Ministry of Culture

Stockholm, 29 May 2017. Check against delivery.

Berlin, 16 May 2018. Check against delivery.

The Government is commencing a more systematic effort to safeguard – and thereby strengthen - the democratic discourse against threats and hatred. The work conducted by the judicial authorities is of importance, but not enough to protect the democratic discourse. This action plan, issued by the Swedish Government, is specifically intended to safeguard politically elected representatives, journalists and artists as a part of the infrastructure of the democratic discourse. These actors are particularly exposed due to the functions they have in society.

Agenda item 4: Implementation of the six mandated areas of the Permanent Forum with reference to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Monday April 16th 2018 Nordic statement Delivered by: Alice Bah Kuhnke, Minister for Culture and Democracy of Sweden Check against delivery.

National statement delivered by Her Excellency Ms. Alice Bah Kuhnke, Minister for Culture and Democracy, on behalf of Sweden at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security: Preventing sexual violence in conflict through empowerment, gender equality and access to justice, 16 April 2018, New York.

In the spring amending budget for 2018, the Government is proposing that the Swedish Arts Council receive SEK 10 million to go to culture for children and young people as a temporary initiative during 2018. The funding supplements the comprehensive grants towards culture for children and young people already provided by the Swedish Arts Council. The initiative is based on an agreement between the Government and the Left Party.

In the spring amending budget for 2018, the Government is investing an additional SEK 15 million in 2018 to provide temporary enhanced support to smaller cinemas and film festivals. This is a boost in addition to the investment of SEK 25 million being made annually in 2016–2019. The investment is based on an agreement between the Government and the Left Party.

The Government has presented a bill on media support to the Riksdag. The bill proposes introducing a supplementary new media support scheme while preserving the existing press subsidy scheme.

One of the Swedish Government’s gender equality policy sub-goals is that men’s violence against women must stop. With reference to #metoo, the following lists some examples of implemented and forthcoming measures to counteract sexual violence, harassment and assault.

The #metoo movement in Sweden strongly demonstrates that more needs to be done to combat sexual harassment and sexual violence in workplaces and society at large. The Swedish Government requires all employers to take responsibility for a secure work environment. In the area of work environment and discrimination there are already many tools and relevant legislation, but the power and size of the petitions show that there are deficiencies in compliance with the regulations. For this reason, Minister for Employment Ylva Johansson and Minister for Gender Equality Åsa Regnér have met with the labour market and union partners, and several ministers have in recent weeks convened meetings with heads of government agencies and business leaders in order to focus on the responsibility of employers to counteract sexual violence and harassment.

This publication is an abridged version and contains the Government of Sweden’s strategy for national work with human rights. The Government’s complete, unabridged strategy also includes a progress report on Sweden’s international commitments on human rights.

At 13.00 on Thursday 19 October, Minister for Culture and Democracy Alice Bah Kuhnke will present the Per Anger Prize to women’s rights activist Gégé Katana Bukuru, in honour of her work for human rights and women’s rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The prize ceremony will take place at Södra Latin Upper Secondary School in Stockholm.

On 14 July 2018, Ingmar Bergman would have celebrated his 100th birthday. He was one of Sweden’s internationally most renowned and important artists ever. The Budget Bill for 2018 proposes allocating grants to the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the Ingmar Bergman Foundation, the Fårö Bergman Centre Foundation and the Swedish Film Institute for initiatives to highlight the centenary nationally and internationally.

The Government proposes in the Budget Bill for 2018 to give the National Library of Sweden an extra SEK 25 million per year for three years. The aim is to improve people’s digital skills and ability to critically appraise sources.

The Government proposes that SEK 250 million be allocated each year in 2018–2020 to increase the range and accessibility of library activities throughout the country. A total of SEK 25 million per year of this investment will be provided to the cultural cooperation model, which allocates funds to libraries and activities to promote reading and literature. The Budget Bill for 2018 is based on an agreement between the Government and the Left Party.

The Government proposes that the appropriation to the National Archives be increased by SEK 10 million from 2018 to abolish fees to access digital archive material. This will make some 100 million digital archive images freely available, reducing costs for private individuals to conduct genealogy or area research.

The Government has decided to make the ‘Unga Klara’ theatre company a national theatre institute for children and young people as of 2018. State support for the theatre company will amount to an estimated SEK 16.2 million in 2018, and then SEK 15.4 million per year. This means that state support to Unga Klara will be more than doubled compared with today.

The Government proposes in the Budget Bill for 2018 that new municipalities join the administrative areas for the national minority languages of Sami, Finnish and Meänkieli. To fund this, the appropriation will be increased by SEK 16 million in 2018 and by SEK 20 million per year from 2019. The Budget Bill for 2018 is based on an agreement between the government parties and the Left Party.

To enhance artistic freedom throughout the country, the Government proposes an investment totalling SEK 115 million per year in the Budget Bill for 2018. This investment represents an increase of the grants and remunerations allocated directly to artists, independent performing arts groups and cultural publications.

Geneva, 29 June 2017. Check against delivery.