Swedish companies in Colombia and Sweden’s Embassy in Bogota have joined forces to support families affected by the landslide in Mocoa in April. The disaster caused over 320 fatalities and considerable material damage. After being contacted by several Swedish companies wondering how they could help, the Embassy decided to coordinate a donation of the Swedish water treatment innovation, Solvatten.
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Meet the Global Swedes: Miranda Restorick, Canada, student at the Stockholm School of Economics.
The Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of Swedish efforts to provide innovative solutions in humanitarian emergencies. One of many examples are the solar panels at Azraq refugee camp in Jordan.
As critical public debate is largely being forced out of Russian media, physical meeting places are assuming an increasingly important role in public discussion. Representatives from Sweden’s Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate-General in St Petersburg recently took part in a ‘BarCamp’ in the forest outside the city of Syktyvkar in north-western Russia.
During the first six months on the UN Security Council, the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the UN in New York has worked closely with the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU in Brussels and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Stockholm on many important issues. The synergy effects are clear: membership of the Security Council has helped strengthen Sweden’s participation in the EU.
Six countries in the Western Balkans are working hard to become members of the EU. At the end of May, these countries participated at ministerial level in a seminar in Stockholm attended by Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström. The situation in the region and the countries’ integration with the EU were discussed at the seminar. Johanna Strömquist, MFA head of group for south-eastern Europe and EU enlargement, explains the processes at the moment.
Free trade, the Global Deal and the economic potential of gender equality. These were among the topics Sweden raised during this year’s OECD Week in Paris, where the theme was how globalisation can better benefit everyone.
Sweden’s ambition is to be a strong voice for LGBTI people’s enjoyment of human rights throughout the world. As a part of that ambition, the Ministry for Foreign affairs has launched an educational programme for all Swedish foreign service employees on the best way to help combat and prevent abuses of LGBTI people’s enjoyment of their human rights.
Meet the Global Swedes: Luis Alejandro Hernández Rentería, Mexico, student at University of Skövde.
In June, the Swedish Government published its report on Sweden’s progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The report, which will be presented to the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in July for voluntary national review, shows that Sweden is on the right track – but is also still facing major challenges.