In March, the Social Democratic government announced that costs for Swedish refugee reception would be deducted from development assistance. Magnus Walan, senior policy adviser at Diakonia, thinks the opposite - more aid to, among other things, promote democracy in the world, not less. He writes this in a guest analysis on Utvecklingsmagasinet. Photo: The Social Democrats. Source: Flickr.
Of: Magnus Walan
There is a debate going on about what lessons we can learn from Russia's war in Ukraine. Much of the debate is about NATO, but there are also lessons for Swedish foreign, development and development policy. How can politics become better at preventing conflicts and wars? Magnus Walan, senior policy advisor at Diakonia, lists five lessons.
April 11, 2022, Guest analysis
"If Sweden is to continue to be seen as a pioneering country in development aid, we must be prepared to lead - not by creatively trying to circumvent the main purpose of development aid." Several leaders of Swedish aid organizations write about the government's announcement that Sweden's refugee reception should be able to be deducted from the aid. Pictured: informal settlements in Yemen. Photo: EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid. Source: Flickr.
Of: Fanny Andersson and Julia Lundén Azzeddine
The leadership continues to be largely dominated by political consequences stemming from Russia's war against Ukraine. But now voices are also beginning to be raised about Swedish development assistance and the need to also focus on other humanitarian issues.
April 11, 2022, Current debate
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
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
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, Chronicle
Four debaters from the Feminist Initiative think that Sweden's policy for international cooperation is a measure of where the dividing lines go between the parties. Photo: Pexels and Håkan Dahlström
Of: Jaime Gomez, Mats Ekenger, Olle Vennergrund and Saga Tullgren
Sweden's policy for international cooperation is in turmoil. On the one hand, the goal of a percentage of the country's GNI going to development aid is being questioned, and on the other hand, the development assistance budget is being eroded through redistributions - right now to efforts against the corona pandemic. Feminist initiatives are strongly critical of this.
June 2, 2020, Debate
Of: Sarah Hyde
The corona crisis has started the debate about how big Sweden's aid should really be. The goal that one percent of Sweden's GNI should go to development assistance has met with both defense and criticism on debate and leadership pages this week. The Corona pandemic further highlights the need for international cooperation, according to several debaters.
May 20, 2020, Current debate
The conflict between protesters and the Hong Kong government has escalated over the week. Many protesting students have been imprisoned at a university. Photo: Studio Incendo (CC BY 2.0)
Of: Filippa Dyrefors
The protests in Hong Kong have been going on since March, and this week the conflict between the protesters and the government has escalated. In Sweden, a number of debaters have expressed their concern about the increasingly uncontrolled situation. At the same time, the debate about the Swedish development agency Sida has continued on the opinion pages.
November 20, 2019, Current debate
Sweden's and the EU's relationship with Turkish President Erdogan has been on the agenda this week. It also has the Swedish development assistance budget. Photo: Russia Presidential Office and Maria Eklind
Of: Rebecka Rönnegård
Turkey's offensive in northern Syria characterizes the Swedish debate this week as well. More people have been forced to flee, which has created humanitarian needs. The Swedish government and the EU have been criticized for not doing enough. In addition, the debate on the size of the development assistance budget continued.
October 23, 2019, Current debate
Criticism of Swedish development assistance has been harsh on the opinion pages in the past week. But several have also gone on the defensive.
Of: Erica Fahlström
Revelations about corruption and proposals from the Moderates about a reduced aid budget. This has caused the debate about Swedish aid to be heated in the past week. Criticism about a lack of control is met with arguments that the aid is needed - precisely to fight corruption. "It is simply not the case that countries with lower aid budgets have better aid," writes Anna Tibblin from We Effect in Svenska Dagbladet.
September 11, 2019, Current debate
