• Ownership by the parties. Norway assists parties to conflict in their efforts to find peaceful solutions. Responsibility for the peace process always lies with the parties themselves. Sustainable peace can only be achieved if the parties themselves show a willingness to work towards a political and inclusive solution.
  • A willingness to talk to all parties to a conflict. Norway talks to all parties that are seeking a political solution. Engaging all relevant stakeholders in a dialogue creates important channels for communication, helps to ensure that opportunities for progress are identified and followed up, and enhances understanding of the underlying interests. Pursuing dialogue in no way represents a legitimisation of behaviour or actions. In order to help resolve conflicts, it is essential to maintain contact with the stakeholders who have influence and hold power. For the parties to a conflict, there is often a risk involved in talking to each other, especially before a formal negotiation process has been established. Norway often consults with the parties behind the scenes, and the formal negotiations are typically dependent on confidential, exploratory talks held in advance. It is important for the parties to be able to trust that matters discussed in confidence will not be shared.
  • Impartial facilitation. When acting as facilitator in a peace process, Norway remains impartial. However, this does not mean that we are neutral. Norway remains committed to its core values, and we work actively to promote the principles of democracy, international law and human rights – even when this meets resistance from the parties to a conflict. There have been cases where Norway has acted as an impartial facilitator even though we were party to the conflict, such as in Afghanistan.
  • Acceptance of risk. Norway accepts that there is a high risk of failure in this field. Sometimes, a number of unsuccessful attempts are needed for a later attempt at negotiation to succeed. This was the case in Colombia, where the parties succeeded in reaching a peace agreement in 2016, drawing on lessons learned from three previous unsuccessful attempts in the 1980s and 1990s.
  • Experience and knowledge. Norway has built up valuable experience and knowledge of peace processes through its long-term conflict resolution efforts. This broad experience is a useful resource at various stages of a negotiation process or when negotiations reach deadlock. At the same time, all conflicts are unique, and knowledge of the specific context and history, the stakeholders involved and the various interests at play is vital.
  • Available resources. Norway makes both human and financial resources available for peace and reconciliation efforts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its own Section for Peace and Reconciliation with grant funding of around NOK 400 million (2024) set aside for conflict resolution efforts. Thanks to its expertise and resources, Norway is able both to support negotiation processes and promote sustainable peace settlements, for instance by contributing to monitoring mechanisms or providing support for the implementation of peace agreements.  
  • Networks and close cooperation with partners. Norway does not work in a vacuum. Over time, Norway has built up a broad network of contacts and partnerships in a number of countries. These contacts may be other actors involved in mediation, organisations working to promote dialogue and conflict resolution, think tanks, researchers, civil society actors, other countries, and UN and regional organisations. A negotiation process often starts with cooperation between NGOs, diplomatic actors and parties to conflict. Norwegian NGOs have given Norway access to many peace and reconciliation processes. Every year, Norway organises the Oslo Forum, a retreat where international conflict mediators, politicians, researchers and experts can exchange experience and build networks. The Oslo Forum is also an informal meeting place for parties to conflict.
  • Inclusion. Peace processes that involve the civilian population, especially women and victims, create a greater sense of local ownership and result in better peace agreements. Norway works actively to ensure that peace processes and initiatives to promote dialogue are inclusive, with a particular focus on the inclusion of women. On several occasions, Norway has helped to ensure that women who would otherwise have been excluded from the process have had the opportunity to put forward their demands both at the negotiating table and in the implementation phase of a peace agreement. More information about Norway’s efforts to promote the inclusion of women in peace processes can be found here. Transitional justice and the rights of victims is another of Norway’s focus areas in its peace diplomacy efforts.