SAGE International and FHA Consulting Ltd co-hosted Afghanistan Five Years On: Security, Governance, Human Rights and International Engagement in the Taliban Era on 17 September 2026 at Armagh in Toorak, Melbourne.

Five years after the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, the conference provided an independent platform for examining Afghanistan’s political and security trajectory, humanitarian challenges and relationships with the wider international community.

The programme drew on former government officials, diplomats, military practitioners, academics, journalists, education specialists, and Australia’s Afghan community.

Afghanistan’s future and Australia’s engagement

A central question shaped the conference: how should Australia and the international community engage with Taliban-controlled Afghanistan without compromising fundamental principles of human rights and inclusive governance?

The keynote programme featured Keith Wolahan, former Federal Member for Menzies and an Australian Army veteran who served three deployments in Afghanistan. His address focused on Australia’s two decades of engagement, the relationship between military objectives and political outcomes, and the strategic lessons from the international withdrawal in 2021.

Governance, security and human rights

The governance and security panel, chaired by Sami Omari, Director of FHA Consulting Ltd, addressed political authority, natural resource governance, terrorism, regional stability and the lessons of international intervention.

A second panel focused on diplomacy and human rights, alongside the programme’s broader consideration of humanitarian assistance, refugee protection and future international engagement. Dr Michael Suss delivered a special address on educational exclusion and the importance of women’s and girls’ access to education.

The conference concluded with a reflections session, providing space to consider the difficult choices ahead for Afghanistan, Australia and the international community.

SAGE’s contribution

The organising committee comprised Sami Omari, Zahid Safi, Dr Tony Murney and SAGE International CEO Dr John Bruni.

For SAGE, co-hosting the conference reflected our commitment to connecting strategic analysis with practical experience and the perspectives of communities directly affected by conflict. Afghanistan’s future demands sustained attention to the lessons of past involvement, regional security and the rights and wellbeing of its people.

SAGE International thanks FHA Consulting Ltd, fellow organisers, speakers and participants for supporting informed and constructive dialogue.

The conference handbook provides the full programme, speaker biographies and an overview of the event’s objectives.

Afghanistan Conference – 2026 Handbook can be downloaded here