Response to interpellation 2024/25:404 on support for Swedish peace organizations
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the support for Swedish peace organizations. M argues that the government works for peace through engagement in the UN, EU, and Nato as well as by prioritizing support for Ukraine 1. M believes that organizations aimed at a Swedish audience must find their own funding 2, but that they can seek project support for peacebuilding in conflict countries 2. M argues that the government has made tough priorities by deprioritizing communication efforts in Sweden to instead prioritize activities in the field 3. V argues that the government is withdrawing support as an attack on critical voices 4 and that it is possible to both support Ukraine and Swedish peace organizations 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Statsrådet Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! Lotta Johnsson Fornarve has asked me if the government intends to reintroduce or in some other way replace the abolished support to the Swedish peace movement. Furthermore, she has asked me if I intend to ensure long-term funding for peace organizations for the purpose of maintaining a strong civil society that can scrutinize the government's decisions and contribute to debate and popular engagement in defense and security policy issues – and if not, why.
Let me first state that the government works for peace through active engagement in the UN, EU and Nato, through our bilateral diplomatic relations with other countries and through our support for civil society organizations worldwide. It is central to the government's foreign and security policy.
Sweden has a long tradition of generous and ambitious aid. A large part of the aid aims to create peaceful, democratic and inclusive societies.
We contribute support to many important UN bodies, to the World Bank, and to individual international organizations that work with mediation, conflict resolution, and prevention in conflict-affected countries. Sweden also works on prevention by continuing to promote human rights, democracy, and the principles of the rule of law. The strategy that governs this work has a budget amounting to 900 million kronor in 2024.
Sweden has, among other things, for a long time been among the largest donors to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, PBF. Over the last five years, Sweden has contributed 100 million dollars. Alongside the support to PBF and aid that supports peace efforts in individual countries, Sweden has its own thematic aid strategy for peace, security, and stabilization.
It is very positive that there are organizations and individuals in Sweden who engage in international peace issues. These organizations and forces in civil society are important.
For Swedish organizations that carry out peacebuilding activities in conflict countries, there is an opportunity to apply for project support from Sida through the strategy for Sweden's development cooperation with civil society.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer to my interpellation, even though I do not think I received any really clear answers to my questions!
The Minister answers that it is very positive that there are organizations and individuals in Sweden who engage in international peace issues. But why then does the government pull the rug out from under the organizations when it comes to their opportunity to operate by significantly withdrawing the aid to them? Is the government worried about the peace organizations' scrutiny of, for example, the Swedish arms exports to dictatorships such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the United Arab Emirates? A third of Swedish arms exports go to countries with major deficiencies regarding human rights.
The government already decided last year to cut the state financial support that has been given for almost 100 years to Swedish organizations working for peace and disarmament. This is happening at a time when the security situation is more strained than it has been in a long time. Large and decisive security policy decisions are being made – decisions that will have consequences for Sweden's role in the world for a long time to come.
The sum that has been cut is relatively small in security policy contexts; during 2023, the support amounted to just over 20 million kronor. But it is funds that are absolutely crucial for the organizations concerned. It is difficult not to interpret the government's decision as a direct attack on the critical voices that the peace movement constitutes.
Civil society is a fundamental pillar for every democratic society, and Swedish association life engages hundreds of thousands of people every year around important social issues and contributes to developing Swedish democracy.
Unfortunately, we have seen how support for civil society has changed and deteriorated since the current government came to power. Previously, Sida's information grants, which aimed to promote scrutiny, debate, and information about aid in Sweden, have been cut very significantly and are now almost completely removed. All funding for development research via the Swedish Research Council has been abolished. This is a hard blow to civil society organizations.
Sweden needs a strong civil society that can critically scrutinize the government's decisions and contribute to expertise, analysis, debate, and engagement. Unfortunately, we see how this important work is now being threatened. Some of the organizations that have been particularly hard hit are the Swedish organizations that work for peace and disarmament.
One of the organizations that has been hit hard by the government's policy is Svenska FN-förbundet, which works for a better and stronger UN. In a security-politically uncertain time, it is more important than ever to work for international law and the institutions that hold the world together.
Peace work is an important part both in creating security for us and in building global security. Another organization that has been hit hard is the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association, which has been able to be a platform for engagement and for dialogue on issues of peace, security, defense, and disarmament.
Does the Government intend to reintroduce or otherwise replace the abolished support for the Swedish peace movement? It is a support that has, therefore, existed for 100 years.
Does the Government intend to ensure long-term funding for the peace organizations in order to maintain a strong civil society that can scrutinize the government's decisions and contribute to debate and public engagement in defense and security policy issues? And if not, why?
Statsrådet Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! The claim that the government does not provide grants to Swedish organizations in the work for peace is incorrect.
Let me first say a few words about the situation we and the world are in right now. We are in a very difficult security policy period. The government continues the work to strengthen security and stability in our immediate vicinity. We, Sweden, Nato and the EU are in a long-term and far-reaching confrontation with Russia. Our task is inescapable. We shall counter Russia's ability to harm us and the Swedish people.
The primary way we do this is by supporting Ukraine. Sweden's support for Ukraine has since February 2022 amounted to nearly 73 billion Swedish kronor. To in that situation cut back on the support for Ukraine to increase the information investment, which previously cost 155 million kronor per year, and invest in communication efforts in Sweden rather than contributing to gas turbines in Ukraine, food deliveries to those in dire need in Gaza, or schoolbooks in Uganda – the government will not make that prioritization during this mandate period.
Sweden is simultaneously among the largest donors to the UN Peacebuilding Fund. Over the last five years, we have given the fund approximately 1 billion Swedish kronor. Sweden is part of the fund's advisory group, which gives the government the opportunity to influence the fund's direction.
Sweden is also one of the larger donors to several UN bodies that work with precisely institution-building and democracy development. This applies to, for example, UNDP. During 2024, UNDP assisted in 36 electoral processes, which involved almost half a billion people on the globe.
In addition to the support to various UN bodies and our aid to individual countries, Sweden has a global and thematic strategy for peace, security, and stabilization. It strengthens our peacebuilding work, and it can be directed towards environments with conflict or with a high risk of conflict where we do not have bilateral aid and also do not have a diplomatic presence.
Through the strategy for international civil crisis management and peace promotion, Sweden supports activities aimed at preventing and managing crises and conflicts and contributing to promoting peace and security.
Sweden's financial contribution to the UN's peacekeeping operations amounts to approximately 400 million kronor annually and is paid in our capacity as a UN member state. Of the eleven ongoing peacekeeping operations, five are in Africa, three in the Middle East, one in Asia, and two in Europe.
Sweden also contributes other support for long-term peacebuilding. Our support to promote business development, trade and institution building contributes to creating stable societies and stimulating economic growth.
Sweden also works with mediation in various environments. For example, Sweden's envoy for the Korean Peninsula plays a mediating role between North and South Korea. In the Black Sea region, Johan Borgstam acts as a mediator for the EU, and in Ukraine, we contributed to the conclusion of the agreement that made it possible for Ukraine to continue exporting grain.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for further answers!
The Minister is trying here to create some kind of contradiction between supporting Ukraine and supporting Swedish peace organizations. I mean that one can do both. Of course, we shall continue to support Ukraine in all conceivable ways, but we can also support Swedish peace organizations. It perhaps becomes even more important in the context of the warfare and aggression we see from the Russian side.
It is naturally good that Sweden supports the UN's fund for peacebuilding and other UN institutions. But now it is about the Swedish peace organizations that work here in Sweden.
It is difficult to understand why the support to Swedish peace organizations that have existed for a hundred years is now being abolished. It does not involve a large sum, as said, but it is an important contribution to these organizations for their survival.
The cuts are a serious development that risks having long-term consequences for democratic influence and engagement. That a government withdraws support for organizations that are critical of the government is something we are used to seeing in countries with a significantly larger democratic deficit than Sweden. So, we cannot have that.
How does the minister explain the cuts in support to the peace organizations? I do not think I am getting a very good answer.
Peace organizations in Sweden have for many years received relatively small but important operational support and project grants from the agency Folke Bernadotte Academy, first through the initiative called Fredsmiljonen. That support was then converted into support for civil society for peace and security and was paid out to 18 Swedish peace organizations such as Kvinnor För Fred, KFUM, Kristna Fredsrörelsen, Svenska Läkare Mot Kärnvapen and Internationella Kvinnoförbundet för Fred och Frihet, to name a few. In December 2023, however, the announcement came that the support would be phased out.
State support for the peace movement has existed in Sweden since the 1920s. In 1982, Fredsmiljonen was established to support the peace work of non-profit organizations. The grant was unique by both Swedish and international standards and was initiated at the request of the UN. To withdraw the millions given in support of work for conflict prevention, peaceful conflict management, and disarmament, while the world has never spent more on military buildup and the nuclear threat is greater than in decades, sends extremely unfortunate signals, not least because the government has established that the work to resolve international disputes by peaceful means is important.
Swedish peace organizations possess important expertise when it comes to conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and dialogue. That expertise has contributed to increasing the competence of Swedish authorities and made it possible for Sweden to contribute to peace processes around the world. As a concrete example, the advocacy work of Svenska Freds can be mentioned, which has contributed to Sweden joining the conventions that prohibit anti-personnel mines and cluster weapons, as well as introducing a democracy criterion in the framework for arms exports. Swedish peace organizations also have valuable networks with civil society organizations in conflict-affected countries, contacts that state actors do not have the possibility to have.
Research shows that equality and women's organizing are central to building democracy and sustainable peace. Support for women's organizing for peace and democracy is therefore necessary if the government wants to contribute to global peace and security. Here, Women for Peace, the International Federation of Women for Peace and Freedom, and of course Operation 1325 have played an immensely important role. The importance of the work with 1325 cannot be overemphasized – a work that needs to be further strengthened.
When many countries are moving in an increasingly undemocratic direction, it is more important than ever to safeguard an open and democratic debate in Sweden. Changed conditions that come suddenly and do not provide room for transition undermine the ability of organizations to continue carrying out their work.
Statsrådet Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! The world's needs are almost infinite. The Swedish state budget is not.
Today we see the highest number of conflicts around the world since the Second World War. Fewer peace agreements are being reached, and fewer are being respected. 110 million people are in flight. Democracy is in retreat, and there are authoritarian states seeking to undermine international law. Hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns exacerbate conflict-driving factors, as do climate change and competition over natural resources.
Sweden supports international civil society organizations to carry out the work for peace and security. We provide support to organizations such as Crisis Management Initiative, European Institute of Peace, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and International Crisis Group. We stand in close contact with these organizations and derive great benefit from their work in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.
Even organizations in Swedish civil society, such as Svenska Freds, carry out very important work in engaging Swedes in international peace issues. But for the part of the activities that are focused on Sweden and on a Swedish audience, they must now find their funding through, for example, membership fees, collected funds, support from private funders, or other available opportunities.
For peacebuilding activities in the field, that is in conflict countries, Swedish organizations can still apply for project support from Sida and Swedish authorities and institutes. At present, Sida provides, for example, via the strategy for Sweden's development cooperation with civil society, support to Swedish organizations such as Civil Rights Defenders, Afrikagrupperna, and Kvinna till Kvinna in their international activities to promote peace and dialogue on site in the affected countries. Sida is now working on processing received applications and conducting further calls for support after September 30 this year.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Madam Speaker! I thank the Minister for the further answer.
Aid is not infinite, and the needs are enormous. I truly agree with that. In that case, it is a matter of making the right priorities. I believe it is a wrong priority when one reduces support to civil society and especially to such important organizations as the peace organizations for their work here in Sweden. It is an incredibly important part, a fundamental pillar, for every democratic society.
We have a Swedish civic life that every year engages hundreds of thousands of people around important social issues and contributes to developing Swedish democracy. This work is now at risk of being undermined.
Unfortunately, we see how the support for civil society has changed and deteriorated since the current government came to power. Sweden needs a strong civil society that can critically examine the government's decisions and contribute to expertise, analysis, debate, and engagement. Unfortunately, we see how this important work is now being threatened. Some of the organizations that are particularly hard hit are the Swedish organizations that work for peace and disarmament in a time when this work is needed more than ever.
The government already decided last year to cut the state financial support that has been given for almost a hundred years to Swedish organizations working for peace and disarmament. This is happening, as said, at a time when the security situation is more strained than it has been in a long time and large and decisive security policy decisions are being made – decisions that will have consequences for Sweden's role in the world for a long time to come. In this situation, the peace organizations were needed more than ever.
When many countries are moving in an increasingly undemocratic direction, just as the minister describes, it is more important than ever to safeguard the open and democratic society and the open and democratic debate in Sweden. Changed conditions that come suddenly and do not provide room for transition undermine the organizations' ability to continue their work.
Think again and think correctly! Restore the support for the peace organizations! It is needed today more than ever.
Statsrådet Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! It is very positive that we agree in the debate that the Swedish state budget is not infinite. When one agrees on this, one must make priorities, sometimes tough priorities. This government has prioritized down communication efforts and public opinion formation in Sweden in order to be able to prioritize more activities in the field that can seriously make a difference for peacekeeping efforts around the world and support activists for human rights and democracy fighters.
Sweden's foreign and security policy is conducted in several parallel tracks: multilaterally, regionally, bilaterally, and through support to non-state actors, both Swedish and international. We strengthen the multilateral organizations of which we are members. We work multilaterally in a number of organizations, primarily in the UN, the international financial organizations, and Nato. We act via the EU as a regional organization.
Furthermore, we support individual organizations, both in the field of peacebuilding and conflict resolution and in the field of democracy promotion. An important democracy organization, European Endowment for Democracy, in turn provides support to democracy movements, civil society organizations, as well as free and independent media, including in Eastern Europe.
For lasting results, the private sector also plays a major role. I also want to emphasize the importance of promoting a market economy and trade. Domestic resource mobilization and private investments are required to reduce poverty and build prosperity, which in turn can act as conflict-mitigating and benefit stability in a country and in entire regions.
Stimulating trade and economic growth in our partner countries is therefore an important part of the government's foreign and security policy.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.