Ministry of Culture

Stockholm, Sweden 2020-03-31. Check against delivery.

The cultural sector and sports movement will receive an extra SEK 1 billion in support due to the economic consequences affecting these sectors as a result of the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In connection with the Government’s International Forum for Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, the Government is allocating SEK 10 million to a national initiative to increase knowledge in schools and society.

On Holocaust Remembrance Day January 27 several representatives from the Swedish Government participated in memorial services to honour the victims of the Holocaust and to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Sweden’s human rights compliance will be reviewed within the framework of the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Monday 27 January in Geneva. Sweden’s delegation at the review before the UN Human Rights Council will for the first time be led by a government minister – Åsa Lindhagen, Minister for Gender Equality with responsibility for anti-discrimination and anti-segregation.

This information material contains a selection of the acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in the second half of 2019 or some time thereafter.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council that involves a periodic review of the human rights situation in all UN Member States. It is now time for Sweden to be reviewed within the framework of the third cycle of the UPR.

In the Budget Bill for 2020, the Government, together with the Liberal Party and Centre Party, puts forward several proposals to strengthen democracy, culture and sports throughout Sweden. Here you can learn more about some of the proposals within the Ministry of Culture’s budget areas.

To ensure that as many children and young people as possible can benefit from municipal culture school activities, the Government proposes that the support to municipalities running culture school activities should be reintroduced, and that it should amount to the previous level of SEK 100 million a year.

To improve the conditions for news coverage and local journalism throughout the country, the Government proposes that media subsidies are increased by a total of SEK 140 million, including previously announced increases. Moreover, an increase of SEK 30 million is proposed for the current year.