Ministry of Culture

Stockholm, 21 June 2022. Check against delivery.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) has successfully concluded its first plenary meetings under the Swedish Presidency. Guided by the motto, “Together for impact,” more than 200 experts, political representatives, and representatives of international organizations and civil society met in Stockholm over four days to advance education, remembrance, and research of the Holocaust and the genocide of the Roma.

The first plenary of the Swedish IHRA Presidency has been held in Stockholm the 20–23 June. The plenary provided an opportunity for the delegates to finally meet again after some time of digital meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 20–23 June, around 300 experts, researchers, diplomats and politicians from around the world are gathering in Stockholm to collaborate on Holocaust research and education. As President of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), Sweden is hosting the international Plenary Session with a focus on following through on the promises of the 2021 Malmö International Forum on Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism.

How many people work at the Government Offices? What was the central government budget like last year? How many acts and ordinances were issued last year? The answer to these and other questions can be found in the Swedish Government Offices Yearbook 2021.

On the occasion of the Swedish IHRA Presidency, a reunion was organized on the 13 June for Swedish teachers who had been to The Yad Vashem. The aim of the day was to reconnect to the experiences from Yad Vashem, and discuss the contemporary and future needs in Sweden for elaborated teaching and learning on the Holocaust and antisemitism.

"By comparing and equating Ukraine’s democratically elected government and their actions with the murderous policy of Nazi Germany, the history of the Holocaust is being grossly distorted and misused," said IHRA Chair Ambassador Ann Bernes in her first statement as IHRA Chair.

On Thursday 17 March, the Government decided to allocate SEK 30 million for civil society’s efforts related to reception of refugees in Sweden.

The Govern­ment has presented a bill to the Riksdag contain­ing pro­posals for equitable and inclusive rules con­cerning parent­hood in inter­national situations.

Sweden condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unprovoked, illegal and unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine. Russia’s actions are an attack on the European security order, and European countries now stand in solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. Extensive sanctions have been imposed in a short period of time against Russia and the Russian central government. The Government is now continuing to push for sanctions against Russia, support to Ukraine and strengthening Sweden.

Welcome to watch the digital launch of the Swedish IHRA Presidency. The event includes speeches by the Swedish Minister for Culture Jeanette Gustafsdotter, the Honorary Chair of the IHRA Professor Yehuda Bauer as well as the Secretary-General of the IHRA Dr. Kathrin Meyer and is hosted by Ambassador Ann Bernes, Chair of the IHRA.

The Swedish Presidency of the IHRA – Together for Impact – begins on 1 March 2022 and will continue until the end of February 2023. Sweden will be holding the Presidency twenty plus years after former Prime Minister Göran Persson initiated the organisation and one year after the Malmö Forum, Remember – ReAct. Sweden assumes the Presidency at a time when the IHRA is more needed than ever given that anti-democratic forces are gaining ground and spreading antisemitism, antigypsyism, disinformation and distortion, not least on social media platforms.

On 18 January, the Government will submit an initial additional amending budget for 2022 to the Riksdag. The budget includes, among other things, increased crisis support to culture and sport. In addition to the proposals presented earlier, an additional SEK 100 million is now being allocated to culture and sport.

Cultural activities and actors throughout the country have been severely affected by the pandemic. The Government is now setting up a new consultation forum for the cultural sector and is investing more than SEK 1 billion in culture through the distribution of previously announced support and proposals in the additional amending budget.

The Government is proposing enhanced support to civil society in an additional amending budget to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. The proposal involves temporary support of SEK 50 million to civil society child and youth organisations. In addition, special investments of SEK 80 million are proposed for civil society organisations working with particularly vulnerable groups. According to the Riksdag’s preliminary schedule, the budget will be adopted on 24 February.

Sweden has joined the global Media Freedom Coalition (MFC). Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde will represent Sweden at the MFC’s Third Global Conference for Media Freedom, which will take place in Tallinn on 9–10 February.

On 7 February, the Government decided on the distribution of the SEK 1 billion in crisis support allocated to culture, as previously announced in the additional amending budget. The crisis support concerns independent cultural life, individual cultural creators, film, regional culture, certain publicly supported cultural institutions and public venues.

Stockholm, 8 February 2022. Check against delivery.

This information material contains a selection of the acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in the second half of 2021 or some time thereafter.

The Government intends to proceed with the proposal to allow the use of vaccination certificates at public gatherings and public functions from 1 December 2021. The aim is to limit the spread of the virus among unvaccinated people in particular by preventing them from gathering in large groups, while public gatherings and public functions can continue to receive visitors.