Isabella Lövin

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is facing the most difficult financial situation since its inception in 1949. Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and the co-chairing Foreign Ministers of Jordan and Egypt are therefore convening an extraordinary ministerial conference in Rome on 15 March to mobilise both political and financial support for the Agency, and to find ways to assure sustainable forms of financing for UNRWA.

Sixteen million young girls and teenagers give birth each year – most of whom live in low-income countries. Unwanted and forced pregnancies can be prevented. But the right to contraception and safe abortions is currently under attack.

Within the framework of this strategy, Sweden’s development cooperation with Sudan is to contribute to sustainable peace, improved conditions for good public service delivery, and strengthened resilience. The strategy will apply in the period 2018–2022 and provide a total of SEK 1 200 million.

Leaders from all over the world will gather in Stockholm to intensify international efforts for gender equality. The Stockholm Forum on Gender Equality brings together close to 500 key representatives from civil society organisations, governments, business, and academia. The aim is to find solutions, take new initiatives, and strengthen co-operation in the international fight for gender equality.

The Swedish Government and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, with Sweden making a historic commitment of approximately US$370 million in flexible funds to WFP over the next four years (2018 to 2021). The contribution is the largest ever made by a donor within a WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement.

The Government has decided to allocate SEK 800 million over four years (2018–2021) to the Strategy for Sweden’s regional development cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa. The strategy has been updated to more clearly focus on the link between humanitarian assistance and long-term development, particularly in the Horn of Africa countries. The Government considers that there is considerable potential for Sweden to contribute to increased resilience to crises and disasters, and to conflict prevention and conflict management regionally.

Sweden’s new Climate Act enters into force today. For the first time, Sweden will have an act stating that each government has an obligation to pursue a climate policy based on the climate goals adopted by the Riksdag.

By 2045, Sweden will have achieved net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Several of the Government’s proposals in the Budget Bill for 2018, such as the ‘charge-at-home’ support, the Green Industry Leap and investments for international cooperation, will now be implemented.

The Swedish Government has adopted a new strategy for human rights, democracy and the rule of law that will apply to Swedish development cooperation between 2018 and 2022.

The One Planet Summit begins in Paris on 12 December, and Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate, and Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Isabella Lövin will be there. Below she talks about the summit and a new Swedish climate initiative.