Response to interpellation 2024/25:551 on cuts within USAID
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 government's cuts in aid and priorities for SRHR. M argues that the government prioritizes SRHR and has allocated 4.3 billion kronor for a new strategy 1. M emphasizes that Sweden is a generous aid donor 1 and that investments in women's health are economically smart 2. M argues that cuts are necessary to prioritize police, nurses, and soldiers in Sweden 3. M promises that Sweden continues its leadership for individuals' right to decide over their own bodies 4. S criticizes the government's planned cuts of 3 billion kronor 5 and argues that the government's passivity constitutes a betrayal 6. S argues that the government's efforts do not produce the desired effects 7. S considers that the feminist foreign policy was important 8.
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)
Mr. Speaker! Linnéa Wickman has asked me what initiatives I and the government intend to take to meet the negative effects of the cuts in global aid by the US aid agency USAID, particularly within sexual and reproductive health and rights, SRHR. Linnéa Wickman has also asked me if I and the government intend to strengthen Sweden's financial support to UN agencies and civil society organizations working with SRHR on a larger scale, as well as how I and the government intend to show international leadership in the issue and work to ensure that Sweden and other countries take responsibility for ensuring increased support for SRHR globally in a time of historical cuts.
The USA's decision on extensive and immediate cuts to global aid, not least within SRHR, risks further limiting access to SRHR services. This is expected to particularly affect girls and women living under difficult conditions in conflict and humanitarian crises.
SRHR constitutes a prerequisite for women's and girls' empowerment and active participation in society and is a high-priority issue for the government. At the end of last year, the government decided to allocate 4.3 billion kronor to a new strategy for health and SRHR for the period 2025–2029. Through this decision, Sweden will, among other things, contribute to increased access to maternal healthcare, modern contraceptives, and safe and legal abortions. It also makes it possible for more individuals to fully enjoy SRHR. Sida has been tasked with translating the strategy into operations over a five-year period.
In March this year, the government decided on increased core support of 75 million kronor to the UN Population Fund UNFPA to maintain the organization's work for reduced maternal mortality through access to midwives and safe abortion. Furthermore, the government also decided during March on 50 million kronor in extra support to UNFPA's humanitarian activities in Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine.
Sweden's foreign and aid policy encompasses a breadth of political and financial commitment for all individuals' full enjoyment of human freedoms and rights. In our defense of every individual's right to decide over their own life and their own body, we act from the Swedish side primarily within the framework of our EU cooperation and our Nordic cooperation, but also in cooperation with other like-minded countries. Sweden acts within international organizations, such as the UN, as well as through dialogue with civil society and the private sector.
The increasing political opposition in the world against sexual and reproductive health and rights, particularly within the area of abortion, risks having very serious consequences for girls and women. An increased questioning of human rights and in particular the sexual and reproductive health and rights of girls, women, and hbtqi persons leads to a severe limitation of access to health services. It becomes more difficult for women, girls, and hbtqi persons to care for their health and actively participate in society.
In a rapidly changing world, the government is working to strengthen the effectiveness of aid and cooperation with like-minded countries, international organizations, and civil society organizations to achieve the best possible impact for Sweden's SRHR priorities.
It is up to each country whether and how they want to use the citizens' tax money for aid to other countries. For Sweden's part, it means that Sweden is and will continue to be a very generous aid donor within SRHR.
Linnéa Wickman (S)
Mr. Speaker! The world is in a deep crisis – it cannot be described in any other way. The Trump administration's drastic and immediate cuts mean that approximately 90 percent of the USA's international aid has been slashed, almost overnight. Over 40 percent of the world's humanitarian aid has disappeared.
Sida has warned of a worst-case scenario: If the funding gap left by the USA is not filled, 34 million people could soon be left completely without life-saving aid. In the world's most difficult conflict zones and humanitarian crises – in Sudan, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Palestine and in Afghanistan – the situation becomes even more hopeless.
This is not just a question of the scope of aid. It is also an ideological attack against the rights of girls, women, and hbtqi people. It reinforces the global resistance that I am convinced we are both very concerned about. We see how the well-funded value-conservative forces unite in their opposition.
The USA has reintroduced the global gag rule. They have joined the anti-abortion pact led by countries such as Belarus, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. We now see how health clinics are being shut down, contraceptives are being removed and disappearing, safe abortion care is being hindered, and violence against women is increasing, while protection is decreasing.
Mr. Speaker! The extent of what is now happening is virtually unparalleled and is almost inconceivable. It is true that Sweden cannot alone fill the large funding gap, but the important question we must ask ourselves now and that the government needs to focus on is what role Sweden intends to play in meeting and reversing the development together with other like-minded countries.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has highlighted the government's SRHR strategy, and it is, of course, good. But the strategy was adopted before we knew the extent of the USA's cuts, and it is still something that changes the situation radically. It also occurs in a situation where Sweden itself has carried out large cuts within aid in recent years. In many cases, the interventions being carried out are already at a lower level today than they were a number of years ago. At best, they remain at approximately the same level.
Next year, the government plans for further reductions of the Swedish aid by 3 billion. It is clear that one can wonder if it is truly expedient in the situation we now see with such extensive cuts within aid worldwide.
Sida's annual report shows that the gender equality efforts within Swedish aid are the lowest in almost 25 years, and we can see that the gender equality efforts have plummeted in just a few years in the aid to Ukraine.
When the Minister for Foreign Affairs highlights individual initiatives, and when he laments the development, we must also see the bigger picture. In a time when the world needs us to step forward together with other large donor countries, the government is reactive. I wonder why the Minister for Foreign Affairs has not taken any initiative to gather and coordinate the Nordic countries so that we can develop a plan to address the funding gap and reverse the serious development.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! When the Women's Commission gathered at the beginning of March this year, there was a great sense of anxiety and uncertainty in the air. There was uncertainty about what the discussions in the commission would mean because the challenges for equality are enormous.
It was surprising that so many countries still signed the resolution that was adopted, but perhaps it was because it lacked an important part of what is the basis for all equality, that is, every woman's right to decide for herself over her own body. What previously has been an important part in the resolutions that have been developed was no longer included. And these issues are vital for women's freedom and also for women's health.
We can see the decline in equality, and incredibly many women and girls do not even dare to raise their voices and protest against the changes. Why do I say this? It is not because the government is responsible for these issues no longer being included in the resolution, but it is to provide a background for why it is so important that we all, the good forces for equality, move forward. We must show the commitment and the force that is needed to turn back the negative development.
Sweden is and has been an important force – not at all comparable to our greatness or smallness. Sweden has been an important voice in international contexts, and many other countries wish for Sweden to take the step forward. One wonders why Sweden is quieter now, does not act, and does not put forward as many proposals as are needed to reverse the negative development.
We have previously had a debate about the feminist foreign policy. One of the first decisions that this government made was to remove the feminist foreign policy. Now the government talks about that it was only a label and that it was not needed. But the research that exists in the area, together with the conversations that were held with organizations, shows that the feminist foreign policy was an important part for promoting women's and girls' rights – and also men's and boys', because equality is good for everyone.
The questions that Linnéa Wickman has posed in the interpellation are important and decisive. I hope that the Minister can rethink and push the issues harder than what we are seeing now. It is now evident that equality should be a core value, but it is not the case that it is clear in the content of the policy that the government is pursuing.
Statsrådet Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! I thank you for a good debate.
I do not need to think about it. We are all firmly convinced that equality and SRHR issues are important for many different reasons. They are politically normatively prioritized issues that we promote in the contexts we have access to within the UN, EU, and in the Nordic-Baltic circle. In practice, we demonstrate this purely financially. Unfortunately, there are not many countries that have so far followed Sweden in the extra package of 75 million kronor for safe abortions, but we are, of course, trying to convince more countries to join the very extensive Swedish support.
Even though it was expected that the USA would cut, or completely remove, support for the SRHR area by reintroducing the global gag rule – the Mexico City policy – there are actually also other countries that have reduced their engagement but which have historically, like Sweden, been strong advocates for precisely equality and SRHR. Sweden, however, continues to drive the issues with undiminished strength both politically normatively and purely financially.
Regarding Ukraine, our support is very extensive. Some things that we finance do not have a purely equality component in themselves. But if we pay for new railways that transport both female and male soldiers to the front, it means that Ukrainians – men and women, boys and girls, as well as LGBTQ persons – can live in a country in independence, peace, and freedom. Even if it is not a direct equality component, our massive support in the billions is very important for women, girls, boys, and men to live in freedom. In that regard, we have significantly increased the support to Ukraine. When we now see countries all around the world, not least in Europe and in the USA, significantly cutting their aid budgets, we cannot cover all the gaps that arise. We would need to put our entire state budget on aid.
But three areas that we specifically prioritize are Ukraine, the purely humanitarian work, and the SRHR area. That is why we moved forward with the package of 75 million, specifically linked to safe abortions. Within the SRHR area, abortions are what is most vulnerable right now.
Then there was the question of the reduction of 3 billion, from 56 to 53 billion. We can turn the question around and instead discuss why we should cut the number of police officers, nurses, and soldiers here in Sweden to increase the aid budget. The Moderaterna and the government will never agree to that. There are enormous needs even here at home that we must take care of, which has been shown, not least during the past week, in terms of crime.
From Sweden's side, we continue to pursue the issues politically and financially and within the organizations where we operate, namely in the EU and the UN and in the Nordic-Baltic sphere.
Linnéa Wickman (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for the answer, Minister!
This debate is about saving lives now and in the longer term. It is also about the government needing to act and not just react.
In a time when there is almost chaos within the global systems, because the world's largest aid donor overnight withdrew most of its aid, the Swedish government has chosen in recent years, and also plans to continue, to make billion-kronor cuts in Swedish aid. At the same time, when we actually look at the facts, we see how equality as a core value in foreign policy seems to have been lost.
Mr. Speaker! There is a marked difference from how the S-led government acted the last time Sweden had Trump in the White House. But then the global consequences, which were also serious, were not to the extent that we see now.
Mr. Speaker! It is not enough to repeat that Sweden is a major aid donor when Sweden and also other large donor countries are cutting back on aid as a whole at a time that actually demands more from us than ever if we want to stand up for the rights of girls, women, and hbtqi persons.
I have some specific demands for the government that I hope the Minister will listen to:
Develop a plan to defend global equality together with other countries. It is about meeting an ideological resistance from the value-conservative forces, who want to turn back the clock.
Act based on the impact assessment that Sida has developed.
Prioritize additional resources to organizations that work for SRHR.
Mobilize resources together with like-minded countries to meet the growing resistance.
Re-evaluate and stop the extensive cuts within Swedish aid.
Now we are in a situation where it is about both political leadership as well as saving lives and principles. It is about what kind of country we want to be in a time when the world is burning. Sweden can choose to be a much greater force for global solidarity and equality.
I also have a question: Is the government prepared to take its responsibility, to act powerfully, to gather like-minded people, and to step forward when other countries fail? I would like the Minister to describe a bit more clearly how one actively takes initiative in this area, for example within the Nordic-Baltic circle, and not only say that one has general discussions but describe which initiatives Sweden has taken.
If we continue on the path of cuts, it is a betrayal of women, girls, and hbtqi people in the crisis we are now seeing, which is one of the most serious in decades. It is about the woman who is forced to give birth alone, without maternity care. It is about the teenage girl who risks her life in an unsafe abortion because safe care has been shut down. And it is about the child who is born hiv-positive because preventive treatment has not reached them, even though medicine exists.
It is the reality behind the US cuts. But it is also the consequences of the Swedish government waiting instead of stepping forward and mostly seeming to focus on having patience instead of acting powerfully.
Eva Lindh (S)
Mr. Speaker! The world is incredibly uncertain right now. It is unstable and filled with wars and crises, and we do not know what the future will mean for any of us.
In times of war and crisis, women are always those who are hit hardest. We have seen it before, and I am afraid we will see it again. Therefore, we need to have a preparation, a thought about what we should do when this perhaps becomes reality.
Now we face this very uncertain time. And when we see that equality is so challenged and in decline, our collective efforts are required to reverse the development.
I am unfortunately not as positive regarding the measures the government is taking. We do not see that they are achieving the effects that the Minister describes. Many also demand our voice, not just our resources, and our efforts to reverse the development.
I want to appeal to the Minister, who is responsible for the Swedish aid activities, to truly prioritize these issues and not back down and to prepare to tackle what we believe we know. It will not become a better situation for women in the future, but it risks becoming a worse situation.
Statsrådet Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! In a report from the World Economic Forum, produced together with the McKinsey Health Institute and presented in Davos 2024, it has been calculated that 1 dollar invested in women's health contributes to 3 dollars in economic growth. Investing in women's health, including access to SRHR services, is therefore not only morally right but also economically smart.
Sweden's SRHR assistance amounted to 2.8 billion kronor in 2023. Swedish SRHR assistance can be found in humanitarian interventions and in long-term development cooperation. It is channeled through the EU, through international organizations, primarily within the UN and for example the UN Population Fund UNFPA, UN Women, Unicef and the UN's MR office, as well as through civil society organizations.
Goals for strengthened SRHR are found in bilateral, regional and thematic strategies and are implemented by Sida. The Government decided in December 2024 to allocate 4.3 billion to a new strategy for health and SRHR for the period 2025–2029. Sida has been tasked with implementing the strategy, and cooperation shall take place between a wide range of actors, both public and private as well as within civil society.
The strategy aims, among other things, to increase access to trained midwives, maternal healthcare, contraceptives and safe abortions to improve the situation for girls and women around the world. Ultimately, it is about saving the lives of women and girls.
A regional SRHR strategy for Sweden's development cooperation in Africa contributes to increased respect for and enjoyment of SRHR for all, strengthened social norms that promote SRHR, strengthened conditions for increased accountability for SRHR and increased access to rights-based interventions for SRHR.
Right now, the Government Offices are preparing a new humanitarian strategy where the activities will be of importance to contribute to ensuring access to SRHR services in humanitarian contexts during the coming years.
An important instrument for Sweden's policy on SRHR is the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA. I have previously mentioned the extra funds that the government decided in March to provide to UNFPA to maintain the organization's life-saving activities for reduced maternal mortality. Sweden is already, on a total level, one of the largest donors to UNFPA.
In 2023, Sweden's total support to UNFPA amounted to approximately 1 billion kronor, which made Sweden UNFPA's fourth largest bilateral donor in terms of both core support and earmarked support. Indicative figures indicate that the Swedish support to UNFPA increased further during 2024, to approximately 1.3 billion kronor.
For 2025, Sweden has, via UD, allocated 375 million kronor in core funding as well as an additional 147 ½ million kronor in earmarked funding to UNFPA's activities in Ukraine, Sudan, and Gaza.
As you can hear, Sweden's SRHR assistance is multifaceted and very extensive.
Linnéa Wickman (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs, even though I do not think he answers my question about what he personally does concretely and what the government does and takes for initiatives to now join forces together with like-minded countries, for example in the Nordic-Baltic circle. I think that the lack of an answer unfortunately rather confirms that the government stands very passive and does not at all have the capacity for initiative that is now required to seriously meet the concrete and immediate threats to people's right to their own body and to health that we now see around the world.
It is about Sweden's international reputation and credibility. The rights of girls, women, and hbtqi persons have not been built by fine words, but we have participated in financing a development that we have wanted to see in the world. It has been an investment in human development. It has made the world safer, more equal, and more democratic.
If we and other major donor countries continue on this path with further cuts, it will lead to an even more unstable world with greater problems. I do not think the Swedish taxpayers are very pleased with that either. It also becomes a bit strange to contrast the world's most vulnerable against, for example, the funding of the Swedish police when this government has lowered the tax for themselves and high-income earners by thousands of kronor a month.
The world now needs countries that stick to principles when others fail. Priorities, as the Minister describes it here, risk becoming another word for withdrawal in the coming years. How can the Minister guarantee that there will not be further cuts in SRHR assistance next year, when aid is being heavily cut by billions? That is what I wonder.
Statsrådet Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! SRHR is a prerequisite for women's and girls' empowerment and active participation in society. I see every setback for women's and girls' right to decide over their own bodies as a defeat. Therefore, I can promise that Sweden's leadership for every individual to have the right to decide over their own life and their own body continues. Sweden stands up for all individuals' full enjoyment of human rights including SRHR.
In light of the US aid freeze, Sweden and other donors, not least the EU, must take an even greater responsibility to ensure support for Ukraine and other critical needs. Sweden's aid policy priorities remain firm, and Sweden will continue to be a reliable partner in a turbulent world.
Sweden remains committed to the prioritization of supporting Ukraine, while we continue to prioritize SRHR and work for an effective implementation of Sweden's aid. Sweden is a generous aid donor within SRHR, and SRHR continues to be one of the primary priorities for Sweden's and the government's foreign and aid policy.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.