Response to interpellation 2025/26:45 on the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's research on human rights and humanitarian law
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 Raoul Wallenberg Institute's research and funding. L believes that it is important to promote knowledge of human rights 1 and that the government has provided 10 million kronor for the library 1. L argues that it is important not to promise money that one does not have 2 and that the direct grant for the library is important 2 3. S believes that it is regrettable that the government does not prioritize the institute 4 and that it is a national resource 5 6. S argues that an annual support would free up resources for innovative research 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)
Mr. Speaker! Per-Arne Håkansson has asked me how I, within my area of responsibility, justify that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, which has followed the request from previous government decisions and submitted a research application, does not receive a long-term basic grant, and whether it is my assessment that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's activities in Lund are not of state interest, or if I intend to take initiative to ensure the institute's internationally well-regarded research activities in the future.
I naturally share Per-Arne Håkansson's view that it is important to promote knowledge of human rights and humanitarian law, not least in the world we live in today. The Raoul Wallenberg Institute plays an important role in that work.
Thanks to the institute's library, a large number of books are made available, which is a resource in both research and education. There has been a risk that the library's activities would need to be phased out. Therefore, the government has allocated funds to strengthen the conditions for the library's continued operations with an addition of 10 million kronor in the autumn budget for 2025.
For research activities, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute can, like other actors, apply for funds in competition. The Government has recently presented one of the largest investments in research and innovation ever in the research and innovation bill: 6.5 billion kronor will be added by 2028.
Per-Arne Håkansson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank the Minister for Secondary Schools, Higher Education and Research, Lotta Edholm, for the response. I note from the response that Lotta Edholm shares my view that it is important to promote knowledge of human rights and humanitarian law, not least, as she also expresses it, in the world we live in now. Lotta Edholm also emphasizes the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's important role in this work.
Based on that conclusion, it is regrettable that the well-meaning words have not yet been transformed into action and that I therefore must return to this issue in a new interpellation debate.
In this context, it can be mentioned that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute is one of the leading institutions in the Nordic region regarding human rights and humanitarian law. It has recognized international activities and, together with Lund University, runs one of the world's most respected master's programs in the field. It is ranked tenth internationally.
The institute is named after the Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who was a diplomat in Budapest and whose efforts to save Jews from Nazism are widely recognized. His name itself is associated with civil courage, international solidarity, and the struggle for human rights during perhaps Europe's darkest moments.
At the institute, research on human rights is combined with direct engagement on the ground in cooperation with local partners in over 60 countries. Violations of international law are mapped in what is designated as the world's first database of its kind.
For my part, I have come into contact with the institute's work here in the Riksdag in connection with, among other things, delegations from other countries, for example Zimbabwe, where the work against corruption and for democracy has been and is in focus.
I have, as I mentioned, had this type of debate, regarding the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's important contributions to human rights and humanitarian law, on two previous occasions in this chamber during the current parliamentary term. First, it was with former minister Paulina Brandberg, who expressed her appreciation and in any case took the issue with her. Then it was with the Liberals' and Lotta Edholm's former party leader Johan Pehrson, who a short time after the debate here in the chamber more or less promised that the government intended to save the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's library and urged the institute to submit an application for long-term research funding.
The institute followed this request and submitted an application during the same month. As I understood it, the reception had been good and the discussions fruitful. Therefore, the disappointment was very great when the government's budget bill was presented and there were no allocated funds for long-term basic grants. A sum mentioned in this context is 10 million kronor.
Therefore, I raise the question again and hope that Lotta Edholm's nevertheless well-intentioned attitude may perhaps be a small glimmer of hope for moving the issue forward. No justification has, as far as I understand, been provided when representatives for the institute asked why the grant is missing. It is also not present in the answer that Lotta Edholm has provided so far. I also note that the minister avoids answering this with long-term support.
I want to ask the Minister for Education, Research and Innovation once again whether she considers the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund, particularly in the current global situation, to be of state interest and whether she intends to ensure the institute's well-reputed research activities in the future. Otherwise, the institute will be referred to an annual grant application process with the uncertainty that it will entail.
Ewa Pihl Krabbe (S)
Mr. Speaker! Raoul Wallenberg disappeared in 1945 after having saved countless lives from the Holocaust. Inspired by one man's work, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund has for more than 40 years worked to promote general respect for human rights and humanitarian law. Knowledge and capacity have been built up among thousands of civil servants, researchers, and practitioners in over 40 countries, with the aim of promoting a culture of respect for human rights and the idea that all human beings are born free and equal in terms of dignity and rights.
Since its establishment in 1984, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute has taken on the task of raising awareness of human rights and humanitarian law through its academic research and outward-facing activities.
In Skåne, we are very proud of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. That does not seem to be the case in Stockholm and with the government, as one can see that the government prioritizes by 99 percent allocating funds to other independent institutions operating primarily in Stockholm, Mälardalen, and Gothenburg.
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute is, as the interpellator mentioned, one of the Nordic region's leading academic institutes in human rights and humanitarian law. Together with Lund University, the institute runs one of the world's most respected master's programs in the field. It attracted 800 applicants this year, of whom 50 students will be admitted.
The institute is not only an important knowledge center but also a very important platform for global dialogue and for the exchange of ideas and concrete action, and it has operations all over the world. Currently, it is assisting Ukraine in the ongoing EU candidacy process with a focus on the principles of the rule of law and the fight against corruption.
Therefore, it is surprising that the government chooses not to prioritize the Raoul Wallenberg Institute after the minister's predecessor was clear about their intentions regarding the institute. I wonder if the minister agrees with the former minister Johan Pehrson's statements regarding research grants to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.
Morgan Johansson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I would first like to extend a big thank you to Per-Arne Håkansson for repeatedly raising the issue of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund in the chamber of the Riksdag. I would also like to thank Ewa Pihl Krabbe for actively driving the issue, not least in these debates.
I also want to thank the Minister for the answer, even though I think it is a disappointment. During the previous interpellation debate, we experienced that the former Minister, Johan Pehrson, had a more positive attitude and seemed more concerned about the institute's future. That was also why we understood it as him urging the institute to apply for funds. I don't think that feeling is received at all from the current Minister's very brief answer. I hope that we perhaps can get a bit more information during the debate.
I want to assert that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Lund is a significant national resource with a very broad scope of activities. They conduct research on human rights in the world and have direct operations in about forty countries to strengthen respect for the principles of the rule of law and human rights, with the aim of promoting democratic development. I mean that it is more urgent than ever now when democracy is in retreat and we see daily, extensive violations of human rights, not least in war zones such as Ukraine, Palestine, and Sudan.
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute enjoys a very high international reputation. This was demonstrated, not least last year, when the UN turned to the institute when it came to examining the allegations brought against UNRWA regarding links to Hamas. The Raoul Wallenberg Institute was one of the three research institutions in the world that contributed to that examination and that work. That says something about the status that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute has in the international research community.
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute also maps violations of international law in a database that is unique in its kind. They also run the library we heard about earlier, which collects basic facts about human rights. That too is unique in the world.
Mr. Speaker! The Raoul Wallenberg Institute is a national resource. Then the question is why there is no national state basic funding. It surely cannot be because this is an institute that is not located in Stockholm? That is what one does not want to believe.
The questions regarding the financing became acute last year, when the library's future was at risk. At that time, it was resolved through a temporary supplement. That was good, but it only pushes the problem forward a few years – to the next government, perhaps one might think.
As I said earlier, the previous responsible minister, Johan Pehrson, in a DN article this spring urged the institute to apply for permanent funds from the government. After such an urging, there was the hope that the government would prioritize the issue in the budget negotiations. But that is clearly what they have not done. On the contrary, we receive a rather curt answer when we now raise the issue again – the only thing we are told is that the government will provide money for research in 2028. It is 2025 now. My question to the minister is: Is this the message now: that one simply has to wait until 2028?
Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)
Mr. Speaker! I fully share the interpellant's and the other Members of Parliament's commitment to the issue. The Raoul Wallenberg Institute is a very important institution in Sweden. When its library was threatened, the government provided funds. This is the first time that the Ministry of Education has provided special funds to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. It did not happen during the previous government either.
The institute is important. But it is also important to emphasize that many different institutes submit applications for state grants to the government. We cannot meet everyone. I would like to assert that the special grant that has now been given for three years to protect the library has been extremely important for this activity. But of course, I cannot stand here and promise money from the speaker's rostrum in the Riksdag. That would be a very strange arrangement.
Per-Arne Håkansson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank Lotta Edholm again for the answer.
At a time when more and more people in the world live in countries without democracy and with authoritarian rule, the work of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute may be more important than at any other point during its 40-year existence. It concerns a unique and specialized human rights institution that has existed for over 40 years. It was formed in the wake of the global wave of issues regarding human rights that characterized world politics in the 1970s and at the beginning of the 1980s. Jimmy Carter was president in the USA, and Olof Palme was prime minister in Sweden. The UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was a peace mediator. To give examples that are more immediate for Lotta Edholm, I can mention representatives for the Liberalerna at home such as prime minister Ola Ullsten, party leader, and foreign minister Hans Blix.
Sweden was one of the driving countries regarding the development of international conventions in a number of areas. Rights that today may be taken for granted more or less, but which are now being challenged, are worth highlighting. The Institute also played an important role in the establishment of the Institute for Human Rights, which was established on 1 January 2022 after extensive investigation work and preparation in KU with support, not least from Liberalerna.
A major challenge has long been the lack of basic funding. This shortage has complicated grant application procedures and project work, as well as made it more difficult to attract and retain recognized experts. Therefore, a long-term government commitment is now being requested.
It is interesting that Lotta Edholm mentions the competition. It could be interpreted as that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute has not received support because it has been outcompeted. I have checked this with the institute, and if so, it is the first time this has been heard. The message that was previously given is that the department did everything it could to secure a support. The appropriation of 6.5 billion kronor that Edholm mentions is not something that one believes they can be considered for – I have checked with the institute. The focus is on the specific appropriation for independent education coordinators.
A question that inevitably arises, and which has also been raised by previous speakers, is the regional political dimension. In the appropriation of just over 1 billion kronor during the current year for individual education coordinators, there is a strong overweight towards Stockholm and Mälardalen. But de facto, there has been both historically and still a focus on human rights in the Öresund region. FN City in Copenhagen hosts eleven different UN agencies and UNICEF's spearhead technology. Lund University has a recognized activity in the field. This is perhaps another argument to see the potential in the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's activities in Lund and Skåne.
I would like to ask Lotta Edholm how she views these aspects. Is it Lotta Edholm's assessment that the strength and collective knowledge that exists regarding these issues with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in focus constitutes a resource from a national perspective? It cannot be that it is regional political dimensions that should cover those types of questions in this important debate?
Ewa Pihl Krabbe (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer.
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute has a very good reputation with the UN as a partner in the work of protecting and promoting human rights. The Institute has applied for formal consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. The UN's special rapporteurs for Afghanistan are now based at the Institute. Several UN bodies also make use of the Institute's various academic reports.
A couple of years ago, Sweden received sharp criticism from the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which, among other things, considered that Sweden did not sufficiently ensure the strengthening of the national institute for human rights, that is, the institute we are talking about. Sweden has already established Lund as a center for human rights. Building further on this development by securing the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's academic future would consolidate Sweden's role as a global leader in knowledge, research, and practical work for human rights and humanitarian law. Despite this, the government in the autumn budget has chosen to reject the Raoul Wallenberg Institute's request for long-term research funding. It is regrettable.
Morgan Johansson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I must say that I had hoped for a more positive answer from the Minister in her latest entry. Now we were only told that she cannot promise any money. She certainly can. I actually believe I have done so myself as a minister on some occasions. One can, in any case, promise to look closer at the issue, show that one has understood how important it is, and take it further. That was exactly what Johan Pehrson did in the interpellation debate this spring. He not only ensured that the important 10 million arrived but also urged the institute to seek money in the form of basic funding. That sent a signal that the government saw how important this activity was. Therefore, it was also a disappointment when the budget bill arrived and it turned out that there was no money there.
I mean that the government must see the Raoul Wallenberg Institute as a significant national resource. I hope that the responsible minister could personally visit the institute in Lund to inform themselves about what is being done. It would have been a good signal.
With the world we live in now, it is perhaps more urgent than ever. It is not just about the major wars raging in Ukraine, the Middle East and Africa, but also about how the entire rules-based world order is in upheaval.
Is there then anything that is more important in this context than investing in research on and evaluation of human rights, war and international law?
It would have been an important signal to send from Sweden's side. I mean that it would have been good if the government had created an idea and an ambition regarding what one wants with the institute.
Then my question is: Should one really have to wait until 2028 for the money? Or is it as we have understood earlier in the debate, that those funds perhaps cannot be considered for the institute at all?
Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)
Mr. Speaker! No, I do not think that one, as a minister, should stand in the rostrum and promise away money. I do not know if Morgan Johansson did that when he was minister. I actually do not think so.
It is an incredibly important activity that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute carries out. It is also why the government invested 10 million to be able to ensure that the library remains. Those funds have been important.
Of course I have met representatives from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. I did so a few weeks ago and discussed their important work. But I do not think that one should promise away money that one does not have.
However, it is as Johan Pehrson also said, that you are welcome to submit applications. I believe, moreover, that it is a typo. It should be 2026. It is about research funds altogether that are linked to the research bill.
I do not quite understand the regional policy dimension. It is not that I would want to give more funds to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute or not depending on where it is located. It would be completely terrible if one were to say that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute should receive money because it is located in Lund.
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute receives 10 million to ensure that the library can be preserved and maintained because it is world-class, that library. Whether it is located in Lund or not is, of course, a secondary question.
The institute's activities are incredibly important. It is also for that reason that the Ministry of Education has, for the first time ever, provided direct funds to be able to help this important institute. This has not happened previously.
Per-Arne Håkansson (S)
Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank Lotta Edholm for the debate. It will likely return based on the answers we have received here today.
I understand that Lotta Edholm mentions the library. It is pleasing that Lotta Edholm has met representatives from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute. I imagine they have certainly mentioned that the library and the institute's activities are connected. One cannot view the library separately. Then it becomes incorrect from the long-term perspective. The library and the institute are connected.
I want to emphasize as a closing remark that the protection of human rights and humanitarian law are not peripheral research areas. Rather, they are fundamental to our democracy, for continued successful diplomacy, and perhaps also for our self-image as a rule of law state. It is also of importance for Sweden's voice in the world that these areas can be highlighted in research.
An annual continuous support would free up the human resources available at the institute and create the time needed to initiate innovative research and international collaborations. In recent years, the institute has succeeded in attracting a number of talents and securing project-based research and international collaborations.
The three-year grant that the government has provided to the library to save the collective knowledge and the facts that are available there to everyone interested is, of course, welcome. But long-term funding was needed to strengthen the work in the future. I hope that this debate has provided insight into and inspiration to achieve this.
Gymnasie-, högskole- och forskningsministern Lotta Edholm (L)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you for a good discussion!
I would still like to point out that the Social Democrats, during the eight years when they were in power, did not provide that type of research funding to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute that is now being proposed to be given permanently. For the first time ever, the Ministry of Education is now providing a direct grant to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute so that it can preserve its library. That is important.
I have also noted that in the Social Democrats' own budget motion, there are no extra funds included for the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, so perhaps it was not worth that much. I still think the discussion has been exciting, because it is an important institute in Sweden. Therefore, the government also supports the important library activities that the Raoul Wallenberg Institute itself has highlighted as an important part.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.