Response to interpellation 2025/26:431 on international work for the human rights of hbtqi persons
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
M considers the promotion of hbtqi persons' human rights to be a prioritized part of Sweden's foreign policy and development cooperation 1. M argues that the opposition to these rights is a horseshoe effect 2 and that Swedish aid is generous 2. M emphasizes that what is important is that the support reaches the field 2 and that no money goes to homophobic organizations 3. M argues that C must explain how they will finance their aid goal 3. M promises that Sweden continues to drive the issues politically and financially 4. C argues that Sweden is one of the most important donors 5 and that Sweden should use trade negotiations to promote the rights 6. C wants Sweden to work strategically in the EU 6 and suggests that aid to Ukraine be moved out into an external fund 7. C argues that hbtqi rights are linked to equality and democracy 7. S argues that Sweden must provide real money to democratic resistance movements 8 and that the government has made itself dependent on a right-wing extremist movement 8. S argues that Sweden should develop a specific hbtqi strategy and an hbtqi envoy 8. S considers the government responsible for aid money going to anti-hbtqi movements 9.
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! Anna Lasses has asked me about my view on how aid globally is affected by developments regarding democracy and human rights, and particularly the rights of hbtqi persons, as well as whether I intend to take any initiatives against the background of that analysis. Furthermore, Anna Lasses has asked what role Sweden can play to strengthen the work for hbtqi persons' rights and freedoms globally, and what I and the government will do further within the framework of international development cooperation to continue to clearly stand up for these issues.
In the current global situation, with continued democratic backsliding and where human rights are increasingly challenged, the work of safeguarding and promoting human rights, democracy, and the principles of the rule of law is more important than ever. This applies in particular to hbtqi persons and their right to equal rights and opportunities, as they are often particularly vulnerable to discrimination, hate, threats, and violence around the world.
The government's position is clear: All people shall be able to live in freedom and security regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Therefore, the promotion of hbtqi persons' enjoyment of human rights is a prioritized part of Sweden's foreign policy and our development cooperation.
The increasing opposition to LGBTQI people's enjoyment of human rights globally is worrying and must be countered. Sweden clearly stands up for LGBTQI people's equal rights and opportunities in bilateral dialogues with other countries. Sweden is also one of the strongest voices for LGBTQI people in multilateral contexts. Swedish political and financial support plays an important role.
Sweden was in 2025 one of the largest aid donors globally in support of hbtqi persons' full enjoyment of human rights and equal opportunities, and we continue to be a central actor in these issues. We provide, for example, support to civil society organizations and human rights defenders who work to drive change, as well as to UN organizations that operate normatively globally and which at the country level promote equal treatment and conditions for hbtqi persons' participation on equal terms in society.
At the same time, we clearly see how the funding of aid globally is decreasing in the areas of human rights, LGBTQI organizations, and democracy. The effects of the extensive cuts in American support are large, and organizations that we work with have been heavily affected.
In light of this, strategic Swedish support to particularly prioritized areas and actors can be of particular importance. Sweden has therefore, through Sida, worked actively to counteract some of the financial loss for the global LGBTQI movement.
Anna Lasses (C)
Madam Speaker! In at least 65 of the world's countries, one is classified as a criminal if one falls in love with someone of the same sex. The penalties vary from fines all the way up to the death penalty. In a long line of other countries, it is, let us say, difficult to be an hbtqi person as harassment and violence are common and are not seen as anything particularly strange.
At the same time, a general retreat of democratic rights is occurring, where hbtqi persons are those who stand first in line when it comes to being affected by oppression.
During the past year, we have many times referred to the USA's brutal slaughter of aid. It is hardly possible to avoid the fact that those who have been hit hardest by this are precisely LGBTQI persons. It is simply because there are relatively few countries that support vulnerable LGBTQI persons around the world, and the USA was by far the largest.
This tragic development has meant that Sweden, which was already a major pillar, is now one of the most important and largest donors of aid that in various ways supports the rights of hbtqi persons around the world – not only in terms of the amount of kronor, but also in substance. Sweden is one of the leading countries that stands up for hbtqi persons' right, just like everyone else, to choose how life is to be lived.
Furthermore, the USA has in several other ways moved from being the most important defender to today, to some extent contributing to the anti-rights movement that has emerged. It concerns organizations that for some completely bizarre reason now have the time, power, and money to spend on what is clearly destroying people's right to choose how they want to live their lives. This movement also exists to the highest degree in the EU and Europe.
With this said, I thank you for the answer to my interpellation, which concerns precisely Sweden's role and work for the rights of hbtqi persons in the world. I feel reassured that the Minister truly considers this to be both an important and prioritized issue and that it is important for Sweden to stand up for it.
There are, however, still some question marks. Aid to hbtqi persons is primarily to be found in the pots allocated to sexual and reproductive health and rights, SRHR, and of course in aid to democracy, human rights and the principles of the rule of law.
When RFSU reviewed the support to SRHR in the autumn, it was noted that the proportion of Swedish aid to specifically SRHR decreased by 35 percent from 2021 through 2024. It has also fallen by 25 percent in actual money, which corresponds to approximately 900 million kronor.
The great reduction came, not unexpectedly, in connection with Russia's brutal attack against Ukraine, but even during this parliamentary term there has been a clear decrease. This is something that is also noticed by the organizations that work for the rights of hbtqi persons.
How does this align with the government's priority to stand firm on these issues?
Thus, development aid has been phased out and embassies have been closed in countries where hbtqi persons are particularly vulnerable. At the same time, support from the international anti-gender movement is increasing, not infrequently to the same countries.
Even though the Minister has answered well regarding Sweden's position, I still have a question concerning the future, starting today: What should and what can Sweden do more, both with aid and as a heavy leader in rights issues generally in the world?
DANIEL VENCU VELASQUEZ CASTRO (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you for the opportunity to debate this important issue!
LGBTQI people have not for a long time faced such great resistance against our existence and our way of life as we do today. The backlash we have seen since the 90s in the rest of the world has probably never been as tangible as it is now.
It naturally places demands on countries like Sweden, which support hbtqi persons' right to live free lives around the world. It places demands that our commitment continues to be strong and that it continues to be translated into real figures when it comes to money and support for the movements that constitute the democratic resilience that is so important in these times.
This is happening everywhere. In Africa, we see a massive regression, where over 30 countries are now criminalizing homosexuality. It is a horrific development. It is widely known that homosexuality has been criminalized in many countries in the Middle East for some time, and in Iran, for example, the consequence is the death penalty if one is homosexual.
Madam Speaker! The hatred against LGBTQ+ people that exists in many parts of the world is now also spreading in our part of the world. In Hungary, Pride was banned, and in the USA, several states have banned LGBTQ+ literature and other things that can be considered associated with LGBTQ+ people. In Poland, the previous government wanted to introduce zones where LGBTQ+ people would not be allowed to stay.
This, Madam Speaker, is a result of a far-right movement that is growing all around the world. It is the same movement that I believe this government has made itself dependent on here at home in Sweden. These movements support each other in a strategic way. In March, we could see how the Sverigedemokraternas biståndsorganisation supports anti-LGBTQI movements in Brazil, and it certainly does so in many more countries.
So these are Swedish tax dollars that go to organizations that work for people to live less freely. These are tax dollars that go to organizations that work for homosexuals to feel less free. In the same situation, the government works to support the freedom and human rights of hbtqi persons around the world. I don't quite understand how that adds up, Madam Speaker, but the minister is welcome to explain that.
Regardless of what the Sweden Democrats' aid organization does, this shows that the far-right movement works very strategically. It means that the democratic resistance movement, i.e., the LGBTQI movement, needs allies. It is important. LGBTQI people have always been completely dependent on there being allies all around the world.
The support from Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada, and the USA previously constituted approximately 80 percent of all aid that went to the LGBTQI movement. As Member of Parliament Anna Lasses pointed out earlier, the support from the USA has completely disappeared, and that naturally places a demand on Sweden to increase the support.
Madam Speaker! However, I do not want to get stuck in a volume debate, as I understand that one can have different opinions about that. But regardless of how much aid one gives and wants to give, one can work with it in somewhat different ways.
I would therefore like to ask the Minister if the government could consider developing a specific LGBTQI strategy at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to support this movement around the world.
Can the government also consider supporting our proposal for a special LGBTQI envoy to work more strategically on the issue?
Finally, I must ask one more question: Does the Minister consider that the payment to the Sweden Democrats' aid organization contributes to achieving a world where more LGBTQI people can feel that they can live free lives?
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the great interest in these issues. I think it shows Sweden's strength.
I would not want to make this a left-right issue. In the opposition to the freedoms and rights of LGBTQI persons, we have almost a horseshoe effect: It is the far right but also the far left that in different ways oppose what is fundamentally about human freedoms and rights.
In many Western democracies, we see that this criticism comes primarily from the right. On the African continent, however, many of the countries that restrict the freedoms and rights of LGBTQI persons by introducing this type of legislation are socialist countries.
This is, therefore, fundamentally not a right-left issue. It is like a horseshoe: The outer edges of both camps unite in restricting people's civil and human rights, regardless of what sexual orientation one has.
Swedish aid is and remains very generous, corresponding to 0.85 percent of GNI 2025. We are making large and important efforts in this thematic area in the countries in question.
I have personally been on an aid trip to Uganda, and I really want to emphasize that both red-green and blue governments have made important differences for the LGBTQI movement there. The support has continued for many decades, regardless of who has held government power. There, we can clearly see that Swedish support has truly made a serious difference – partly in somewhat more technical matters, such as defending LGBTQI persons in legal processes, partly in creating safe spaces, given that this is criminalized, so that LGBTQI persons can meet and gather, and partly a political commitment: that one can organize and that there is also financial support for that.
The people I met showed great gratitude for Sweden's commitment, both in terms of financial support and in terms of political support. I do not know how many bilateral meetings I have had with other aid ministers, foreign ministers, and heads of state where I have raised the specific issue of the freedoms and rights of hbtqi persons.
So, Sweden continues to be an important voice in the debate, both politically and financially. It is important, because if Sweden does not do it, there will be very few other countries that do. We see the regression in the USA. Then we have Canada and practically the Nordic countries – after that, it is relatively quiet.
Sida also contributes in several ways to counter the funding shortfall we see, for example for the global LGBTQI movement. This is done, among other things, through support to several important actors, for example ILGA World – International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. This support amounts to 30 million kronor.
Since I received concrete questions, I shall also give concrete answers. This is, after all, an accountability debate in the chamber. One question concerned a new strategy. I can say this: We do work a lot with these issues. We must not get stuck in administrative law issues; the important thing is that the support reaches the field. When it comes to new strategies, I believe in the name of honesty that Sida has had a few too many strategies that have overlapped with each other. The support now goes to LGBTQI persons. That is what is central.
Regarding support to various party-affiliated organizations, we have the same regulatory framework for everyone. We have also tightened that regulatory framework through a new instruction to Sida. If organizations in different ways undermine, for example, the human rights of women and girls, Sida shall apply a precautionary principle. But we have independent agencies in Sweden, and it is ultimately Sida that makes that assessment.
Anna Lasses (C)
Madam Speaker! I thank Minister Benjamin Dousa for many interesting answers.
I really agree with this regarding the fringes. The fringes are always problematic in many ways. I also fully subscribe to the idea that this is absolutely not a left-right issue.
It is very interesting to hear how the Minister works with having many bilateral talks with other leaders and those responsible for aid around the world. The Minister is responsible not only for aid but also for trade. This is an enormous opportunity to raise these types of issues at various meetings and negotiations. Therefore, I wonder if, and if so how, the Minister uses this opportunity to raise hbtqi people's rights in these discussions. I also wonder if the Minister sees opportunities here moving forward.
I am also thinking about the discussions with countries that are aid donors or where there is strong or increasing opposition to hbtqi persons, for example, the USA, countries in Europe such as Hungary, Slovakia and countries in the Balkans, as well as countries in the wealthier part of the Middle East. Some of them are very conservative in these matters.
I also want to address this regarding the EU. Aid for human rights and SRHR is, as mentioned, crucial for hbtqi persons. Right now, the EU's long-term budget is being negotiated, and thus also the world's largest aid. I wonder how Sweden acts so that the EU's aid contributes to hbtqi persons' rights, not least in a situation where the anti-rights movement in the EU is becoming increasingly stronger and is doing everything to remove provisions regarding hbtqi persons.
I must also take the opportunity to ask: How is it going with working in equality here? We have talked about that before. It is actually also linked to the rights of hbtqi persons.
Then it is not just about bilateral contacts with individual persons. It would also be an opportunity, when aid is decreasing and we have to prioritize, for different countries to do different things and cooperate with other countries on who does what. For more conservative countries, it may be easier to contribute to things that perhaps are not as controversial, while Sweden has the opportunity to focus precisely on human rights and LGBTQI rights. I wonder how Sweden works with this concretely.
The Minister speaks very well about what is being done, but I would still like to know how the Minister views the future. How does the Minister imagine that we can work with these issues in a strategic way moving forward in a world with the development we have?
DANIEL VENCU VELASQUEZ CASTRO (S)
Madam Speaker! I share the view that this is an extremist issue. I believe that extremist parties around the world see this as an opportunity to gain more power. They can quite easily polarize and incite against a vulnerable group and in that way reach power.
In the Western world and here at home in Sweden, my concern is about who receives Swedish aid. The Minister mentioned himself that Sida has quite clear requirements for the disbursement of Swedish aid money to various organizations. It is also widely known by this point, Madam Speaker, that Sida has had major remarks regarding just the Sweden Democrats' aid organization because the funds that went there could not be tracked. Nevertheless, this disbursement took place.
That I got stuck on this, Madam Speaker, is because this is an organization that has given money to movements that do not consider equal civil rights to be something to fight for, but rather are composed of anti-LGBTQI opponents. This is the government's responsibility. It is the government that has ensured that these funds have gone to anti-LGBTQI movements around the world, Madam Speaker, and I think that is deeply problematic.
But to return to my questions: I agree that we should not have strategies that do nothing. It is precisely for that reason I believe that we need to have an LGBTQI strategy that is clear and has clear sub-goals for how we are to work strategically with these issues around the world.
Let us take Georgia as an example. If we had worked more strategically, we might have been able, at a much earlier stage, to support the democratic opposition movement, which is largely composed of LGBTQI persons, and also have been able to counter the terrible anti-democratic development we are now seeing.
With that said, I would like to thank you for this debate. I hope for good answers from the Minister.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! Not a single Swedish tax krona shall go to homophobic persons or organizations – not a single Swedish tax krona. The Government has, in several steps, tightened the regulations that Sida works from to specifically ensure this. It is much more difficult today than at almost any time before for an organization to spread those types of ideas. There are several tools in Sida's toolbox.
Sweden carries out very important work all over the world. The previously mentioned ILGA organizes over 1,900 actors who work for the rights of hbtqi persons. Further examples are Sida's increased support to Front Line Defenders. It is an organization that works to protect human rights defenders. Part of the support is specifically directed towards protection for hbtqi defenders.
Sweden is also a member of several coalitions of like-minded countries and partners, both locally and globally, in these issues. Sweden is, among other things, a member of the Equal Rights Coalition, which works to promote equal rights and opportunities for hbtqi persons. In addition, the Nordic Council of Ministers conducts a joint and active work for equality and hbtqi persons. Through cooperation with other states, international organizations, and civil society, Sweden contributes to defending and strengthening hbtqi persons' full enjoyment of human rights, regardless of where in the world they are located.
I believe that all three of us share the commitment for hbtqi persons to enjoy equal rights and the same opportunities, and we have seen dramatic effects of the USA's actions. We cannot, of course, fill all the gaps that have arisen, but we can fill parts of the gaps in a very strategic way.
During this debate, there have also been many discussions about reduced aid volumes and cuts, and there is a certain air of criticism towards the government in this area. We know that both the Social Democrats and the Center Party want to return to the one percent goal. The Center Party wants to return to the one percent goal as early as 2028, which means that 25 new billion must be added to the aid – 25,000 million. That is not pocket change. That is a lot of money. It would therefore be honorable of the Center Party to answer the Swedish people where the money will come from. There are actually three ways to finance this. One way is to raise taxes for hard-working people, for entrepreneurs who take risks and work hard. Another way is to cut back on welfare. But then the Center Party must be honest about which police officers will be removed or which hospitals and elderly care homes will be closed down to finance an additional 25 billion to foreign countries. The third way is to borrow more from future generations.
The Moderates and the government will always stand on the side of hard-working people, and we are therefore clearing away the waste of tax money that we have seen so that we have more money left over for healthcare, school, and care here in Sweden. It would be pleasant to have some clarity from the Center Party in this area.
Anna Lasses (C)
Madam Speaker! There is much that is important to prioritize, but with a world order that is retreating, it is the LGBTQI persons who are at the front of the line and are affected. We see this clearly in country after country where democracy is moving backward. Therefore, it is not only the LGBTQI persons who benefit from us prioritizing this, but our entire democracy.
I do not believe there is a single example of a country where the LGBTQI movement is doing great but other human rights are sidelined. On the contrary, they are connected. SRHR is the best example of this when it comes to aid. SRHR benefits both women and girls and also benefits the situation of LGBTQI persons regardless of gender, not least through sex education.
I also do not mean that we should prioritize hbtqi persons over, for example, equality or children's rights. On the contrary, they are connected. But perhaps just Sweden should prioritize these democratic values and work so that other countries take responsibility for things that are less controversial within aid.
Then there was the volume issue and the question that the Minister posed regarding the Center Party's aid policy. I believe the Minister is well aware that we have said that we choose to move a part of the aid, that is, the part that is to go to Ukraine, and place it in an external fund. In that way, there is significantly more left in the remaining budget, and then one can, for example, prioritize the rights of LGBTQI people around the world.
Then there are other sums that can be taken away that are not healthcare, school, or care. For example, we do not think that several billion should be spent on deporting people and instead invest in return migration support. Then it is very possible that we will have to adjust the ladder, that it will not be 2028 but further ahead. That depends on how the world changes.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Madam Speaker! I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for the debate. This shows the strength of Sweden, namely that we can argue about many different things. We have done that in the speaker's chair, and we will certainly do so in the campaign trail in the coming weeks and months. But we do not argue about what are Swedish core values, namely that we stand up for the weak in the world: the vulnerable, the imprisoned, and those who in some countries are even stoned, simply as a result of wanting to love whom they want to love.
Tell me how LGBTQ+ people are treated in a certain country and I can tell you what freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and democracy look like otherwise. It is always women, girls, and LGBTQ+ people who are hit absolutely hardest in authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. That is why it is extra important that Sweden stands up for these issues in principle and in the long term, especially when we see a decreasing commitment from many other countries that we have normally considered allies in these issues.
A promise from my side, and I hope there is a similar promise from your side, is simply that Sweden will continue to drive the issues financially and politically. You have no idea how many meetings I have sat in where the atmosphere has become unpleasant because I have raised the issues. But it is somewhat Sweden's role in certain situations that we should stand our ground and create an unpleasant atmosphere when it concerns such fundamental issues as, at its core, all people's equal civil and political rights.
I thank you for the debate, and I look forward to new debates.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.