Benjamin Dousa

The Government has decided to issue a second guarantee to the World Bank that will enable a loan to Ukraine of approximately SEK 2.5 billion. The loan will be used to cover basic things, such as public expenditure in the Ukrainian central government budget, following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

On 11 May, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, is organising a conference in Stockholm on youth and gender equality issues for a future democratic Belarus. The forum gathers youth representative of the Belarusian democratic movement and civil society representatives, decision-makers and experts from the EU and Sweden. The aim is to highlight the importance of young people’s political participation to the democratic development of Belarus.

The world’s humanitarian needs are immense. There are a record number of conflicts, with more than 300 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. And there is a risk of needs further increasing this year. For this reason, Sweden is announcing more than SEK 2.7 billion in humanitarian assistance to the world’s most vulnerable for 2026.

The Government has presented a new support package for global health totalling SEK 72 million for 2026. The support includes SEK 50 million in core support to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) for work with vaccines in low-income countries, and SEK 2 million to the Partnership for International Politics and Diplomacy for Health, a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and the Stockholm School of Economics. The Government is also giving SEK 20 million in support for donations of medical technical equipment and medical supplies.

Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa has presented the Government’s 2025 Music Export Prize to internationally acclaimed Swedish opera singer Christina Nilsson. The Government’s Special Prize was awarded to rock group The Hives, and the Government’s Honourable Mention went to production company MXM Music for the Taylor Swift Project.

The Government takes an extremely serious view of the continuing settlement policy and the increased settler violence in the West Bank, and is therefore proposing new measures in the form of an expanded differentiation policy. The Israeli Government’s actions in the West Bank violate international law.

The Government is presenting a new support package focused on democracy and cultural heritage preservation in Ukraine of SEK 15.4 million for 2026–2028, SEK 8.7 million of which is for 2026. The support includes SEK 3 million to the National Democratic Institute (NDI), SEK 0.9 million to the Council of Europe and SEK 1.5 million to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for 2026. The support to cultural heritage initiatives includes SEK 10 million to Gotlands Museum for 2026–2028.

Sweden is announcing an additional humanitarian support package to Lebanon of SEK 70 million. The support is being provided in light of the country’s worsening humanitarian situation due to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. It will contribute to addressing basic needs, protecting the civilian population and creating security for those who have been hardest-hit by the conflict.

The Government has decided on new support totalling SEK 12 million for initiatives preserving the cultural heritage of Ukraine through UNESCO for 2026–2027. The support will ensure the protection and long-term preservation of cultural heritage sites threatened by the war.

On 23 April, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa will present the Government’s Music Export Prize for 2025. The nominees include internationally successful Swedish artists and songwriters.

The Government has appointed Jakob Wernerman as Sida’s Acting Deputy Director-General. He took up the post on 16 April 2026.

The Government has presented a new support package to Ukraine for 2026 worth around SEK 240 million. The support includes SEK 150 million for the Ukrainian Red Cross for humanitarian operations. In addition, the support package is heavily focused on children’s needs, supporting the provision of school food in areas close to the frontline, promoting reforms for family-based care of children and supporting children’s mental health.

After more than two years of war and suffering, children in Gaza are in acute need of health and medical care, psychosocial support, safety, nutrition and education. Initiatives in these areas are needed to lay the foundations for reconstruction and recovery. Sweden is now providing SEK 555 million in aid, which will be distributed between the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Development Programme, and will help bring safety, stability and well-being to children in Gaza.

Sweden is announcing a new SEK 65 million humanitarian aid package for Lebanon due to the ongoing military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, which has caused a rapid deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the country. The support will be distributed among UN organisations, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and civil society to provide support and protection for people who now find themselves in the midst of the crisis.

The aim of Sweden’s international development assistance is to create conditions to improve the lives of people living in poverty and oppression. Development cooperation under this Strategy will therefore support countries’ own efforts to reform and establish closer ties with the EU. The implementation of the Strategy will be carried out in close collaboration between development assistance, trade and business promotion and take Swedish interests into account, based on the Government’s Reform agenda for Swedish development assistance.

Russia’s systematic and illegal attacks in Ukraine have deadly consequences. Women may be vulnerable, but they also play a key role in Ukraine’s civilian resilience in areas such as health and medical care, education and defence initiatives. Therefore, the Government is allocating more than SEK 71 million for activities that benefit women and girls in Ukraine. The funds will be distributed between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Programme for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) with a focus on humanitarian activities.

The Government intends to enable a loan of an additional SEK 2.5 billion to Ukraine via the World Bank by guaranteeing repayment of the loan. This means that Sweden will enable additional budget support to Ukraine in early 2026.

The Government has adopted a new strategy for Sweden’s reform cooperation with Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans and Türkiye for 2026–2030. The aim of the strategy is to strengthen the countries’ reform efforts and bring them closer to the EU.

Today, the Government presented a new SEK 1 billion support package for Ukraine’s energy sector, which has been subjected to intensive Russian strikes this winter. The support will help to meet the country’s urgent energy needs and bolster long-term energy supplies.

The Government has adopted a new national market surveillance strategy for 2026-2029. The strategy aims to make it easier for businesses to act correctly and to counter problems associated with eCommerce involving products from countries outside the EU. It also aims to increase the use of new technologies and AI and enhance expertise in these areas.