Development and democracy

Digitalisation and democracy

The digital medium creates opportunities to deepen democracy but also makes democracy more vulnerable to various types of digital attacks. Both state and non-state actors are using digital tools and new technologies such as AI as a means to monitor, exercise control over and harass opponents, journalists and human rights defenders, especially women. Protection against digital harassment for these groups must be assured. 

Malign information influence undermines democratic institutions, destabilises democracy and increases the risk of political violence. Malign information influence constitutes a threat to an open and democratic society and to the free formation of opinion and must be addressed at both national and international level to protect the core of democracy. 

At the same time, digitalisation is increasing the opportunities for civil society and human rights defenders to act, organise and influence. Access to a free, open and secure internet is crucial to promoting political and social participation. 

Digitalisation and development

Digitalisation can raise societies out of poverty by providing new opportunities to participate in international trade and global economic development. A substantial part of the infrastructure that enables prosperity is digital. Increased digitalisation thus creates great opportunities for low-income countries to develop. However, large segments of the world’s population do not have what is needed to fully benefit from digitalisation and the advantages of digital development. This is especially true for women and girls. Access to the internet is markedly better in democratic countries than in autocracies. An ambitious and inclusive digitalisation agenda can help accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), for example by enabling innovation in areas such as financial inclusion, access to health care, improved agriculture and a better environment and climate. This requires a continued focus on increased and reliable access to ICT. Development cooperation linked to digital trade (eCommerce) is of great importance to support the participation of developing countries in global trade. eCommerce can create great benefits for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), women, and marginalised groups by reducing export barriers and making more products available at a lower cost. Digital solutions help to break down mobility barriers, discrimination and female entrepreneurs’ exposure to violence. But digital development must be accompanied in parallel by systematic work with information and cyber security in order to create resilient societies. 

Capacity building and capacity development in digitalisation and cyber security

Support in digitalisation must be accompanied by a strengthening of cyber security capacity. For example, many developing countries lack a national authority whose task it is to support the society in building resilience in the cyber area. At the same time, an increasing proportion of social services, even in areas such as health and education, are becoming digital. An enhanced capacity to build institutions and regulations based on the rule of law, and to build resilience and choose technology using a rights-based approach, is of great importance for broader development in human rights, democracy and the rule of law. 

There is a need to expand investment in capacity building in digitalisation, which includes building democratic societies, public institutions and systems for digital administration, and cyber security. Capacity building efforts in both digitalisation and cyber security are therefore necessary. It is in Sweden’s interest that countries with which Sweden wants to deepen its political and economic relationships strengthen their resilience to external cyber threats and improve their capacity to strengthen their own sovereignty in cyberspace. In this context, Ukraine is a priority for capacity building in cyber security. Sweden’s ambition in the area of capacity development should primarily be coordinated through multilateral initiatives within the EU, NATO, the UN and the OSCE. 

Sweden’s development cooperation within digitalisation and cyber security

Sweden is working actively to integrate digital components into bilateral development cooperation. This is being done as part of the support provided to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law, among other things. Swedish development cooperation will support initiatives that promote an open, free and secure internet, as well as initiatives that reduce the digital divide – especially for women, girls and other groups who are particularly vulnerable. 

Through its development cooperation, Sweden also intends to contribute to the work to combat malign information influence and to strengthen resilience and increase capacity in digitalisation and cyber security. This includes activities that strengthen and secure the digital tools of organisations and human rights defenders, but also involves raising awareness of the risks and vulnerabilities that increased digitalisation entails. This work also involves raising and highlighting the challenges of digitalisation in everything from threats and violence, illegal trade, malign information influence and cyberstalking to threats to the individual’s privacy. Norms and principles of human rights, democracy and the principles of the rule of law need to guide the development of an inclusive digital administration. Support in the digital area always needs to be accompanied by a cyber security perspective, so as not to create new vulnerabilities.

Sweden’s development cooperation supports organisations in their advocacy work to ensure that the internet remains open and secure for individuals, journalists, independent researchers and human rights defenders. This support also includes capacity building, mentoring and training, as well as support in emergency situations such as threats to individuals, internet shutdowns or blocking of communication channels. Support to human rights defenders, including in digital environments, will be developed. In addition, more organisations will receive support in their work to help organisations and marginalised groups in repressive environments by providing them with tools and technology to maintain control over their own information and defend themselves against digital attacks such as malign information influence, agitation, cyberstalking, harassment and violence.

Increased digitalisation facilitates economic development and prosperity and creates major opportunities for development. It is therefore important to promote the opportunities that digitalisation brings for individuals, business and civil society. 

The private sector is also an important asset and source of skills in terms of capacity building in cyber security. Enhanced cooperation between the private and public sectors is necessary to be able to develop cyber security as part of development cooperation. 

Sweden is therefore reviewing its options for new instruments and financing solutions within the framework of its development cooperation, with the aim of broadening what Sweden offers and increasing the Swedish business sector’s participation in digital transformation projects in low- and middle-income countries. 

Multilateral cooperation

Sweden’s multilateral development cooperation contributes to partner countries’ opportunities to take advantage of the potential of digital technology while also being able to manage its risks through strengthened cyber security. Support for policy development, physical investments and capacity development are increasingly being provided through multilateral organisations within the context of the EU, the UN and the development banks. The World Bank Group has an important role to play in reducing the global digital divide. Sweden also contributes support to developing countries so that they can benefit from and meet the challenges of the rapid development of the digital economy. 

Digitalisation and gender equality

The unequal distribution of technical skills and access to the internet have particularly negative consequences for women and girls. Sweden is well placed to help strengthen opportunities and rights for women and girls in the digital area through developing its own capacity-development projects with grants from Swedish government agencies that have cutting-edge expertise in the area. Such initiatives need to target meaningful participation by women and girls throughout the entire chain from the development of technology to its use, including relevant policy decision processes in the technology area. 

An increasing number of women and girls are being affected by gender-based and sexual violence, threats, hate speech and abuses on the internet and social media. Digital technologies can also amplify problems of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation of children offline by making it easier to stalk and exploit victims. Violence, threats, hate speech and abuses online have serious consequences; not only for the physical and mental health of women and girls, but also for their opportunities to participate in the democratic conversation. 

Focus areas – Development and democracy

• Promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law in digital environments within Swedish development cooperation, for example by ensuring protection and capacity building for human rights defenders, equality, civil society actors, and democracy movements.
  
  
• Act to ensure that digitalisation and cyber security become a cross-cutting issue in achieving Sweden’s development policy objectives. Sweden’s bilateral and multilateral development work should therefore integrate capacity development for digitalisation and cyber security into its framework. This includes helping to ensure digital social services and skills development efforts, and reducing the digital divide between men and women.
  
  
• Facilitate synergies between export promotion, trade policy and foreign and security policy in international development cooperation that concerns digitalisation and cyber security.
  
  
• Promoting, in multilateral contexts, human rights in the cyber area, especially the rights of freedom of expression, access to information, and privacy.
  
  
• Continue to deepen cooperation with like-minded states on digitalisation and democracy, in multilateral as well as bilateral contexts.
  
  
• Actively contribute to the ITU’s efforts to strengthen the capacity development of developing countries in the cyber and digitalisation area, and promote an inclusive digitalisation agenda to help achieve the SDGs.