The Embassy of Sweden in Addis Ababa recently organised a Nordic film festival for the second year in a row. The theme this year was was ‘youth empowerment’, while last year it was ‘women’s empowerment’.
It is estimated that global GDP could increase by around 25 per cent if women participated in the global economy at the same rates as men. Gender budgeting is therefore not only the right thing to do; it’s an economically smart thing to do. This was the topic of a discussion attended by Sweden’s Minister for Finance and Minister for Gender Equality, and representatives of CSOs and the World Bank
In the first half of 2016, the Embassy of Sweden in Harare conducted a digital campaign on the theme ‘We should all be feminists’. The campaign involved distributing books, lively digital discussions, and debates on the role of men in promoting gender equality.
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.
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.
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.
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.