Ministry of Health and Social Affairs

Screen time’s impact on the health of children and young people was on the agenda when ministers from across the Nordic region met in Stockholm on 17 April. Minister for Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed hosted the meeting, which was under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers also discussed how Nordic cooperation against antimicrobial resistance can be strengthened.

More and more children and young people are becoming involved in criminal networks, and stopping recruitment requires early interventions, knowledge-based methods and collaboration. Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer and Minister for Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall therefore hosted Nordic countries, including the autonomous regions, for a discussion about children and young people who are, or risk being, involved in crime. The meeting was held within the framework of the ongoing Swedish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

To combat crime and increase security, investments in the judicial system and criminal law measures must be combined with effective and proactive crime prevention efforts. The Government has therefore presented a national strategy that focuses on social crime prevention measures. The aim includes preventing children and young people from becoming involved in criminal networks and other types of crime.

Sweden and the US have entered into a bilateral cooperation agreement on cancer research and care. The agreement builds on the cooperation agreement that the two countries concluded in 2016 with the aim of accelerating research results through increased exchange.

The Swedish Gender Equality Agency has been tasked with sharing knowledge about honour-based violence and oppression in connection with stays abroad. The Government has now also tasked the Agency with analyzing and presenting proposals for a national reporting and follow-up system for cases where a child or adult has been taken abroad. This involves determining the scope of the problem and establishing an approach to systematic follow-up.

Statement from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry Ebba Busch and Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson

The task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its third meeting on Friday 9 February, with its discussions mainly focused on the 2024 theme of education. New representatives of the National Agency for Education and the Swedish National Council of Adult Education joined this meeting. The task force will also continue to address last year’s theme of security in 2024.

Brochure in pdf format that presents the Department of Social Affairs' areas of responsibility, organization and management.

One of Malin Grape's main tasks is to promote the visibility of the government's priority issues in the field of antimicrobial resistance in the international arena and to contribute to a strengthened global dialogue. As Swedish Ambassador for work against AMR, she highlighted this issue at several key forums in 2023, including during the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and at the World Health Assembly (WHA).

Opinion piece, Euractiv, 1 February 2024, by Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, European Commission, Stella Kyriakides, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, European Commission, Johan Forssell, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Sweden, Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health, Sweden, Caroline Gennez, Minister of Development Cooperation and of Major Cities, Belgium and Frank Vandenbroucke, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health, Belgium.

This compilation contains a selection of the acts and ordinances – both new and amended – that enter into force in the second half of 2023 or in early 2024.

The will to support Ukraine is strong among Swedish health and medical care actors from both the public and private sectors. The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and Swecare held a Conference on Support to the Recovery and Development of Health Care in Ukraine on 1 December to harness this engagement and discuss how Swedish support can be put to best use.

The Swedish Government has adopted an updated strategy to combat antibiotic resistance (AMR). The overarching goal continues to be preserving the possibility of effective treatment of bacterial infections in humans and animals. The strategy will apply until the end of 2025.

On 1 December, Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson and Minister for Health and Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed will co-host a conference to discuss Sweden’s support to Ukraine’s health and medical care system. The conference, which will convene both public and private sector actors, aims especially to outline how Ukraine’s health care system can be rebuilt, strengthened and modernised.

On Tuesday 14 November, the task force for Jewish life in Sweden held its second meeting. The task force works to improve the conditions for Jewish life, and prevent and combat antisemitism in Sweden.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a new global Commission on Social Connection. The aim of the Commission is to spotlight the public health problem of loneliness and involuntary isolation and make it a priority. Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed has been included among the twelve Commissioners – the only one from Europe.

Combatting antisemitism is a high priority for the Government. The budget presented on 20 September includes several initiatives to enhance and shore up these continued efforts. This includes funding to the Jewish Museum, the Living History Forum and the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities, and state aid for security-heightening measures.

On 16 October, Minister for Gender Equality Working Life and Deputy Minister for Employment Paulina Brandberg, Minister for Culture Parisa Liljestrand and Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed met with representatives of Jewish civil society. The meeting focused on how events in Israel are affecting Jews in Sweden, current challenges and future efforts to combat antisemitism and support Jewish life.

Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson took part in the 78th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York. Among her various activities during the meeting, Ms Ankarberg Johansson took part in a panel discussion on rare diseases, sponsored by Sweden and Spain together with the organisation Rare Diseases International.

On 18–26 September, several high-level meetings will be held in connection with the opening of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN Headquarters in New York. Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell and Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson will attend.