Isabella Lövin

Translation of an article published in Dagens Nyheter on 10 July 2018.

The Stockholm Forum on Gender Equality was held on 15–17 April 2018 and gathered more than 700 participants from over 100 countries and a multitude of sectors and functions. The discussions covered a broad range of areas and focused on concrete methods and tools to enhance gender equality and the full enjoyment of rights, representation and resources for all women and girls.

The European Development Days is a development forum that the European Commission has organised since 2006. This year’s theme was gender equality under the thread ‘Women and Girls at the Forefront of Sustainable Development’.

In connection with the one-year anniversary of the UN Ocean Conference in New York co-chaired by Sweden and Fiji, the Government has decided to finance a number of new international ocean projects. To continue demonstrating leadership, the Government is allocating a further SEK 80 million to contribute to improving the global marine environment.

The Government can now present Sweden’s action plan for the 2030 Agenda. Through the action plan, the Government intends to reinforce efforts to implement the Agenda and make it clear how government agencies and other actors in society can contribute.

Today, Sweden entered into a new multiyear agreement to support the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). With this support, Sweden is consolidating its position as one of the largest donors to the fund.

The objective of Swedish international development cooperation is to create opportunities for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. The starting point is the policy framework for Swedish development cooperation and humanitarian assistance, as well as the principles of aid effectiveness and effective development cooperation. Development cooperation shall contribute towards implementing the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

Climate change is one of the Government’s top-three issues, alongside jobs and education. The Government has adopted a guest researcher programme under which US environment and climate researchers can be invited to conduct research in Sweden for a period of up to three years.

Efficient and effective tax administration is fundamental to the long-term financing of a functioning society, poverty reduction and the achievement of the goals of the 2030 Agenda. Sweden has therefore invited representatives of governments in 160 countries, agencies, international and regional organisations, civil society and the business sector to exchange experiences of tax capacity-building. The Stockholm Tax Conference will be held on 30–31 May.

This is a press release published by both the Government of Sweden and the Government of Canada.