Response to interpellation 2025/26:268 on Swedish aid to Afghanistan
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 M argues that the bilateral development cooperation with Afghanistan must be phased out as the Taliban's takeover has worsened the conditions for effective cooperation 1. M emphasizes that Sweden is reprioritizing aid to provide Ukraine with the required support 1. M asserts that the phasing out is happening responsibly 2. M argues that Sweden remains one of the countries that gives the most in aid 3, wants to consolidate strategies for maximum benefit 3 and continues to support the civilian population with education and democracy initiatives 3. 4 S argues that the government is failing the civilian population and eroding trust 4. 5 6 S considers the handling to be irresponsible 5 6. 6 S wants Sweden to return to the one percent goal 6.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! Alexandra Völker has asked me against what background the decision to phase out the bilateral development aid to Afghanistan was taken, how I view the consequences of the agreement with Rädda Barnen being terminated prematurely and how I intend to act in the matter, as well as what measures I intend to take to ensure that confidence in Sida is not diminished when agreements are terminated prematurely and paid funds are requested back.
Initially, I can state that the situation in Afghanistan is still very difficult. The Taliban's takeover has resulted in the conditions for a positive societal development being fundamentally changed.
Support for Ukraine is crucial for Europe's and Sweden's security. In order to be able to give Ukraine the support that is required, we must reprioritize and reduce other aid. Sweden's commitment to humanitarian efforts and global health programs stands firm, and Sweden continues to be one of the world's largest donors of humanitarian aid. We will continue to make a real difference for the world's most vulnerable.
The Government is responsible for ensuring that Swedish development cooperation is conducted where the conditions exist and where the money does the most good. The possibilities for results must always be weighed against the resources invested. The conditions for long-term and effective development cooperation in Afghanistan have drastically deteriorated as a result of the Taliban's lack of respect for human rights and good governance. This is another important part of the background to the decision to phase out bilateral development cooperation.
When it comes to the issue of Rädda Barnen, it is not my role as Minister to comment on individual aid projects. The operational management falls within the scope of Sida's agency responsibility.
Sida has been tasked with carrying out the phasing out in an orderly manner and in dialogue with relevant organizations. In some cases, activity periods have had to be adjusted, but the objective has been to minimize negative consequences for partners and for vulnerable people in Afghanistan. Sida has also engaged in dialogue with other donors regarding the possibility of taking over parts of the portfolio, as well as worked to ensure that results, experiences, and networks are taken into account.
When it comes to confidence in Sida, clear and transparent communication is crucial. Sida has been tasked with continuously informing partner organizations about the conditions for the phasing out and carrying out the process in a way that maintains Sweden's reputation as a reliable partner. I have full confidence in Sida's work.
The phasing out of the Afghanistan strategy does not mean that Sweden ceases to support the population of Afghanistan. Sweden continues to provide extensive humanitarian support in accordance with humanitarian principles: where the needs are greatest. During 2025, Swedish humanitarian support to Afghanistan amounted to over 240 million kronor.
In addition to this, the thematic strategies enable continued funding of long-term development cooperation in Afghanistan, which in 2025 amounted to approximately 64 million kronor.
Sweden also contributes through the EU, through core funding to UN agencies and via international financing institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. Through broad multilateral engagement, Sweden continues to support the Afghan people and drive the issue of women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan in all relevant contexts.
Alexandra Völker (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the answer!
The development in Afghanistan is not what any of us would have wished for. That the Taliban, through their capital of violence, succeeded in reclaiming power, that women and girls once again have their rights restricted and that they are subjected to what can best be described as gender apartheid is a terrible development. It is a completely different development from the one that we and many others worked for.
That the Taliban regained power through violence is not an excuse for Sweden to betray the good forces that exist, to betray Afghanistan's civilian population, Afghanistan's women and girls. But it is what this government has chosen.
Since the Taliban returned to power, a large number of organizations have continued to work and operate in Afghanistan. These are organizations that are still on the ground and want to continue to be. Swedish Rädda Barnen is one of those organizations. But they have now been forced to end their work due to decisions taken by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the government he represents. It is a decision that means entered into agreements are broken, which is a betrayal of the people in Afghanistan and which erodes trust in the authorities.
The fact is that as recently as last spring, an agreement was concluded between Sida and Rädda Barnen regarding projects aimed at children and their families in six provinces in Afghanistan. The contract period was from 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2026. In May last year, the entire amount was paid out to Rädda Barnen. The funds have been used to take children from child labor on the street to structured activities where they are given the opportunity to catch up on the knowledge they have missed, and to support those who are not registered in school to be able to return to full-time schooling.
To get the children off the street, the parents have also received a cash grant so that they can make the finances work. For a long-term solution, the parents have additionally received financial support, training, and coaching to be able to start their own companies. It is a task to improve the household economy in the long term and ensure that the children can be in school.
When the government in July 2025 tasked Sida with phasing out the aid to Afghanistan by December 31 at the latest, Rädda Barnen suddenly received the notification that the entered agreement would be terminated prematurely, already at the turn of the year, and that they need to pay back parts of the money that have already been paid out to them. Therefore, during the autumn, they were forced to inform children and families that they will no longer be able to provide the support they have promised, which was intended to take the children from an everyday life of child labor on the street to an everyday life with play, knowledge, and friends.
In order to be able to carry out this work, Rädda Barnen has for a long time worked to build trust for itself and its work. That trust has now been shattered, as promises have been broken. When Rädda Barnen's agreement is terminated prematurely, they are in turn forced to break the promises they have given to the children and parents in Afghanistan.
The government repeatedly tries to make it seem as if it is not possible to operate in Afghanistan. But it is because of the government's decisions that the organizations are forced to discontinue their activities. This testifies to the exact opposite. The Minister for Development Cooperation may not want to comment on individual aid projects, but these are consequences of the government's decisions.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! For two decades, Sweden has been one of the largest bilateral donors to Afghanistan. Between 2001 and 2021, Swedish aid amounted to 14.7 billion Swedish kronor. Swedish efforts consistently prioritized strengthening the rights of women and girls.
Equality is one of the areas where the greatest progress was made until the Taliban's takeover in 2021. But since then, the regression has been brutal. In today's Afghanistan, half of the population once again enjoys fewer rights than anywhere else in the world. It is clear that the responsibility for this lies with the Taliban.
Despite the Taliban's takeover, Sweden has continued to contribute to the people of Afghanistan with an additional 3.1 billion Swedish kronor. Implementing partners, such as Rädda Barnen, have delivered results in an extremely difficult context.
At the same time, I want to remind that the Taliban issued a ban decree against all Swedish activities in 2023. Sweden is not welcome, they said. This led, among other things, to the fact that the Swedish Afghanistan Committee was forced to leave in 2024 after four decades in the country. It illustrates the problem. Today's Afghanistan is a context where most things are unpredictable and where the same actor that created and exacerbated the crisis, the Taliban regime, can at any time erase the progress that partner organizations achieve.
There must be a fundamental carrying capacity and continuity. That foundation has been very deliberately dismantled by the Taliban. That is why the Taliban's takeover has made it very difficult to conduct a long-term development cooperation that is safe, effective, and sustainable, and that actually makes a difference in the long run.
Alexandra Völker (S)
Madam Speaker! We are in complete agreement regarding the description of the problem in the situation in Afghanistan. The development is appalling. But it is also why it is incredibly important that countries like Sweden remain and continue to support the organizations that can and want to operate there. They do, in fact. Even the Swedish Afghanistan Committee has been incredibly clear; they may not be able to operate in Afghanistan, but it is still fully possible to do so. And a long line of organizations have operated according to just that Afghanistan strategy that the government has now withdrawn.
It is, as has been said, not the Taliban regime that is the reason why Save the Children has had to betray the families. It is the government's decision, an active decision that this government has taken.
The government's management of the aid to Afghanistan and the phasing out have two immense flaws. The first is that Sweden is failing another country where the needs are greatest. And the second is that it is being done in a completely irresponsible manner.
I have repeatedly heard the Minister for Development Cooperation stand at press conferences and speak about the government's responsible management of aid. But in the middle of a budget year, the conditions are completely changed and decisions are made that force agencies to break entered agreements and organizations to betray the people they work with and the promises they have made, based on the information they have received from Swedish authorities. It is completely irresponsible. It also risks eroding trust in Swedish authorities. It sends a message in the aid world that Sweden cannot be trusted, because entered agreements mean nothing. How can one trust Sweden if agreements can suddenly be broken and paid-out money can even be demanded back?
I also noted that the Minister for Foreign Aid, in his opening response, stated that Sweden continues to support Afghanistan through, among other things, core funding to the UN. I also found this to be quite striking given that UNDP, one of the organizations that truly has a large operation in Afghanistan and is an incredibly important UN agency, has its core funding reduced by 90 percent in the latest regulatory letter. This, in turn, also has major consequences for their operations in Afghanistan. It is therefore both regarding the Afghanistan strategy and regarding the core funding that the government fails the people on the ground in Afghanistan.
When the government first began its reform of aid, it was referred to that it would become more predictable and facilitate long-term planning. But with the results in hand, we can truly state that it has become the exact opposite.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! Just because the government decides to phase out a bilateral strategy, as we have done in the case of Afghanistan but also, later during last year, regarding a number of other countries, it does not mean that Sweden is leaving those countries. In the previous interpellation debate, it became clear that there are several thematic strategies that can channel support to Afghanistan and other countries where we have phased out the support, for example the CSO strategy. We are also very large donors in the humanitarian sector. It concerns efforts such as life-saving care for women and children, efforts that secure places and protection for women exposed to violence, efforts for children, including girls, to access basic education, nutrition programs specifically targeted at mothers and small children, as well as protection efforts and monitoring of human rights through various UN bodies.
Sweden will continue to support all of this, but it is obvious that our aid efforts must be adapted to how the world looks. Again: The world's needs are almost infinite, but the Swedish state budget is not. When one wants to do more in certain countries, one must do less in others, especially given that we are also reducing the total aid volume from 56 to 53 billion kronor.
Given that the Taliban regime is constantly changing the conditions, cracking down on organizations and wants to keep Sweden out, it is difficult to build up anything long-term that strengthens the opportunities of people, the civilian population, in Afghanistan. It is precisely in these types of contexts that it is important that we continue with humanitarian life-saving interventions, which also include, for example, education for children, including girls. We are therefore not abandoning Afghanistan, but the money that the country strategy entailed means that we can do other things for children, girls, and women in other regional and country-specific contexts.
Then I want to say that the government has done this in a very responsible manner. From the moment the government made the decision, we gave Sida several months to adapt the operations and phase out these supports. It is no secret that the government, since we won the election, has been in the middle of a restructuring of Swedish aid.
Alexandra Völker (S)
Mr. Speaker! It is almost fascinating to hear the Minister for Development talk about what is responsible. It is called responsible to give completely new directives halfway through a budget year and pull the rug out from under a group of organizations. The agency was thus given approximately half a year to ensure that these organizations had concluded their activities by December 31. It was not about whether decisions should have been taken or a strategy established by December 31, but that it should be concluded. That is not what I call responsible. That organizations are forced to withdraw promised activities because a Swedish agency, on the basis of directives from the government, has suddenly changed the conditions and terminated entered agreements is not responsible.
Is it really in the security situation we find ourselves in today, when conflicts are increasing and climate change also risks increasing the conflict environment further and is already doing so, that we are to withdraw, when we also know that Russia and China are advancing?
This government has a tendency to constantly refer to Swedish interests. But is it not a Swedish interest to contribute to stability in the world, work to ensure that families have access to food, ensure that they can afford to have their children in school, support civil society and democratic forces or, as in this case, take children from child labor into education?
We Social Democrats are very clear that we think this is important. Sweden should be a strong voice in foreign policy, and we must return to the one percent goal. It is not necessary to cut aid in the way that this government is doing. It is an active choice. No one can do everything, but everyone can actually do something. This government could do very much more.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! It is mentioned here that Sweden and the government would withdraw. We definitely do not do that. Even after the minor adjustment of Swedish aid by 3 billion, we will remain one of the countries on the entire globe that gives absolutely the most in aid. Only a few countries give more than Sweden.
For many decades – where both our parties bear the guilt – we have built up a sprinkler, where we do not have control over organizations. We do not have control because there are so many different types of support being paid out all the time and incredibly many different strategies. This sprinkler shall now become clearer water jets, and we shall ensure that our tax money, our aid funds, do maximum good.
That is why we are phasing out not only the Afghanistan strategy but several other country strategies. We are consolidating, gaining better oversight, and watering where it grows. Especially when it comes to development aid, it is extra important to water where it grows and to reinforce a positive development with aid.
We are not leaving Afghanistan alone, but we continue to support the civilian population with education and with democracy initiatives. The strategy for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law principles covers approximately 1 billion Swedish kronor. There are therefore many thematic strategies that can channel support to Afghanistan, but we need fewer strategies. And we must be where we can do the greatest possible good.
When we talk about pulling back and that Russia can make progress, it is clear that we have a special responsibility for our immediate neighborhood: Ukraine, Moldova, and Armenia. There, Russia engages daily in either direct military actions such as missile strikes on Ukrainian territory, where they have soldiers, or in cyberattacks and electoral fraud, as we have seen in Moldova. There, Swedish aid can and should do good.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.