

European Convention on Human Rights since 1950. “The European human rights regime today is quite something else than what was established in 1950”, Njål Høstmælingen underlines in an interview with the Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen. (22.05.2010)

Seminar on freedom of religion in public schools. Njål Høstmælingen gave an introduction on the Lautsi vs Italy case on crucifixes in Italian public schools, in the seminar series Kommunalrettslig Forum “Hijab, krusifiks og julefeiring - grenser for religion i skolen?”. (21.05.2010)

Illegal taxation of Eritreans abroad. Kjetil Tronvoll is interviewed by NRK Dagsrevyen (the Norwegian public broadcasting) about the illegal taxation of Eritreans living in Norway. (20.5.2010).

Reuters on Ethiopia. Kjetil Tronvoll comments upon Reuters’ analysis on Ethiopia (“Will Ethiopia’s friendship with the West last?”) (20.5.2010).

Learning Human Rights by Heart. As the Writer of the Month at the website of the Royal Norwegian Embassy Jakarta, Njål Høstmælingen underlines the importance of human rights education. (19.5.2010).

Parliamentary Hearing. The Standing Committee on Scrutiny and Public Affairs at the Norwegian Parliament held an open hearing Wednesday 19 May on personal data and health care, where Njål Høstmælingen was questioned on the right to privacy (“oppfølgning av Stortingets vedtak om kryptering av helseregistre”). (19.05.2010)

Seminar on elections and development in Ethiopia. Kjetil Tronvoll was a key presenter at a seminar on the upcoming general elections in Ethiopia at Miljøhuset, Grensen 9 (Oslo), organised by the Development Fund and the Norwegian Council for Africa. (18.05.2010)

World Bank Project. The World Bank and ILPI has signed a contract on “Human rights and development assistance in context of violent conflict and social fragility”. (06.05.2010)

Political Islam in the Horn of Africa. Noref (the Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre) and ILPI signed an agreement today on the project “Understanding the forces of political Islam in the Horn of Africa: Assessing ideology, actors, and objectives”. (04.05.2010)

Isabel Borges. Isabel Borges will be affiliated with ILPI to develop projects on Human Rights, CSR, Environmental Protection, and the EU (03.05.2010)

Briefing in Dar es Salaam. After his bimonthly field work in Zanzibar, Kjetil Tronvoll held a briefing for the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Donor Group on the status of the electoral and reconciliation process in Zanzibar (30.04.2010)

Training of Diplomats. ILPI carried out a three days training session for senior, mid level and junior diplomats for the Centre for Education and Training at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta, focussing on the European Human Rights system and challenges (21.04.2010)

UNIDIR seminar. Gro Nystuen held an introduction on legal frameworks at the the UNIDIR seminar “Explosive Weapons and Civilians: Framing the Problem”, held in Geneva 15 April. (16.04.2010)

Lectures in Yogyakarta. Freedom of religion was the topic for a lecture held by Njål Høstmælingen at Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) in Yogyakarta on Friday April 16 2010.(16.04.2010)

New Premises. We are moving from Oscars gate 30 to Parkveien 37 on Thursday April 8. (05.04.2010)

Reconciliation in Kenya. Maina Kiai and Lucy Hannan were the keynote speakers in the seminar “Documentary films: a means for reconciliation and justice”, arranged by Noref and ILPI at Litteraturhuset February 4. (04.02.2010)

Internships. Solomon Gashaw Tadese and Helle Winge Laursen, both from the Pecos Programme at UiO, have internship contracts with ILPI for the spring semester 2010. (05.01.2010)

Framework Agreement. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Law and Policy Institute signed a Framework Agreement today on International Humanitarian Law, Human Rights and Protection of Civilians in War and Conflict. (15.12.2009)