Week 37: Debaters want to put more pressure on the Iranian regime

It has been a year since Mahsa Jina Amini was murdered by the moral police in Iran. The murder was the starting point for furious protests against the mullahs' regime. On the anniversary of the murder, several Swedish debaters question whether Sweden and the EU have really put enough pressure on Iran. Pictured: A demonstration in Melbourne, Australia, in solidarity with the women of Iran a week after the assassination in 2022. Photo: Mark Hkrac. Source: Flickr.

Of: Agnes Durbeej-Hjalt

Last week was the anniversary of the murder mahsa Name Believe in Iran. At the same time, the Swedish EU official Johan Floderus has been imprisoned for over 500 days. Several debaters are now demanding that Sweden and the EU pursue a stricter policy towards Iran.

September 18, 2023, Current debate

Week 10: Debaters address digitization as a vital part of the gender equality issue

Last week, Swedish debate and editorial writers discussed, among other things, the connection between digitization and gender equality. Photo: Pexels.

Of: Ida Eriksson Vanemo

During the last week, many debate and editorial writers focused on women's rights in conjunction with International Women's Day on March 8. Several debaters discussed digitization and gender equality as it was the main issue discussed at the meeting of the UN Commission on Women (CSW) in New York on 10 March. 

March 15, 2023, Current debate

Promoting local democracy: "Must make your voice heard"

In November, the International Center for Local Democracy (ICLD) concluded the 2022 round of the Women's Leadership Program. The final workshop was held in Kigali, Rwanda. In the picture, this year's participants can be seen together with the Swedish politicians who through Sweden's Municipalities and Regions (SKR) are mentors in the program, as well as Rwanda's Minister for Gender Equality Jeannette Bayisenge and Sweden's ambassador to Rwanda Johanna Teague. Photo: ICLD.

Of: Agnes Durbeej-Hjalt

Every year, the International Center for Local Democracy (ICLD) organizes a leadership program for women in local political positions of power in low- and middle-income countries. The aim is to strengthen women in their leadership role to contribute to the development of local democracy. Development magazine has interviewed Anne Scheffer Leander, responsible for the program, about how the promotion of local democracy actually works in practice.  

January 23, 2023, Interview

New foreign policy makes the future uncertain for gender equality projects in Latin America

Maja Magnusson, press officer and information officer at Svalorna Latinamerika, is concerned that reduced aid and scrapped feminist foreign policy could affect gender equality work in Latin America. Photo: Swallows Latin America.

Of: Vilma Ellemark

The new direction of Swedish foreign policy has caused concern among many organizations that work with global development issues. - We are worried about severe cuts, says Maja Magnusson, press officer and information officer at Svalorna Latin America.

December 9, 2022, Interview

Why including women in discussions about water resources is important

Water related challenges constitute some of the biggest challenges the world is facing today, and the global water crisis is not gender neutral. But water diplomacy, defined as cooperation over the management and safeguarding of shared water resources, has the potential to contribute to an equitable, peaceful and sustainable solution, states LM International in a debate article. Photo from Niamey, Niger. Photographer: Torleif Svensson.

Of: Florien van Weerelt and Isabella Olsson

Access to safe water and sanitation has been recognized as both a human rights under international law and an important objective for the international community through its inclusion in the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Equitable access to water contributes to the achievement of key objectives, including gender equality, climate resilience, and peace and security.

December 1, 2022, Debate, English

Week 43: Debaters encourage the Foreign Minister to take up the fight for equality

Several debaters urge the new foreign minister Tobias Billström (M) that Sweden should continue to lead the way for global equality. In the picture, he can be seen at Almedal Week 2018. Photo: Politikerveckan Almedalen. Source: Flickr.

Of: Agnes Durbeej-Hjalt and Sidra Amir

The new government's foreign and aid policy continues to create debate. China's increasingly authoritarian rule and Great Britain's new prime minister have also sparked reactions on Swedish debate and editorial pages. 

October 31, 2022, Current debate

Living as a LGBTQ + person in Zambia has reminded me why Pride is needed

In some parts of the world, LGBTQ + people still have to hide who we are. It writes FUF correspondent Sofia Karlsson, who is currently in Zambia - a country where homosexuality is illegal. Photo: Ajay Mahato. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Of: Sofia Karlsson

During the month of June, Pride is celebrated in several parts of the world. Many people see it mostly as an opportunity to dance in the street and wear a huge amount of glitter, but the first Pridethe parade was a political protest against harassment that LGBTQ + people were forced to endure daily. I'm bisexual myself, and after living in Zambia for the past six months, I've been reminded why Pride is still needed.

July 3, 2022, Chronicle

Violence against women in Bolivia - the second pandemic

Hundreds of people in La Paz participated in a flash mob in La Paz in 2015 to draw attention to gender-based violence - which is a widespread problem in Bolivia. Photo: UN Women. Source: Flickr.

Of: Beata Sjödahl

In Bolivia, seven out of ten women state that they have been subjected to violence in a close relationship and since 2013, one woman has been murdered every three days in the country. The pandemic, and the restrictions it has brought, have further aggravated the situation for women as many women have been quarantined with their perpetrators.

March 8, 2022, Analysis

Desmond Tutu has passed away - but the work against segregation in South Africa continues

Desmond Tutu was one of South Africa's foremost freedom fighters in the fight against Apartheid. He died in December 2021, aged 90 years. Photo: Cymru dros Heddwch. Source: Flickr.

Of: Linnea Ljungar

It was in the 1980s that Desmond Tutu played an important role in drawing national and international attention to the apartheid system in South Africa. But even today, South Africa is a country with a large gap between rich and poor, largely due to the legacy of colonialism and the apartheid system.

March 2, 2022, Analysis

Beyond the health crisis: Covid-19's impact on human development

Almost two years after the COVID-19 outbreak, the pandemic is far from over, and its repercussions might last for months and years to come. Photo: Transformer18 / Flickr.

Of: Ivette Nogués

After surpassing the threshold of 50% of the world population who have received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, some may feel like we are finally putting the pandemic behind us. However, many experts warn that the crisis is far from over - and that its long-term consequences are still very difficult to estimate.

December 19, 2021, Chronicle, English, Magazine