International development cooperation

On 16 February, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde presented the 2022 Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. Check against delivery.

Today, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde will present the Government’s Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. This year’s Statement of Foreign Policy is Ms Linde’s third as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Sweden has made a long-term commitment to support the countries in Eastern Europe in their efforts to strengthen democracy and for sustainable economic development. Swedish development assistance is a central part of this support and the Government has therefore approved a new strategy for reform cooperation with Eastern Europe for 2021–2027 with a total budget of approximately 600 million EUR.

The leaders of the EU Member States and the Eastern Partnership countries will meet for the sixth Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels on 15 December. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will represent Sweden.

The leaders of the EU Member States and the Eastern Partnership countries will meet for the sixth Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels on 15 December. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will represent Sweden.

The purpose of the strategy is to manage Sweden’s humanitarian aid via the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The overall objective of Sweden’s humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain human dignity for the benefit of people in need who have been, or are at risk of becoming, affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters or other disaster situations. The strategy applies during the period 2021–2025 and covers the funds allocated in the appropriation directions of Sida for each budget year.

The world is in an acute climate crisis. The world’s poorest are the least to blame but are the hardest hit. The richer countries have a special responsibility to contribute to the developing countries’ climate transition. The Government therefore intends to double Swedish climate aid to SEK 15 billion by 2025.

The objective of Sweden’s international development cooperation is to create conditions for improving the lives of people living in poverty and oppression. Development cooperation will be based on the principles of aid and development effectiveness, the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and the Paris Agreement.

Sweden’s participation in international crisis management and peace support contributes to upholding and strengthening the rules-based global order and is a priority of Sweden’s national security strategy (SB2017/00106–1). The basic premise of Sweden’s engagement is that security is best built through collaboration and partnership with others.

Developments in Afghanistan are extremely serious. Lives, and the advances made in the last 20 years, are under threat. The Swedish evacuation at Kabul Airport has been completed. Sweden’s commitment to the Afghan people remains steadfast.

The year 2020 was a challenging year for global health. The COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis. The acute crisis must be managed while sustaining long-term investments in health systems, health security and healthy communities. The report on Sweden’s development assistance for health contains statistics from the Government Offices and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)on Swedish support to health and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in 2020.

The humanitarian situation in Yemen is alarming, with millions of people facing famine. On 1 June, the European Commission and Sweden co-hosted the third Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

Today the Government is presenting an extensive investment in global health totalling more than SEK 2.5 billion to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines, prevent and manage the risk of corruption and counter displacement effects on health systems in the world’s poorest countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented global crisis. The worldwide spread of the virus highlights the importance of collaboration and solidarity in tackling global challenges, leaving no one behind. Sweden continues to stand up for international principles and commitments and to support multilateral organisations working to fight the pandemic and its impacts. This is in line with Sweden’s work and ambitions to meet the 2030 Agenda. With a well-considered response, the international community can together lay the foundations for a more sustainable, equitable and gender-equal world that will be better equipped to manage future crises.

The aim of the activities within the scope of this strategy is to contribute to strengthening the resilience – the ability to withstand, adapt and recover – of the Syrian population and of vulnerable groups in Syria’s neighbouring countries that are severely affected by the conflict. The strategy will also contribute to strengthening democracy and gender equality, and to greater respect for human rights in Syria and for refugees from Syria in neighbouring countries.

The objective of Sweden’s international development cooperation is to create conditions to improves the lives of people living in poverty and oppression. Sweden’s development cooperation is based on the principles of aid and development effectiveness, the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Sweden’s feminist foreign policy will guide the activities.

Today, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde presented the Government’s Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. This year’s Statement of Foreign Policy was Ms Linde’s second as Minister for Foreign Affairs.

On 24 February, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde presented the 2021 Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. Check against delivery.

This strategy will underpin Swedish cooperation with the World Bank Group (WBG) in 2020–2023. The strategy establishes the priorities of Sweden’s membership of, and partnership with, the WBG and will guide Sweden’s positions both in the work of the governing board and financing negotiations on future replenishment of the International Development Association (IDA), and the monitoring of these.