Response to interpellation 2025/26:544 on aid funds to member organizations
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
M argues that Swedish aid should go to people in need and not to organizations that counteract democratic values, spread hate, or promote violence 1. M believes that the governance of Sida has been tightened to ensure that no tax money goes to extremism, Islamism, or antisemitism 2 3. M emphasizes that a distinction must be made between antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli government's policies 2. M argues that deficiencies in Sida's historical capacity have been addressed and that there are now tools to pause or demand back funding 4. M believes that control over tax funds must be regained because it has been too lax for too long 3. SD considers it inappropriate for a state agency to finance an organization that engages in opinion-building against Israel 5. SD argues that aid funds should not be used to finance organizations that conduct political opinion-building against a democratic state 5. SD claims that Forum Civ does not live up to its responsibility because they have member organizations with links to Islamism and antisemitism 6. SD argues that Swedish taxpayers should not pay for organizations that do not distance themselves from these links 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.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! Nima Gholam Ali Pour has asked me whether I will work to ensure that aid funds to organizations that demonize Israel shall cease, and whether I intend to work to ensure that aid to organizations with links to or associations with Islamist organizations shall cease.
For the government, it is a self-evident principle that Swedish aid should go to people in need and not to organizations that counteract democratic values, spread hate, or promote violence.
The government has therefore taken extensive measures to ensure that Swedish aid does not risk even landing near extremist, anti-democratic, or violence-promoting actors. In Sida's instructions, which were decided in 2025, the government clarifies that support shall not be given to organizations that support anti-democratic activities, violence-promoting extremism, Islamism, antisemitism, terrorism, activities that undermine the rights of women and girls, or hate propaganda directed at individuals or groups. Sida has also been tasked to strengthen its capacity to continuously make its own systematic assessments of risks and suitability in the selection of partners. In the new humanitarian aid strategy 2025–2029, there is also a precautionary principle. This means that in cases of doubt, the principle shall be applied and another partner chosen.
Sida has responded to the management and upgraded its control systems and routines to carry out the mission in a legally secure and consistent manner. It is now Sida that, within the framework of its independent agency responsibility, applies these rules in the individual case.
There is, however, no tolerance among Swedish taxpayers, and not among the government, for tax money to risk ending up in the vicinity of extremists. The government is working intensively to ensure that this does not happen.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Mr. Speaker! Forum Civ receives almost all of its funding from Sida. When people think of Sida, most think of poverty alleviation, clean drinking water, or emergency healthcare. This is what people think of when they think of aid funds. But Forum Civ is an aid organization that works with, among other things, public opinion formation against the state of Israel.
There are many dictatorships in the Middle East. But none of these dictatorships that systematically oppress their population have captured Forum Civ's attention, but rather the country that receives harsh criticism from Forum Civ is the Middle East's only liberal democracy, Israel.
The question is whether Swedish aid funds should finance an organization that engages in advocacy against Israel. That is not what aid is intended for.
There are already quite a few parties and organizations today that demonize Israel. Does S really need to amplify this demonization of Israel by providing funds to an organization that has clearly taken a stand in the conflict and is pushing for measures targeted at Israel? I do not think so. I think it is highly inappropriate for a Swedish government agency to finance an organization that seems to see it as its task to form public opinion against the Jewish state of Israel.
Mr. Speaker! Of course, Swedish civil society has the right to criticize whoever or whatever they want. But when the Swedish government allows a state agency to fund an organization that has taken a stand against Israel, the government itself supports the concept that tax money should promote criticism of Israel.
It would be one thing if it were about some form of democracy assistance, where Sweden as a democracy opposed dictatorships. There is nothing strange about that. But the Israelis choose their government. They have rights and freedoms. Israel is the only country in the Middle East where Arabs are allowed to vote and be elected into a parliament in free and democratic elections. The conflicts taking place in the Middle East do not change the fact that Israel is a functioning democracy, unlike all other countries in the Middle East.
Why should Swedish aid funds go to an organization that criticizes Israel in a very unnuanced way? I hope that the government can answer that question.
One of the member organizations in Forum Civ is the Palestine Groups in Sweden. I believe we can agree that the Palestine Groups in Sweden have a very hostile attitude towards the state of Israel. Among other things, they work to boycott Israel in every possible way. Again: We live in a free country. They can urge others to boycott Israel, but what does this have to do with aid?
When Swedish taxpayers hear the word aid, they think of clean water and education. They do not think of campaigns for boycotts of democratic states.
Development aid should be used to fight poverty, help people in need and strengthen democracy and human rights. It should not be used to finance organizations that engage in political lobbying against a democratic state. Therefore, I look forward to hearing the government's answer.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! The Government has, in several steps, tightened the management of Sida to ensure that not a single Swedish tax krona shall go to extremism, Islamism or antisemitism.
Earlier in the chamber today, we debated, for example, workshops and panel discussions where Hamas and Islamic Jihad were allowed to attend. It was therefore entirely in accordance with the procedures that applied before the government took over. Sida had not even done anything wrong. What was wrong was the policy. The previous management of Sida was lax. People looked the other way and allowed Swedish tax money to go to activities where Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two terrorist organizations, were allowed to attend.
Another example is that we have cut back when it comes to the information strategy. Fewer funds will therefore go to what I describe as "talk assistance." It is about opinion-building, campaigns, and communication efforts aimed at a Swedish audience instead of, for example, important democratic interventions in very authoritarian countries.
The CSO strategy is the strategy where, above all, Forum Civ receives funding. I cannot comment on an individual case. It is Sida that makes that assessment. But we have simply ensured that there are clear application criteria and an open application procedure, and we have put the organizations that each year share 1.8 billion Swedish kronor into competition.
It is over with the old order where 17 organizations – Forum Civ is one of them – almost automatically were entitled to share 1.8 billion kronor. It was even so bad that we cannot ensure that the old system was even legal. I am not going to end the mandate period on a high note by being reported to the KU again, but it smells like we have outsourced the exercise of authority to other organizations.
This was – to put it diplomatically – very problematic. Therefore, we have changed the entire system so that more people can apply. We are even opening up for international competition. It may be the case that aid organizations outside of Sweden are better suited for certain aid projects than the Swedish organizations.
We have also ensured that a precautionary principle is now applied in the humanitarian strategy. A direct result of that governance of Sida has been that Islamic Relief, for example, is no longer allowed to receive Swedish tax funds. They previously received over 1 billion Swedish kronor.
Step by step, we are therefore tightening this.
With that said, we must be careful that there is a difference between antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli government's past policies, which approximately half of the Israeli people did not vote for.
We have freedom of speech here in Sweden. Sweden is a democratic country. It is clear that there are many aid organizations, I have noted over the last two years, that do not jump in unison and think that everything we do in the aid area is fantastic. It is clear that it is also free to criticize the policy of the Swedish democratically elected government.
One must, therefore, distinguish between this and that which is directly antisemitic activity – we have zero tolerance for that. Then we have civil society organizations that are allowed to exercise their democratic rights in the same way as a football club or a dance club that receives money from the municipal treasury and which also criticizes the policies pursued in the municipality, for example. It is part of the democratic Sweden.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Mr. Speaker! Among Forum Civis' member organizations, one finds at least two Islamist organizations.
One is Islamic Relief, an organization whose support from Sida has ceased, as the minister mentioned. It is also an organization that has clear links to the Muslim Brotherhood. That is precisely why countries such as Germany and the Netherlands have ceased the state support to Islamic Relief. They have simply concluded that it is an organization with links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
It is strange that the red-green parties want to see continued support for Islamic Relief. It is quite revealing. It has been established time and again that Islamic Relief has both personal connections and ideological connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, but the red-green parties still want to funnel aid funds to Islamists. Islamic Relief is a member organization in Forum Civ.
The upper management of Islamic Relief was shaken by an antisemitism scandal just a few years ago. As recently as last year, Islamic Relief sponsored a conference in the USA where the keynote address was given by a Holocaust denier.
There is plenty of evidence showing that Islamic Relief is an Islamist organization with an antisemitic agenda. The question is why Islamic Relief is a member organization in Forum Civ, which is almost entirely funded by Sida.
Another Islamist organization that is a member organization in Forum Civ is Muslim Aid Sweden. In June last year, Muslim Aid Sweden sponsored a lecture by an Islamist who advocates for female genital mutilation.
Mr. Speaker! I believe that somewhere the public considers that organizations that are completely dependent on aid funds should live up to certain criteria. Sometimes it can be simple criteria. It can be as simple as that one should distance oneself from organizations that sponsor anti-Semitic conferences. It can be that one should distance oneself from Islamist organizations.
Forum Civ does not distance itself from these organizations. I consider it to be a problem.
If Forum Civ did not receive any funds from the state, they could involve themselves with whoever they wanted without us having a discussion about it here. But when they receive aid funds from Sida, a certain responsibility follows, and I can say with great certainty that Forum Civ does not live up to that responsibility.
I would like to hear the Minister for Foreign Aid's opinion on this. Does the Minister for Foreign Aid consider it appropriate for Forum Civ to have any form of interaction with Islamist and anti-Semitic organizations while they receive aid funds? How could that be acceptable? This is not what aid funds should be used for.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! I completely agree with the member's question. Should tax money – it is hard-working people who every day toil to put them together and pay into the tax treasury, where we then take a fairly large portion for precisely aid – go to Islamists, antisemites, or organizations or persons who undermine the rights of women and girls? The answer to that question is clearly no. That is why we have tightened the management and furthermore ensured that Sida applies a precautionary principle.
If it turns out that tax money has nevertheless gone to activities, organizations or persons who do this, are antisemitic, have antisemitic conferences or are governed by organizations with clear antisemitic or Islamist connections, there are many tools in Sida's toolbox. One can pause the support, request completions and even demand back the support that was previously paid out.
In all honesty, Sida's capacity has historically not been good enough in this area. It has not been a priority for the red-green government. People have looked the other way. They have not had sufficiently good oversight. Therefore, that capacity has not existed. We have addressed that, step by step. We direct Sida in a very clear way so that money does not go to the wrong things. We have also ensured that Sida has the capacity to conduct its own evaluations to ensure that money does not end up in the wrong places. There are, therefore, many tools in the toolbox.
If the member becomes aware of something that the member suspects has not reached Sida, I encourage the member to contact Sida and we will simply ensure that Sida independently follows the regulations that the government has decided on.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Mr. Speaker! I just want to say that it states on Forum Civs website that Muslim Aid Sweden and Islamic Relief are member organizations of them. It is information that is easy to obtain.
I would like to thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for this debate. I hope that part of the message I conveyed actually got through and can have an impact.
This is not really about Forum Civ. It is about which civil society Swedish taxpayers should finance. If an organization is dependent on state aid funds, it must be reasonable to demand that it distances itself from antisemitism and Islamism and avoids close associations with organizations that repeatedly end up in such contexts. Forum Civ has not done this. They have two member organizations that have been involved in Islamism and are Islamist. One of them is constantly involved in antisemitic contexts.
The central question is not whether Forum Civ has the right to have these member organizations. They do. The central question is whether Swedish taxpayers should pay for this. I mean that the answer is a clear no. I would therefore like to ask if the Minister for Foreign Affairs considers organizations that have close links to actors with documented problems linked to Islamism and antisemitism to be suitable recipients of Swedish aid funds.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! The simple answer to the member's question is no. The hard-working Swedish people shall not be forced to pay money to organizations with close links to Islamism, extremism, or for that matter, antisemitism. Not a single Swedish tax krona shall end up anywhere near antisemites or Islamists. That is why we have, step by step, tightened the governance of Sida and ensured that the agency has the capacity to conduct these types of investigations and that the cooperation between different agencies, for example Sida and the Swedish Security Service, works in a seamless way.
We must get back control over our Swedish tax funds. It has been far too lax for far too long. Step by step, we are now clearing out so that we get better control over our money and ensure that it can actually make a difference. Every krona that goes to antisemites, extremists, and Islamists, who make the world much worse, is a krona that could have gone to strengthening democratic forces in authoritarian states, to people in need, food parcels, clean water, vaccine doses, and everything else important we want Swedish aid funds to go to.
Despite the very dark debate we have had on a rather concerning issue, I would like to take the opportunity to wish the member a happy Midsummer and a pleasant summer.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.