Ministry of Health and Social Affairs

Every year, half of the world’s children are subjected to various forms of violence. On 7–8 November, the first global ministerial conference on this topic will be held in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. The Swedish Government is co-hosting the conference, together with the Government of Colombia, the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children.

Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson and Ukrainian Minister of Health Viktor Liashko have signed a technical agreement between Sweden and Ukraine. The aim is to intensify cooperation and advance Ukraine’s process of integration into the EU. Ms Ankarberg Johansson also visited several care facilities in Kyiv, including the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital that Russia attacked in July.

In the Budget Bill for 2025, the Government proposes several measures to overhaul integration policy. The Government proposes broad initiatives, including measures aimed at improving language skills for children and staff in preschools, schools, after-school care and care for older people. To better follow the development, it is proposed that funding be set aside to develop and implement more appropriate follow-up of integration.

On 24–26 September, Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson attended the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. She also represented Sweden in a High-level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance and a panel on cervical cancer.

On 26 September, a High-level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was held during the United Nations General Assembly. The Meeting is the second of its type, with the first having been held in 2016. The meeting included the ceremonial adoption of a political declaration on global and national undertakings in efforts to counter AMR. Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson headed Sweden’s participation in the Meeting.

On 20 September, the task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its fifth meeting. The topic was rising antisemitism, with a special focus on social media and how it affects Jewish schoolchildren in Sweden.

On 22–30 September, the 79th session of the UN General Assembly is being highlighted in New York. In conjunction with the session, a high-level debate and several high-level meetings will convene, including the Summit of the Future. Sweden will be represented by Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa and Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson.

Swedish and Finnish ministers will undertake a number of joint visits on the afternoon of 16 September. Media representatives are welcome to take part in the visits. Contact the relevant press contacts for more information, see below. Note that the list is subject to change.

How many people work at the Government Offices? What was the central government budget like last year? How many acts and ordinances were issued last year? The answer to these and other questions can be found in the Swedish Government Offices Yearbook 2023.

This compilation contains a selection of acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force around the second half of 2024.

Speach by State Secretary Minna Ljunggren at the ISPCAN congress on prevention of violence against children, in Uppsala 19 August 2024. Check against delivery.

The Government’s new reform agenda, ‘Development assistance for a new era – freedom, empowerment and sustainable growth’, has a particular focus on improved health for the most vulnerable people. Initiatives are needed to improve prospects of good health, ensure functioning health and medical care systems, and strengthen preparedness, in order to better address health threats at global level. Sweden has an important role to play in these efforts.

The Government is now presenting an action programme to prevent and combat men’s violence against women, domestic violence, honour-based violence and oppression, and prostitution and human trafficking for the period 2024–2026. The programme contains over 130 initiatives and measures to be undertaken on a broad front at national, regional and local level. The efforts will also be strengthened in four special priority areas for development.

On Tuesday 4 June, the task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its fourth meeting, which focused on education. Invited representatives of schools, universities, other higher education institutions and liberal adult education attended the meeting.

Screen time’s impact on the health of children and young people was on the agenda when ministers from across the Nordic region met in Stockholm on 17 April. Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed hosted the meeting, which was under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers also discussed how Nordic cooperation against antimicrobial resistance can be strengthened.

More and more children and young people are becoming involved in criminal networks, and stopping recruitment requires early interventions, knowledge-based methods and collaboration. Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer and Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall therefore hosted Nordic countries, including the autonomous regions, for a discussion about children and young people who are, or risk being, involved in crime. The meeting was held within the framework of the ongoing Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

To combat crime and increase security, investments in the judicial system and criminal law measures must be combined with effective and proactive crime prevention efforts. The Government has therefore presented a national strategy that focuses on social crime prevention measures. The aim includes preventing children and young people from becoming involved in criminal networks and other types of crime.

Sweden and the US have entered into a bilateral cooperation agreement on cancer research and care. The agreement builds on the cooperation agreement that the two countries concluded in 2016 with the aim of accelerating research results through increased exchange.

The Swedish Gender Equality Agency has been tasked with sharing knowledge about honour-based violence and oppression in connection with stays abroad. The Government has now also tasked the Agency with analyzing and presenting proposals for a national reporting and follow-up system for cases where a child or adult has been taken abroad. This involves determining the scope of the problem and establishing an approach to systematic follow-up.

Statement from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch and Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson