Democracy and human rights

Sweden will assume the Presidency of the IHRA from March 2022 to the end of February 2023. This was Sweden’s first pledge in connection with the Malmö Forum. Pledges presented at the Malmö Forum will be followed up during the Swedish Presidency. The ambition of the Swedish Government is to implement the measures below and allocate a total amount of approximately EUR 9.3 million/year.

On 13th of October Prime Minister Stefan Löfven is hosting the Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, Remember ReAct.

There are currently several cases before the European Court of Human Rights against the French law banning sexual purchases. This is due to the legislation the country introduced in 2016 which included a ban on the purchase of sexual services. Sweden has requested and been granted the right to take part in the cases as a third party.

Discussions on the situation in Russia and how the EU should manage it, along with LGBTIQ issues, dominated the EU summit on 24–25 June. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and other EU leaders also addressed the COVID-19 situation and the economic recovery.

When the EU’s heads of state and government meet in Brussels on 24–25 June, they will discuss the economic situation in the EU, migration and a number of foreign policy issues. They will also look at activities related to COVID-19. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and his colleagues will kick off the summit with a working lunch with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Webinar 28 May 2021, organised by the Academy of Finland project ‘Transparency in the EU – From Reaction to Manifesto’ (TrUE), Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights and in cooperation with the Open Government in the EU Blog Check against delivery

This material provides an overview of main areas of the Government policy on gender equality. It describes current political goals and strategies and gives a brief historical background to important reforms. It also identifies further remaining challenges and explains how the feminist Government is addressing these and what measures are taken in order to initiate change.

Special session of the General Assembly, United Nations, New York, 2–4 June 2021 Check against delivery

Democracy is worth protecting – every day. The freedom to choose, speak, think and love can never be taken for granted. The same applies to people’s right to exercise influence, vote and be treated equally under the law. Sweden will continue to do all it can to be a strong voice and actor for democratic development in the world. We are now stepping up our efforts to protect democracy.

No country can tackle the world’s challenges alone: wars and conflicts, climate change, poverty, lack of equality, lack of respect for human rights, nuclear weapons proliferation – unfortunately the list is long. International cooperation is vital – and it makes us stronger. Sweden remains a firm and tireless voice for more – not less – cooperation.