Government increases support for sexual and reproductive health and rights by SEK 75 million

“Every setback, not least now in the United States, against women’s right to decide over their own bodies, is a tragedy. Support for safe abortions is decreasing globally and that’s why Sweden has decided to increase assistance through additional contributions to UNFPA. The support will contribute to girls’ and women’s right to decide over their own bodies, maternal health and increased access to safe abortion. Abortion bans do not reduce the number of abortions. Rather, unsafe abortion endangers the lives and health of women and girls,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa. 

“Protecting and strengthening sexual and reproductive health and rights involves working for women’s right to their own bodies and the right to abortion. This also means combating all forms of violence against women, for example honour-based abuse that limits individuals, often girls and young women, from expressing their sexuality and choosing their partner. Promoting SRHR is a question of gender equality and freedom,” says Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life Paulina Brandberg.

“Several countries oppose sexuality education, something that is vital in providing knowledge about how the body works and about conception. Preventing sexuality education creates the opposite effect: more unplanned and unwanted pregnancies, with the risk of larger numbers of unsafe and illegal abortions, putting the lives of women at risk. That’s why it’s important that Sweden, as far as is possible, fills the gaps that have been created,” says Gudrun Brunegård, development assistance policy spokesperson for the Christian Democrats.

Insufficient access to SRHR services, for example abortion, maternal health and contraception, particularly affects women and girls living under difficult conditions in humanitarian crises. Due to the increasing political opposition to SRHR – not least due to changes in United States’ SRHR policy – global financial support for these services is also set to decline significantly.

The Government’s decision on additional core support for the UNFPA of SEK 75 million helps to maintain programmes for safe and legal abortion. 

Sweden’s total support to UNFPA through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2025 amounts to SEK 521.75 million, which includes targeted humanitarian assistance to Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.