Jakob Forssmed

The Government is announcing a new action plan to combat racism and hate crime. Through this concerted action, the Government is taking important steps in the efforts to free Sweden from racism and hate crime. The efforts in this area will be accurate, measurable and long-term. Schools, judiciary, welfare and working life will be in focus.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Today, two years have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Swedish Government considers support to Ukraine in the coming years to be its foremost foreign policy task. Sweden will continue to provide political, humanitarian, military and financial support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its third meeting on Friday 9 February, with its discussions mainly focused on the 2024 theme of education. New representatives of the National Agency for Education and the Swedish National Council of Adult Education joined this meeting. The task force will also continue to address last year’s theme of security in 2024.

Brochure in pdf format that presents the Department of Social Affairs' areas of responsibility, organization and management.

Opinion piece, Euractiv, 1 February 2024, by Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission, Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, European Commission, Johan Forssell, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Sweden, Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health, Sweden, Caroline Gennez, Minister of Development Cooperation and of Major Cities, Belgium and Frank Vandenbroucke, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health, Belgium.

The will to support Ukraine is strong among Swedish health and medical care actors from both the public and private sectors. The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and Swecare held a Conference on Support to the Recovery and Development of Health Care in Ukraine on 1 December to harness this engagement and discuss how Swedish support can be put to best use.

On 1 December, Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson and Minister for Health and Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed will co-host a conference to discuss Sweden’s support to Ukraine’s health and medical care system. The conference, which will convene both public and private sector actors, aims especially to outline how Ukraine’s health care system can be rebuilt, strengthened and modernised.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a new global Commission on Social Connection. The aim of the Commission is to spotlight the public health problem of loneliness and involuntary isolation and make it a priority. Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed has been included among the twelve Commissioners – the only one from Europe.

Yesterday evening, the Government received the alarming news that two Swedes were killed in a terrorist attack in Brussels. The attack appears to have been aimed at Sweden and Swedish interests. Our thoughts are with the deceased and their relatives.

On 16 October, Minister for Gender Equality Working Life and Deputy Minister for Employment Paulina Brandberg, Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand and Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed met with representatives of Jewish civil society. The meeting focused on how events in Israel are affecting Jews in Sweden, current challenges and future efforts to combat antisemitism and support Jewish life.

In light of the recent developments, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed and Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström invited representatives of faith communities to a discussion to listen to their views and thoughts on recent events.

On 26–27 June, Europe’s key stakeholders in the life sciences sector will gather to highlight the importance of research and innovation in personalised medicine. The conference, organised within the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, will be live-streamed.

On Tuesday 13 June, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed will chair the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO) in Luxembourg.

Sweden and the majority of World Health Organization (WHO) Member States in the WHO European Region have decided to relocate the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases from Moscow to Copenhagen. The decision was taken in support of Ukraine and enables the WHO to continue its work fighting noncommunicable diseases in Europe.

Speech delivered by Jakob Forssmed at the 66th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, on 13 March 2023. Check against delivery.

The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs has four ministers with responsibility for issues concerning social welfare, including public health, health care, social insurance, care of older people, social services, civil society and sport. Responsibilities are divided among the ministers as follows.