Democracy and human rights

In October 2014, Sweden became the first country in the world to launch a feminist foreign policy. This means applying a systematic gender equality perspective throughout the whole foreign policy agenda. This handbook should be a resource for international work relating to gender equality and all women’s and girls’ full enjoyment of human rights. It contains a selection of methods and experiences that can provide examples and inspira¬tion for further work of the Swedish Foreign Service, other parts of the civil service and society as a whole. The handbook also describes the first four years of working with a feminist foreign policy. Thereby, it responds to the considerable national and international interest in this policy.

As President of the UN Security Council, Sweden has been responsible for the Security Council’s very broad agenda and led its intensive day-to-day work. The Security Council’s primary purpose is to maintain international peace and security, and Sweden has contributed to these efforts by focusing on results, dialogue and inclusive leadership.

The Government Offices will take part in Stockholm Pride for the 14th time. Advancing equal rights and opportunities for LGBTI people is a priority for the Government. Taking part in Pride is one way of increasing awareness about the Government’s work.

The formal rights for LGBT persons in Sweden have been strengthened through various reforms. This has involved changes in the law, including the introduction of a principle of non-discrimination, enhanced rights in family law and anti-hate crime initiatives. What follows is a chronological overview of several reforms put in place to strengthen and promote equal rights for LGBT persons.

In recent years, a number of reforms have been introduced in order to secure equal rights for LGBT persons. There has also been a positive societal development regarding these issues which has helped to ensure a better situation for LGBT persons in Sweden. However, LGBT persons, in particular transgender persons, still face difficulties in Sweden. The government is therefore taking further measures for equal rights for LGBT persons. You can find out more about these measures in the leaflet in the link on the righthand side of this article.

National statement delivered by Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Margot Wallström on behalf of Sweden at the United Nations Security Council Briefing on Peace and Security in Africa, 10 July 2018, New York.

Today, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs publishes new, updated country reports on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, covering 19 countries in the Americas, Central Asia and Eastern Europe in which Sweden has a permanent presence. The reports are written in Swedish and can be found on the Government’s website.

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’.

National statement delivered by Ambassador Carl Skau on behalf of Sweden at the United Nations Security Council Briefing on MINUSMA, 14 June 2018, New York.

Explantation of Vote delivered by Ambassador Carl Skau on behalf of Sweden at the United Nations Security Council Adoption of Resolution 2421 (2018), renewing the mandate of UNAMI, 14 June 2018, New York.