Ministry of Health and Social Affairs

Åsa Lindhagen will be heading the Swedish delegation at the 63rd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York on 11–22 March. This year’s theme – social protection systems – is intended to highlight global challenges for gender equality.

Sweden has the world's first feminist government. In practice, this means a commitment to building a society in which women and men, girls and boys can live their lives to their full potential. Gender equality is a matter of human rights, of democracy and of justice. It is also an engine driving social development and creating genuine change in society and in people's lives.

Since 21 January 2019, Sweden has a new feminist Government. “We will use our policies to build a society in which all people have equal value and equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities, and in which no one is limited by their gender,” say Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and Minister for Gender Equality Åsa Lindhagen.

Sweden has a feminist government. We are committed to building a society in which girls and boys, women and men have the same power to shape society and their own lives, and live their lives to their full potential. Gender equality is a human right and is ultimately a question of democracy, representation and social justice. At the same time, gender equality is part of the solution to creating jobs and growth.

The Government wishes to mitigate the consequences for Swedish citizens in the United Kingdom in the event that the country leaves the EU without reaching any agreement whatsoever on how this withdrawal is to take place. Among other things, the government bill submitted to the Riksdag proposes that, in the event of a hard Brexit, it should still be possible to pay Swedish social security benefits to individuals in the United Kingdom over a transitional period. It is also proposed that it should still be possible to receive compensation for healthcare expenses over the same period.

In the social security area, the immediate effect of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU is that central EU legal provisions will no longer apply. To prevent any acute consequences, the Government is planning to take measures that will primarily mitigate the effects that may arise for individuals during the initial period after the withdrawal. The proposals aim to allow a period of adjustment.

The Council of Europe has published its first review of how Sweden is fulfilling its commitments under the organisation’s convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention). The Convention, to which Sweden acceded in 2014, is the most comprehensive and detailed instrument for human rights in this area.

On Monday 21 January, Prime Minister Stefan Löfven presented the Statement of Government Policy in the Riksdag and announced the ministers that make up the Government. Åsa Lindhagen is Minister for Gender Equality, with responsibility for anti-discrimination and anti-segregation.

The Government today appointed 31 state secretaries at the Government Offices. Former state secretaries have been dismissed from their positions. Most of the state secretaries have previously held corresponding positions at the Government Offices.

The 2030 Agenda offers us a new opportunity to influence and help improve the health situation for people in Sweden and globally. By acting globally, we create conditions for positive developments in our own country while also contributing to, and taking responsibility for, positive developments in the world at large. The document Sweden’s work on global health seeks to bring together and consolidate existing strategies, priorities and policies with the aim of setting out a clear and common agenda and creating the conditions for more effective communications, increased collaboration and, ultimately, more impactful Swedish action.