Heroes also grow old

This year is election year in Nicaragua. Herman Kringlund reflects on the historical freedom fighters in Latin America and this year's political elections. Photo: Canva.

Of: Herman Kringlund

It is more than 40 years since the world praised the Nicaraguan Revolution. In a few months, one of its orchestrators will win an election that independent newspapers can no longer report on, against an opposition that is either imprisoned or annulled - in order to neglect one of the poorest peoples in the Western Hemisphere for another term. Herman Kringlund, a freelance translator and interested in foreign policy, reflects on this year's political elections in Nicaragua.

September 22, 2021, Analysis

The XNUMX% target is an obstacle to effective development assistance

Of: Helena Anthony

The XNUMX% target leads to more efficient ways of conducting assistance, such as issuing guarantees, being prioritized because they generate few payments and therefore do not contribute to meeting the target. Sida should instead upgrade the guarantee instrument for effective assistance.
- It is becoming increasingly clear that the one percent goal is a black on the foot for effective development assistance activities, says Helena Antoni, responsible for development aid and development issues within the Moderates.

June 23, 2021, Debate

Aid actors have stopped turning a blind eye to trans and intersex issues

A person with eye shadow in the colors of the trans flag. Photo: Kyle, Unsplash

Of: Sofia Karlsson

Trans and intersex groups are particularly vulnerable to abuse, intimidation and discrimination. At the same time, they are underfunded by aid actors globally, despite the fact that the issue has now received more attention and the movement has made great progress. Swedish assistance to trans and intersex organization is a world leader, but many challenges remain.

May 18, 2021, Reportage

International solidarity, a concept in rocking

Development cooperation must focus more on global justice and lead to human security and disarmament and reduce gaps between North and South, according to the Foreign Affairs Committee for the Feminist Initiative.

Of: Jaime Gomez, Jaime Gomez et al., Maria Persson, Mats Ekenger and Saga Tullgren

For the first time in over two decades, there are now alarming reports of growing gaps in the world. The one percent target should therefore, contrary to where the Moderates believe, remain. Development cooperation must focus more on global justice and lead to human security and disarmament and reduce gaps between North and South, according to the Foreign Affairs Committee for the Feminist Initiative.

May 5, 2021, Debate

It is not time to back down with aid

The state budget

Of: Frida Hjärtman

Recently, the financing of development assistance has been a current theme in both Sweden and the world. On 13 April, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published statistics showing that Sweden takes the lead in the development assistance phase with 1,14% of GNI for 2020. Thus, Sweden is the largest donor in the world in percentage terms. At the same time, the one percent target is being debated at home by, among others, SD and the Moderates, who want to reduce development assistance. Own domestic problems are weighed against the global goals and the fact that Sweden is one of the world's most well-developed countries, in the question of whether it is reasonable for Sweden to be the world's most generous donor.

May 4, 2021, Think piece

Is the general perception of Swedish development assistance realistic?

Photo: TLC Jonhson, Flickr

Of: Melanie Alphonse

Sweden has dedicated its development aid budget to fighting poverty and creating better conditions for people living in poverty to change their lives. I have heard of people who think that the development assistance budget goes to corrupt countries, but what is the general perception of development assistance in Sweden?

April 13, 2021, Think piece

Swedish development cooperation in Asia and the Pacific one year after the outbreak of the pandemic

Khun Anchana Heemmina heads the civil society organization Duay Jai Group in Thailand. Covid-19 has had major consequences for vulnerable groups in Asia and the Pacific. Photo: Anchana Heemmina

Of: Sofia Karlsson

More than a year has now passed since the covid-19 pandemic broke out. Utvecklingsmagasinet has met Åsa Hedén, head of the development section at the Swedish embassy in Bangkok, to hear how their work in the region has been affected by the pandemic and what they have learned a year later.

April 7, 2021, Interview

Concluding remarks: Wastefulness does not lift anyone out of poverty

Of: Andreas Celan and John Manders

In a reply to my article (FUF 26/2) about the many shortcomings of development assistance, SSU's chairman Pavlos Cavelier Bizas writes that Swedish development assistance is needed more than ever and that the 1% target must be defended. A goal that is almost to be regarded as a holy cow in Swedish political debate. Leaving this principle that the development assistance budget should be designed as a predetermined share of the state budget unchallenged is at best wasteful and at worst directly counterproductive to achieving the goals the development assistance is intended to meet, say Andreas Celan and John Manders from the Moderate Youth Association.

March 23, 2021, Debate

Reply: Swedish aid is needed more than ever

Of: Pavlos Cavelier Bizas

MUF Uppsala County's second vice chairman Andreas Celan argues that the Swedish development assistance budget needs to be reduced with reference to the fact that the money is not used efficiently and goes to corruption. We at SSU are of a different opinion: the development assistance budget should not be reduced and the 1% target should be defended, writes Pavlos Cavelier Bizas, chairman of SSU Uppland.

March 18, 2021, Debate

Reduce the development assistance budget and follow up on taxpayers' money

Of: Andreas Celan

Several cases of failed aid projects show that Sida cannot ensure that the aid money goes where it is supposed to. For this reason, the development assistance budget should be reduced and a larger part of the development assistance money will go to making the necessary investments in Sweden, says Andreas Celan, the Moderate Youth Association in Uppsala.

February 26, 2021, Debate