Foreign and security policy
Foreign policy is about Sweden’s relations with and policies towards other countries. Preventing risks and threats is an important part of security policy, which in turn is part of foreign policy. Swedish policy is pursued via direct relations with other countries and also through bodies such as the EU and the UN.
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News about foreign and security policy
Talks between Swedish and North Korean foreign ministers concluded
Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström and North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong-ho. Photo: Per E Karlsson/Government Offices of Sweden On 15–17 March, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström and North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong-ho met in Stockholm for talks. The North Korean delegation also paid a courtesy call on Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven. The talks focused primarily on the security situation on the Korean peninsula, which is high on the UN Security Council agenda. Sweden is a member of the Security Council for the 2017–2018 term.
Minister for Foreign Affairs presented Government Statement of Foreign Policy
Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström presents the 2018 Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. Photo: Anders Löwdin/Riksdagsförvaltningen On 14 February, Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström presented the 2018 Statement of Foreign Policy in the Riksdag. The traditional foreign policy debate followed. The Statement of Foreign Policy outlines the Government’s visions for Sweden’s work in the world and Swedish foreign policy positions.
Sweden and the UN
The United Nations is a central arena for Sweden’s action to address global challenges. Through the UN, Sweden contributes to conflict prevention, peace efforts, rebuilding of conflict-affected states, and disarmament and non-proliferation. The UN is also an important channel for Sweden’s humanitarian work and our efforts to fight poverty, promote sustainable development and combat climate change. Other priorities for Sweden in the UN include strengthening international law and promoting human rights and gender equality issues. The three pillars of the UN – peace and security, development and human rights – are inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing. It is impossible to achieve success in one of these areas without also strengthening the others.
Feminist foreign policy
Equality between women and men is a fundamental aim of Swedish foreign policy. Ensuring that women and girls can enjoy their fundamental human rights is both an obligation within the framework of our international commitments, and a prerequisite for reaching Sweden’s broader foreign policy goals on peace, and security and sustainable development.
Statement of Foreign Policy 2018
On Wednesday 14 February 2018, Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström presented the Statement of Foreign Policy to the Riksdag.
Sweden in the UN Security Council
Sweden is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in 2017–2018. As an open country that is dependent on the rest of the world, it is in Sweden’s interests to contribute to and defend the international order, at the heart of which lie the United Nations and the Security Council. Sweden hold the presidency of the Security Council in January 2017.
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