Ministry for Foreign Affairs

On 9 April, Minister for Energy, Business and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell gathered leading actors in Team Sweden for a high-level meeting. The aim was to jointly foster better conditions for improved global competitiveness and foreign trade, and bolster Sweden’s position internationally. The Government organised the meeting to discuss the work already in progress and the joint path forward.

Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström at Selwyn College, Cambridge, 16 April 2024. Check against delivery.

On 11–13 April, State Secretary Diana Janse travelled to South Sudan with Deputy High Commissioner in the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Kelly Clements. Sweden is one of the largest donors to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the humanitarian disaster in South Sudan, which has been exacerbated by the fighting in Sudan.

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU.

On 15–16 April, Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström is travelling to the United Kingdom for a visit in London and Cambridge. During the visit, he will meet with his British counterpart Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Cameron for discussions on bilateral relations, NATO and support to Ukraine.

Increased investment and a sustainable business sector are crucial to support the reconstruction of Ukraine. In the 2024 Spring Amending Budget, the Government therefore proposes a capital injection of SEK 300 million to Swedfund to increase investment in Ukraine.

The Nordic countries welcome the Israeli government’s announcement that life-saving humanitarian assistance to Gaza can be received in the port of Ashdod, that the Erez crossing will be reopened to facilitate entry to north Gaza, and that humanitarian assistance from Jordan entering through Kerem Shalom crossing in the south will be increased.

The objective of Sweden’s international development assistance is to create conditions to improve the lives of people living in poverty and oppression. Development cooperation is based on the principles of aid and development effectiveness, the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement.

Today, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell presented the Government’s Music Export Prize to Loreen. Europe were awarded the Government’s Special Prize and the Honourable Mention went to Melodifestivalen.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström is launching a high-level group that will provide expert support to Ukraine’s Government during its EU accession process.

The Government will task the Swedish Institute with establishing and coordinating a Team Sweden group to create positive interest and confidence in Sweden abroad. This initiative is being presented today, 9 April, at a high-level meeting that includes discussions and a presentation of the work on Sweden’s strategy for foreign trade, investment and global competitiveness (the foreign trade strategy) with leading actors within Team Sweden. Minister for Business, Industry and Innovation Ebba Busch and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell hosted the meeting.

Through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Sweden is now issuing a record guarantee of USD 250 million to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Seven countries in the Amazon region will be able to borrow up to USD 460 million for sustainable investments. The agreement was signed in connection with the IDB’s Annual Meeting on 8 March in the Dominican Republic.

On 3–4 April, Mr Billström will take part in the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels. This is the first time that Sweden will participate as a NATO Ally. A meeting will also be held between NATO foreign ministers and Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.

On 10 April, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell will present the Government’s Music Export Prize for 2023. The nominees include internationally successful Swedish artists and songwriters.

The Government is allocating SEK 120 million for efforts to fight hunger in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. This support will be channelled through the World Food Programme (WFP), the largest humanitarian organisation dedicated to fighting hunger.

On 23–24 April 2024, the President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb and his wife Suzanne Innes-Stubb will pay a State Visit to Sweden at the invitation of HM The King. The President will be accompanied by a delegation of government and business representatives.

On 9–10 April, Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström will host a foreign and security policy meeting in the Nordic-Baltic format (NB8) in Visby.

This compendium encapsulates the key findings and insights derived from a series of workshops which took place between July 2023 and February 2024, and which focused on the interplay between cyber resiliency and sustainable digital development. The initiative has been spearheaded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE), and Microsoft.

Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström at Hertie School in Berlin, Germany, 21 March 2024. Check against delivery.

Sweden is a leading donor of development assistance, but meeting the funding needs for a green and digital transition requires closer cooperation between development assistance and trade, greater mobilisation of private capital and harnessing the business sector’s innovation capacity. A current example of this is Sweden’s partnership with Bangladesh, which HRH Crown Princess Victoria visited together with Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell on 18–21 March.