Multilateral work on human rights, democracy and the rule of law
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Standing up for international law, including human rights, is at the heart of Sweden’s foreign policy. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights almost 80 years ago, a comprehensive system for defining and realising human rights has emerged, both at international and European level. Sweden works closely with the EU, Nordic neighbours and other like-minded countries in the UN’s multilateral human rights fora, the Council of Europe and the OSCE to protect, preserve and promote international human rights, and demand accountability when states violate human rights.
The United Nations
The UN plays a crucial role in upholding respect for the norms and agreements on which the rules-based international order is built, with international law, human rights and the UN Charter as its foundation. That the UN is able to continue in its role as a guarantor of the rules-based international order is key to our own security and freedom.
Sweden’s multilateral work for human rights is conducted notably through the UNHRC in Geneva. The UNHRC plays a normative role for human rights and is a central global platform for dialogue and accountability. It considers and highlights situations in which human rights are violated and challenged, both at country level and thematically. The UNHRC can establish mechanisms for scrutiny, evidence gathering and accountability that regularly report back to it, thereby creating opportunities for dialogue. The commissions of inquiry on Ukraine and Syria are good examples of how the work of the UNHRC has an impact in difficult situations. The UNHRC also helps to create a platform where civil society voices can be conveyed and their messages amplified.
The Council consists of 47 Member States, elected for three-year terms. Other UN states are observers. Sweden currently has observer status on the Council and is a candidate for full membership for the period 2031–2033. Observers, however, have considerable opportunities to act – they can deliver speeches, table resolutions and support them through co-sponsorship. The main difference is that observers cannot vote on resolutions.
The UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism of the UNHRC. Under the UPR, each UN Member State is reviewed by other states approximately every five years, and receives recommendations and questions aimed at improving the human rights situation there. This is a well-functioning mechanism that yields results, and in which the countries concerned want to engage. Sweden was last reviewed in the UPR in May 2025.
The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly is responsible for human rights, humanitarian affairs and social issues. The Committee meets once a year in New York. Its formal work is undertaken from October to November every year.
Alongside the UNHRC, the Third Committee is Sweden’s foremost arena for multilateral work on human rights and is a platform for debate and dialogue between Member States and with representatives of the UN, as well as special rapporteurs and other mechanisms. Every year, the Committee negotiates around 50 resolutions on a wide range of issues. Resolutions are not legally binding, but when new concepts and ideas are established in international human rights law, they are often the result of resolutions taken by the Third Committee. Unlike the UNHRC, all UN Member States vote in the Third Committee.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) are responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights, and for integrating human rights into the work of other UN bodies. The OHCHR is based in Geneva, and its work is headed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights – currently Volker Türk. The OHCHR also has an important support function as secretariat for the UNHRC, its special rapporteurs, commissions of inquiry and working groups, and for the treaty bodies of the international human rights conventions.
Sources for further information about the UN's work on human rights.
The Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is Europe’s leading organisation for the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Sweden has been a member since the organisation was established in 1949, and actively participates in its work – from ministerial meetings to expert groups.
Sweden supports the Council of Europe’s work to strengthen the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, including through the European Convention and the European Court of Human Rights. We also contribute to work countering violence against women through the Istanbul Convention, and promote the rule of law, for example through the Venice Commission.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sweden has also supported the Council of Europe’s efforts to document human rights violations and facilitate accountability. A concrete example of this has been establishing a register of damage to enable future compensation for the victims of the aggression.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) examines complaints from individuals as well as intergovernmental complaints submitted by one Member State against another. The Court’s task is to determine whether a Member State has violated an individual’s rights under the ECHR. ECHR judgments are legally binding on the State concerned and each Member State has undertaken to comply with the judgments of the Court in each case to which it is a party. Once a Member State has taken the required measures following a judgment, this must be reported to the Committee of Ministers, which is responsible for monitoring the enforcement of ECHR judgments. The Committee is one of the decision-making bodies of the Council of Europe and is formally composed of the foreign ministers of all Member States.
Sources for further information about the Council of Europe's work on human rights.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
The OSCE is the world’s largest regional security organisation. Its activities are based on a broad concept of security, centred on the premise that human rights, democracy and the rule of law are essential for long-term and lasting security. The 57 participating States have agreed on joint commitments relating to human rights, the rule of law and democracy and jointly monitor how these commitments are met. The OSCE also has independent institutions with specific mandates in this area. The Organization’s core institutional structure is the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The mission of the ODIHR is to strengthen democratic institutions and promote free and fair elections, respect for human rights, the rule of law and gender equality in the participating States, and to promote tolerance and non-discrimination and combat human trafficking.
It also plays a key role in drawing attention to and scrutinising serious violations, such as arbitrary detentions, torture or persecution of opposition and human rights defenders. This is done, in part, through tools such as the Moscow and Vienna Mechanisms – procedures that make it possible for participating States to jointly initiate monitoring or request explanations in the event of concerns about human rights violations.
The mandate for election observation and the election methodology that have been developed are world-leading.
The mission of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) is to promote and monitor media freedom throughout the OSCE, based on the idea that freedom of expression violations are often the first signs of conflict. The RFoM supports participating States to live up to their commitments, examines legislative proposals and implements capacity-building actions. The OSCE/RFoM also has a watchdog function. The latter part of this mandate is personal and unique – the only one of its kind in the world.
Sweden safeguards the independence and mandates of the ODIHR and RFoM, and supports their activities financially, particularly focusing on Ukraine, civil society, threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists. Sweden makes substantial staff contributions to the ODIHR’s election observation missions.
Sources for further information about the OSCE's work on human rights.
Sweden’s foreign policy work for human rights, democracy and the rule of law
This webpage is part of the theme page about Sweden’s foreign policy work for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
