Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Ambassador Annika Söder has been appointed by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, to form part of a group of eminent persons that will contribute to the ongoing review of the UN peacebuilding architecture.

This strategy will underpin Sweden’s cooperation with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) for 2020–2023. The strategy establishes the priorities and forms of collaboration for Sweden’s membership of, and partnership with, the WFP at global, regional and national level.

This strategy will underpin Sweden’s cooperation with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) during the period 2020–2023. The strategy establishes the priorities and forms of collaboration for Sweden’s partnership with UNRWA at global, regional and national level.

In this Communication, the Swedish Government provides an account of Sweden’s export control policy with respect to military equipment and dual-use items in 2018. The Communication also contains a report detailing exports of military equipment during the year. In addition, it describes the cooperation in the EU and other international forums on matters relating to strategic export controls on both military equipment and dual-use items.

This strategy will underpin Sweden’s cooperation with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for the period 2019–2023. The strategy determines priorities and forms of cooperation for Sweden’s membership of and partnership with the Global Fund.

Following the parliamentary elections in Belarus in November, the Representation of Sweden to the EU hosted a meeting on 21 November with experts from Belarus and representatives of the EU Member States and institutions. The aim was to get an update on the impressions of how the elections were implemented and the situation for journalists.

In this Communication, the Government outlines Sweden’s relations with China and the Government’s approach to matters relating to China. It does so in light of China’s growing influence in the world and the new implications, opportunities and challenges this brings.

The seventh dialogue between Sweden and Cambodia on human rights took place on 21–23 October in Stockholm. The talks were led by Sweden’s Ambassador at large for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law Annika Ben David. The purpose of the dialogue is to provide the opportunity for exchange of experience and to follow developments in human rights in the two countries.

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On Thursday 15 August, some 80 volunteers from more than 30 countries are invited to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to celebrate the impact made by the MFA’s and Wikimedia Sweden’s international initiative, WikiGap. The initiative has gained a foothold in more than 60 countries and has so far resulted in 32 000 new or edited articles about women on Wikipedia. These articles have now been viewed more than 100 million times.

Salpy Eskidjian Weiderud, Executive Director of the Swedish-led Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process (RTCYPP), is today awarded the first-ever International Religious Freedom Award by the US Department of State.

The threat posed by nuclear weapons is greater now than for several decades. A number of states are modernising their arsenals, and the lack of trust between states is an urgent problem. Nuclear disarmament is therefore a key priority of the Government’s foreign and security policy. The Government observes that the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in its current form is not ready for signing. The Government will refrain from signing or pursuing ratification of the TPNW at the present time. However, nuclear disarmament efforts continue through a number of different initiatives.

On 12 June, young people from Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia will meet in Luleå together with national and regional representatives and experts in the framework of the Swedish Chairmanship of the Barents Euro Arctic Council to discuss concrete and forward-looking proposals to increase youth engagement and influence in the Barents region.

France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Sweden have noted with close attention the recent developments in the Republic of Moldova. Following the Parliamentary elections, a democratically elected Parliamentary majority has taken important decisions including the formation of a government.

6 June 2019 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

The objective of Sweden’s international development cooperation is to create opportunities for people who live in poverty and oppression to improve their living conditions.

On 14–15 June, the President of the Republic of Korea, His Excellency Moon Jae-in, will pay a State Visit to Sweden at the invitation of His Majesty The King. The President will be accompanied by his wife, First Lady Kim Jung-sook.

The Head of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Special Representative Ms. Mami Mizutori made an official visit to Sweden on May 3, 2019. As Swedish State Secretary for Development Cooperation, Mr. Per Olsson Fridh, met with Ms. Mizutori they agreed on the need to invest in risk reduction and resilience building to reduce the effect of natural disasters.