SLU attended meeting at the Department of Enterprise and Innovation

Minister for International Development Cooperation and Climate Isabella Lövin, together with State Secretary Ulrika Modéer, presented on 15 December the governmental document Policyramverk för svenskt utvecklingssamarbete och humanitärt bistånd; the Swedish policy framework for development cooperation. Over 180 governmental agencies, organizations from the civil society and the private sector contributed to the document through formal statements of opinion. SLU attended the meeting at the Department of Enterprise and Innovation together with several hundred of those who also submitted a statement of opinion.

The policy framework that has three main focal points; conflict prevention, a consideration to climate and environmental issues, and has an equality perspective. These together with democracy and human rights are the basis for the Swedish development cooperation policy framework. While the framework has a long-term horizon, it also has an inbuilt flexibility.

Isabella Lövin stated that the framework document reflects the paradigm shift that has taken place with a new approach toward a more sustainable world. For the first time, the world community has agreed on a date (2030) for the eradication of extreme poverty. She made it clear that the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals are a concrete tool that will help Sweden contribute to this goal.

The next step for the policy framework document is that it must be accepted by the parliament. Once accepted it will, together with the Governmental Policy for Global Development, be the basis for all development cooperation strategies. 

In the panel: Lennart Båge, tf GD Sida, Maria Andersson GS RFSU, Erik Lysén Int. chef Swedish Church, Helena Lindholm Prof. GU, State Secretary Ulrika Modéer. Photo: Carolyn Glynn