Government	Communication

2013/14:131

Aid policy framework

– the direction of Swedish aid

Government Communication 2013/14:131

Aid policy framework	Comm.
	2013/14:131

The Government submits this Communication to the Riksdag.

Stockholm, 13 March 2014

Fredrik Reinfeldt

Hillevi Engström

(Ministry for Foreign Affairs)

Main contents of the Communication

In this Communication the Government sets out the direction of Swedish aid. The aid policy framework is a central document in Sweden’s aid policy and forms the point of departure for the Government’s management of Swedish aid. This Communication addresses the principles and values that are to guide Swedish aid. In it the Government also sets out the direction of aid in the form of a hierarchy of aid objectives and results that Swedish aid is to help to achieve. Clearer governance and an increased focus on results will improve the prospects for effectively reducing poverty.

Comm. 2013/14:131 Contents

1	The matter and its preparation ..........................................................			5
2	Introduction.......................................................................................			5
3	The role of aid in a changing world ..................................................			7
	3.1	A changing world ...............................................................		8
	3.2	Fundamental values in Swedish aid .................................		10
		3.2.1	A deeper focus on poor and oppressed
			people’s own perspective on development ......	10
		3.2.2	The rights perspective – for aid that derives
			from human rights ...........................................	11
	3.3	Points of departure for aid policy .....................................		12
4	The direction of Swedish aid. .........................................................			13
	4.1	A clear hierarchy of objectives for Swedish aid ...............		14
	4.2	Reasons for choice of sub-objectives ...............................		15
	4.3	Target groups of Swedish aid ...........................................		16

4.4Ensuring that the direction of Swedish aid policy

has an impact ....................................................................	17
5 The six sub-objectives of aid policy................................................	18

5.1Sub-objective 1: Strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for human rights

and freedom from oppression ...........................................

5.1.1Greater opportunities to assert civil and

	political rights, exercise democratic influence
	and organise.....................................................	19
5.1.2	More robust democratic processes and
	institutions and greater respect for the
	principles of the rule of law............................	20

5.1.3A vibrant and pluralistic civil society and

	strengthened democratisation actors................	21
5.1.4	Greater gender equality, rights and
	empowerment for women and girls .................	21

5.1.5Greater access to free and independent media,

both new and traditional ..................................

5.2Sub-objective 2: Better opportunities for people living in

poverty to contribute to and benefit from economic growth
and obtain a good education .............................................		23
5.2.1	Improved access to good quality education .....	24
5.2.2	More and better jobs........................................	25
5.2.3	More inclusive and efficient markets ..............	26
5.2.4	More liberalised trade......................................	26
5.2.5	Improved food security....................................	27

5.2.6High-quality research relevant to

	the fight against poverty ..................................	28
5.2.7	Improved access to social protection...............	29
5.2.8	Improved access to open and secure ICT ........	29

5.2.9Greater capacity to tackle the opportunities

and challenges brought about
by migration and mobility ..............................	29

5.3Sub-objective 3: A better environment, limited climate impact and greater resilience to environmental impact,

	climate change and natural disasters ...............................		30
	5.3.1	Greater resilience to environmental impact,
		climate change and natural disasters, and a
		reduced environment and climate impact .......	31
	5.3.2	Strengthened institutional capacity in
		environmental management
		and environmental institutions........................	32
	5.3.3	Sustainable cities ............................................	32
	5.3.4	Improved access to sustainable
		energy sources ................................................	33
	5.3.5	Sustainable management of ecosystems and
		sustainable use of ecosystem services ............	33
5.4	Sub-objective 4: Improved basic health ..........................		34
	5.4.1	Improved access to sexual and reproductive
		health and rights and reduced vulnerability
		to HIV and AIDS ............................................	35
	5.4.2	Improved survival and healthier lives
		primarily for women and children ..................	36
	5.4.3	Improved access to clean water
		and basic sanitation.........................................	36

5.5Sub-objective 5: Safeguarding human security and

freedom from violence ....................................................

5.5.1Reduced vulnerability to conflict

and lapsing back into conflict .........................

5.5.2Greater human security in conflict

	and post-conflict situations .............................	38
5.5.3	A reduction in gender-based violence ............	39

5.6Sub-objective 6: Saving lives, alleviating suffering and

maintaining human dignity ..............................................

5.6.1Humanitarian aid based on humanitarian needs, including the special needs of women and

children ...........................................................

5.6.2Improved food security in conjunction with

humanitarian crises and disasters....................

5.6.3Effective protection of refugees and internally

displaced persons............................................

5.6.4Greater respect for humanitarian principles and

	international humanitarian law .......................	41
5.6.5	A strong and coordinated international
	humanitarian system .......................................	41

6	Principles for effective and result-oriented Swedish aid ................		42
	6.1	Major focus on results .....................................................	42
	6.2	Openness and transparency .............................................	43
	6.3	Aid must intensify the fight against corruption ...............	44
	6.4	Innovation and flexibility ................................................	44

Comm. 2013/14:131

Comm. 2013/14:131	6.5	New knowledge and cooperation with other actors.........		45
	6.6	Particular conditions in fragile states ...............................		45
	6.7	Cost and risk awareness ...................................................		46
7	Cooperation and synergies in Swedish aid.....................................			47
	7.1	Well-adapted bilateral aid ................................................		47
		7.1.1	Focus on poor and unfree countries.................	47
		7.1.2	A strong focus on the individual......................	48
		7.1.3	The different partners of Swedish aid..............	49
		7.1.4	Swedish aid must be adapted to
			the country context ..........................................	50
		7.1.5	Forms of bilateral aid ......................................	51
	7.2	Strategic multilateral aid ..................................................		52
		7.2.1	The multilateral system
			as an effective aid channel...............................	52
		7.2.2	Global impact for Swedish aid priorities .........	53
		7.2.3	Effective and results-oriented multilateral aid.54
		7.2.4	Prioritisation criteria for Swedish aid via
			multilateral organisations ................................	55
	7.3	Active influence on and collaboration within EU aid ......		56
		7.3.1	The EU as an aid actor.....................................	56
		7.3.2	Swedish influence on the EU’s aid policy .......	56
		7.3.3	The importance of coordination ......................	57
List of consultation bodies ......................................................................				58
Extract from the minutes of the Cabinet Meeting, 13 March 2014.........				60

1	The matter and its preparation	Comm. 2013/14:131

The Government’s aid policy framework brings together the overarching direction and priorities of the Government’s aid policy. The framework consolidates agreed policy previously developed in the arena of aid and sets out in concrete terms the direction of aid laid down in Sweden’s Policy for Global Development (PGD).

This framework is a response to the criticism of the Government’s management of aid raised by the Swedish Agency for Public Management in its evaluation of the management of Swedish aid policy (2011:25) and by OECD/DAC in its peer review (2005).

A draft version of the Communication was circulated for consultation. A list of the consultation bodies is appended. The consultation responses have been incorporated in this final version of the Communication. A memorandum summarising the responses is available from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (ref. UF2014/4543/UD/USTYR).

2 Introduction

Sweden has a long tradition of generous and ambitious aid. Aid is one of several important tools for the Government in working to attain the overarching objective of Sweden’s Policy for Global Development – equitable and sustainable global development. The aim of Sweden’s international aid is to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. Sweden has a moral responsibility to support people living under oppression, in vulnerable situations and in poverty. Swedish aid must be clear in its values and courageous in its actions.

The aid policy framework is a central document in Sweden’s aid policy and forms the point of departure for the Government’s management of Swedish aid. It brings together the key principles and values that are to steer Swedish aid, and also sets out the direction of aid in the form of a hierarchy of objectives and a number of results that Swedish aid must help to achieve. Clearer governance and an increased focus on results will improve the prospects for effectively reducing poverty.

The aid policy framework sees the Swedish Government consolidating its policy. The framework brings together the overarching direction and priorities of the Government’s aid policy.

The framework serves to guide the aid that Sweden carries out in individual countries, as well as our advocacy work in the aid provided by various multilateral organisations that Sweden helps to fund, and in EU aid. The priorities and goals set out by the Government in this framework concern the direction of Swedish aid overall, in other words state budget expenditure area 7 International aid, and Sweden’s involvement in the European Union’s aid. Operations in other expenditure areas that are deducted from the aid budget are governed by other objectives – as well

Comm. 2013/14:131 as core support and grants to multilateral organisations, which are funded from other expenditure areas.

Aid is governed by steering documents, such as results strategies, appropriation directions and ordinances. This being the case, the framework does not order aid actors to act, but instead performs a guiding function in the implementation of aid and contributes towards a greater understanding of the direction of the Government’s aid policy.

Section 3 describes the most important changes relevant to aid that have taken place in the world around us. The Government then sets out the values that guide Swedish aid – the point of departure for Swedish aid is the needs and conditions of individual people living in poverty and under oppression, not those of states or governments, and Swedish aid must seek to contribute towards long-term, concrete results for individual people living in poverty and under oppression. Sweden’s aid is based on human rights and must be guided by a multidimensional view of poverty that takes as its starting point the perspective on development of people living in poverty themselves, and a rights perspective. Respect for human rights and for the right to live a free life is crucial to achieving socially, economically and environmentally sustainable development. The Government further sets out three starting points for the design and direction of aid: Swedish aid must have a clear focus, it must go hand in hand with active policy coherence for equitable and sustainable global development, and it must be characterised by a perspective that looks beyond the aid itself.

Section 4 clarifies the direction of Swedish aid. Swedish aid must encourage long-term sustainability and be particularly focused on women and girls in poor countries and on those fighting for freedom and democracy or living under oppression. While Swedish bilateral aid is primarily focused on achieving results in poor and unfree countries, multilateral aid and the EU’s aid have a broader scope and are adapted to also achieve results in middle-income countries. Aid is focused on contributing towards the aims set out in the hierarchy of objectives for aid. This hierarchy derives from the objective of the Policy for Global Development, which is accordingly demarcated as one overarching objective for expenditure area 7 – to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression.

Accordingly, Section 5 presents six sub-objectives for aid, all of which work together and contribute towards the overarching objective. The six sub-objectives are:

	1.	Strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for
		human rights and freedom from oppression
	2.	Better opportunities for people living in poverty to contribute to
		and benefit from economic growth and obtain a good education
	3.	A better environment, limited climate impact and greater resilience
		to environmental impact, climate change and natural disasters
	4.	Improved basic health
	5.	Safeguarding human security and freedom from violence
	6.	Saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity
	The Government’s three thematic priorities – democracy and human
	rights, environment and climate, and gender equality and the role of
6	women in development – are crucial to Swedish aid policy. They guide

Swedish aid and must also permeate all six of the sub-objectives. They Comm. 2013/14:131 are particularly reflected in sub-objectives 1 and 3.

Important principles for effective Swedish aid – such as transparency and openness, results-based management, cooperation with other actors, ownership, and flexibility and innovation – are set out in Section 6. Finally, Section 7 describes how Swedish aid is to be implemented and work in partnership – with bilateral aid, multilateral aid and EU aid.

The Government has identified a need for clearer and more effective management of Swedish aid. With the aim of achieving this, existing policy in this area has been consolidated and is described within this framework.

3 The role of aid in a changing world

Sweden’s international aid work began more than 50 years ago. Since then the world has changed rapidly. Poverty has fallen faster than ever before, while the global population has increased. The global economy, in which boundaries are increasingly being erased, has created prosperity, yet brought with it new challenges. New, massive challenges have emerged in the arena of the environment and climate. The same period has seen democracy and human rights become increasingly accepted as values across the globe. These changes in the world create new challenges and prerequisites for development.

They also mean that the conditions under which aid operates and the opportunities it can provide have fundamentally changed. If aid is to be successful and generate results, it needs to continue to build on the efforts of countries or actors themselves. In this way, aid can pave the way for development.

Despite the great strides made in recent decades, more than a billion people still live in extreme poverty. Sweden is one of the world’s richest, most democratic and most gender equal countries and Sweden therefore has a moral responsibility to help to improve living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. An ambitious aid policy is part of Sweden’s Policy for Global Development.

This is aid

The Government takes as its starting point and upholds the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee’s (DAC) definition of development assistance. In brief, this states that Official Development Assistance (ODA) is flows provided by official agencies with the main objective of promoting the economic development and welfare of developing countries and with a grant element of at least 25 per cent. Swedish aid goes to the countries classified as ODA recipients under OECD/DAC’s criteria.

Sweden allocates one percent of its gross national income to aid. This largely comprises expenditure area 7 in the national budget, International

aid.

Comm. 2013/14:131 Costs in other parts of the national budget that can be classified as aid, along with debt relief, are also included. These are mainly certain costs for receiving asylum seekers, Sweden’s proportion of EU aid, the part of Sweden’s contributions to the regular budgets of certain multilateral organisations that can be classified as aid, and some of the foreign service’ costs for administering aid. This takes place in line with the OECD-DAC definition.

3.1A changing world

The Government identifies a number of changes in the world around us that are particularly important for the direction and design of Swedish aid.

People living in poverty and under oppression increasingly live in middle-income countries, in other words countries that themselves have the resources and the capacity to reduce poverty. Fast economic growth in low and middle-income countries has seen many countries, and broad swathes of the population in these countries, becoming less poor. Nevertheless, low-income countries are still in need of reforms, as well as international aid. At the same time, the range of actors and organisations with which Swedish aid has to interact has multiplied. This partly concerns large, middle-income countries that are simultaneously donors and recipients of aid, as well as philanthropists and foundations, global civil society, religious groups, etc.

The liberalisation of world trade has enabled companies in poor countries to participate in global value chains to a greater extent and enabled individual people to lift themselves out of poverty. Millions of people are enjoying higher incomes and greater economic freedom, while increased trade is also creating greater vulnerability to economic fluctuations in the wider world. Increased trade also brings with it a greater need to ensure good working conditions for people in low and middle-income countries. At the same time, developments in information and communication technologies have given greater numbers of people in poor and unfree parts of the world access to greater knowledge and new opportunities to influence their own situation and the world in which they live. However, developments for the poorest countries have accrued slowly, and inequality within these countries has grown.

Population growth has tailed off in large areas of the world but remains high in many low-income countries, including some of the world’s poorest and most unstable countries. Many poor countries still have very young populations. The demographic transition towards an ageing population will bring challenges in the years ahead. The big challenge for the majority of poor countries today, however, is the large proportion of children and young people in the population – in terms of meeting their needs, safeguarding their rights and making the most of the opportunity they represent. The vast majority of the world’s poor population still live in rural areas and support themselves from farming and fishing. However, in the majority of the world’s countries the urban population is growing faster than the rural population. This means that economic

growth as well as poverty is increasing faster in urban areas. People are moving more than ever before and today a seventh of the world’s population are migrants, either within a country or internationally.

The nature of health challenges is changing. The significance of diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia is decreasing in relative terms although the poorest countries of the world are still in great need. Child mortality has fallen in the past 20 years as a result, but children are still dying every year from causes that could have been prevented. Maternal mortality has also considerably reduced on a global scale but remains high. At the same time, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer and strokes are affecting the poorest countries of the world to a greater extent. Taken in combination, these changes mean a double burden for poor countries – simultaneously continuing to finance extensive programmes to combat infectious diseases while quickly putting in place preventive measures to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases.

A very large proportion of the poorest countries are affected by ongoing or recently ended armed conflict. There is a clear correlation between violence and conflict on the one hand, and high child and maternal mortality, poor health and low levels of education on the other, for example. While poverty is falling at a global level, an increasing proportion of people in poverty are living in countries affected by conflict. In these countries, women and children are particularly affected. Rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence are common.

The effects of ongoing climate change are already being seen. They risk having major consequences on ecosystems, food production, access to water, and health but also bring an increased risk of natural disasters and instability. Economic growth, changing lifestyles and growing populations, mean increasing demands for land, water, forest and energy. This trend has led to the depletion and pollution of the earth’s ecosystems and huge losses of biodiversity. In the future, slower-moving changes such as rising sea levels also risk changing many living environments for the worse. These changes also pose a threat to global food security. Here the poorest people in the poorest countries are often the most vulnerable because they are often directly dependent on natural resources for their livelihood. Major challenges remain in terms of climate change, and global emissions of greenhouse gases are continuing their rapid ascent.

Global humanitarian needs are on the rise and are expected to continue to increase due to more complex and long drawn-out crises. Climate change, population growth and flows of refugees are expected to further increase the number of people in need of humanitarian aid. The trend is towards an increasing number of complex disasters, where natural disasters coincide with armed conflicts. This is exacerbated by a lack of democracy, functioning social institutions and political accountability.

Seen over time, the position of democracy has been strengthened in much of the world. The European Union has expanded and the desire for closer ties with the EU has seen democracy and human rights having a greater impact. At the same time, the development of democracy is also fragile in many areas. Crimes against human rights remain common, and in many countries civil society has faced a tougher climate in recent

Comm. 2013/14:131

Comm. 2013/14:131 years. The situation for freedom of expression and freedom of religion has also deteriorated in many places.

The situation for women has improved in many countries. Women and men have the same legal right to property and inheritance in more countries than ever before. Despite this, there are still major challenges facing gender equality and greater rights for women and girls. It is still the case that the majority of the world’s poor are women and girls. Women suffer worse health, their access to education is considerably poorer, and their political and economic influence is less than that of men. Both in peacetime, and during armed conflict and disasters, the risks for women are greater due to violence, threats and oppression. Overall, the lack of gender equality has a negative impact on human and social development.

	3.2	Fundamental values in Swedish aid
	3.2.1	A deeper focus on poor and oppressed people’s
		own perspective on development
	The Government takes a multidimensional view of poverty. It takes as its
	point of departure how individual people living in poverty and under
	oppression describe their situation themselves, on the basis of their own
	reality and their own experiences, needs, priorities and prerequisites for
	changing their living conditions. When people who live in poverty are
	able to make their voices heard, they highlight circumstances that involve
	a lack of resources as well as a lack of power, security and opportunities,
	where the different deficiencies are mutually reinforcing. The
	descriptions, which vary depending on gender, age, social position and
	geographical location, for example, are about more than a lack of income
	– although women and men who live in poverty usually highlight the
	importance of an income on which they can live as being fundamental.
	The accounts given by people living in poverty often include the fact that
	they almost always feel hungry and insecure and that they are unable to
	influence decisions that affect their own lives. Many highlight
	vulnerability, dependence, humiliation and poor education and health,
	which, taken in combination, rob them of the freedom to decide their
	own lives and limit their opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty.
	The everyday lives of oppressed people are often characterised by a
	lack of respect for human freedoms and human rights, abuses of power,
	corruption and violence on the part of the powers of the state, for
	example in the form of arbitrary arrests and summary trials, crackdowns
	on free media, threats from the security services, smear campaigns
	against dissidents, and making it difficult for opposition parties to carry
	out political work. Oppression can be directed towards people in general
	or towards minorities, and often also specifically towards those who
	make their voices heard and criticise those in power. Oppression may
	vary in how it is exerted, against whom it is exerted, the degree of
	brutality and how the outside world responds.
	The Government taking as its starting point the view of poverty and of
10	what is	required to improve their living conditions held by people

themselves living in poverty and under oppression builds on a conviction Comm. 2013/14:131 of human empowerment – fundamentally and under the right conditions,

people have the capacity to define their problems themselves and act to attempt to resolve or tackle them. In this approach, people who live in poverty and under oppression are subjects and actors rather than objects or passive recipients. For this reason the Government is sharpening the focus on the individual in aid (section 7 provides more detailed guidance on what this means for bilateral aid).

A greater focus on the individual means that in administering aid, greater knowledge is needed of the complex causes and dynamics of poverty, and ministries and agencies need to be better at familiarising themselves with the reality in which people in poverty live. The point of departure for aid must be a combined analysis of the poverty situation, including the situation of the country or region in terms of democracy and human rights. Knowledge of the problems of people living in poverty and under oppression, their needs and priorities, can be acquired in different ways, including research, studies, evaluations and consultations with people who themselves experience poverty and oppression in the countries in which the aid operates. This will ensure that the contribution made by aid to the fight against poverty and oppression is effective.

One fundamental principle in international aid that the Government supports is for partner countries themselves to own their development and control financial flows. For this reason, Swedish aid is best placed to reach people who live in poverty and oppression once their government has the political will to put in place changes that people experience as improvements to their lives and is aware of and able to represent people’s problems. This can be achieved, for example, through the broad consultations carried out ahead of national poverty reduction and development strategies. It is also achieved by building up expertise and a capacity to analyse important social issues in the countries concerned as a basis for tackling challenges faced by society and individuals themselves.

3.2.2The rights perspective – for aid that derives from human rights

Human rights are universal, interdependent and indivisible. This is a central starting point for Sweden’s development policy, and thus also for aid. The rights perspective derives from a globally agreed set of values, comprising the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the human rights conventions subsequently adopted, which are binding in international law. The rights perspective places the rights and freedoms of the individual at the centre and must be applied consistently throughout Swedish aid.

Fundamental principles of the rights perspective

Non-discrimination: All people are to be treated equally and with the

same respect for their dignity, which in practice often means that the

Comm. 2013/14:131 interests of marginalised and discriminated individuals and groups are to be brought to the fore and given priority. Every individual is entitled to a life free from discrimination and poverty.

Participation: All individuals must be able to make their voices heard, regardless of their social position, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ethnicity, religion or other belief, or sexual orientation. A starting point is to strengthen participation in democratic political processes.

Openness and transparency: The right to free and independent information is a condition of active participation in society. Openness and transparency enable people to hold decision-makers accountable.

Accountability: It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that individuals are made aware of and are able to enjoy their human rights, whether alone or in the company of others.

In practice, the rights perspective is a matter both of urging the state to guarantee the rights of the individual and of heightening people’s awareness of these rights and improving their chances of asserting them themselves. The principles also provide a basis for analyses and assessments and provide a common foundation for dialogue, cooperation and follow-up. Gender equality and women’s rights, along with children’s rights, the rights of people with disabilities and LGBT persons’ rights are core aspects of the rights perspective.

Realising human rights is of crucial importance in extending people’s freedoms and thereby for other dimensions of human development. For the results of aid to be sustainable, aid must be focused on creating opportunities for people to increase their power over their lives. Sweden’s policy is based on every person’s right to a life in freedom and without poverty.

3.3Points of departure for aid policy

In order to achieve results, aid needs to relate to the changes taking place and exploit the opportunities to work more efficiently that are currently available.

Swedish aid must have a clear focus

Committing to a limited number of thematic areas means that the combined experiences and expertise of Swedish aid administration can be exploited to the full. This is in line with international agreements on more effective aid. The fact that poverty has tangibly decreased in recent decades means that there are grounds to explore where Swedish aid should operate and which people it should focus on, where there are appropriate opportunities to do so.

One clear conclusion is that Swedish bilateral aid should be focused on people living in poverty or under oppression in poor countries.

The Government’s aid policy must go hand in hand with active	Comm. 2013/14:131
policy coherence for development
The aid policy framework takes as its point of departure Sweden’s Policy
for Global Development (PGD) with its overarching objective of
contributing to equitable and sustainable global development. The rights
perspective and the perspective on development of people living in
poverty are central to the Policy for Global Development. However, aid
is not the Government’s only tool in working to reduce poverty, increase
freedom and ensure equitable and sustainable global development.
Through the Government’s work on increased coherence between
different policy areas in line with the Policy for Global Development,
Sweden is strengthening its contribution towards equitable and
sustainable development.
Policy coherence covers all ministries and operations in all policy
areas, including aid. The aid policy framework is focused on the
contribution of aid towards the objective of the Policy for Global
Development. The eight central component elements which, according to
the Policy for Global Development are to characterise Swedish policy,
are covered by the six sub-objectives of the framework (see section 4).
Aid must be characterised by a perspective beyond the aid itself
Aid is one of many factors that contribute towards socially, economically
and environmentally sustainable development and reduced poverty in a
country. The level of ambition regarding what Swedish aid is to achieve
therefore needs to be realistic. Aid can contribute towards people and
societies striving to seek and choose their own path to development and
use their own resources in the best possible way. This is the purpose of
aid. In this sense, aid is a catalyst for long-term development.
In a perspective that extends beyond aid, resilience is central. Within
all the objectives, aid must strengthen the resilience and adaptability of
people and societies when faced with sudden and protracted changes of a
varying nature, such as disasters, conflicts and climate change, and in
recovering and continuing to develop. In practice, this also means that
the objective of aid is to reduce countries’ and societies’ aid dependency,
measured as the proportion of the country’s economy that comprises aid,
by constantly aiming towards results that are sustainable in the long term
and a perspective that extends beyond the aid itself. Inherent in this is
that aid also needs to find new forms of cooperation and financing
models capable of stimulating other sources of development financing.

4 The direction of Swedish aid

The overarching objective of Swedish aid is to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. The objective derives from a multidimensional view of poverty in which people are seen as actors capable of influencing their

own futures. The Government breaks this overarching objective into six

Comm. 2013/14:131 contributory sub-objectives. In this section the Government describes the direction of Swedish aid by listing a number of results judged to be particularly relevant in helping to achieve the sub-objectives. In this way the framework sets out the general direction of Swedish aid.

The Government’s three thematic priorities – democracy and human rights, environment and climate, and gender equality and the role of women in development – remain fixed priorities and guide the direction of Swedish aid policy. They must permeate all aid, while particularly being incorporated in two of the six sub-objectives.

4.1A clear hierarchy of objectives for Swedish aid

Swedish aid must contribute towards achieving internationally agreed poverty reduction objectives. The point of departure for Swedish aid is the needs and conditions of individual people living in poverty and under oppression, not those of states or governments. Aid must seek to contribute towards attaining concrete results for individuals living in poverty and under oppression. Sweden must be early and outspoken in its support for people fighting for freedom and in dialogue with and in the demands made of partners who fail to live up to democratic values or to respect all people exercising their human rights. The ability of people living in poverty to act as independent actors is crucial to achieving development. The objective of Swedish aid, operations run within expenditure area 7 in the national budget, International aid, is therefore to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. This is the contribution aid makes towards the objective of Sweden’s Policy for Global Development – equitable and sustainable global development – which applies to all policy areas.

Swedish aid is founded on a holistic approach to the needs, problems and opportunities of women and men, girls and boys, living in poverty and under oppression. The fundamental principle is that the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – work together and are mutually supportive. In the light of this standpoint, the Government’s three thematic priorities, as well as global trends and the points of departure of aid policy described in section 3, the Government has broken down the overarching objective into six sub-objectives for aid policy. The Government presents the hierarchy of objectives for Swedish aid in the diagram below.

Comm. 2013/14:131

The Government attaches equal weight to the importance of all the subobjectives for achieving the overarching objective. When results strategies and other steering documents for implementing aid are produced, priorities will be set in each individual strategy, for example, partly on the basis of the needs expressed by the partner in question and partly on the basis of Swedish added value. This is described in more detail in the Guidelines for results strategies.

The sub-objectives interact and are mutually reinforcing. Synergies can arise in that in many cases the actual interventions carried out by the different bodies implementing Swedish aid contribute towards several different results, and in that many of the results are important to achieving several of the sub-objectives.

4.2Reasons for choice of sub-objectives

The Government’s thematic priority of democracy and human rights are integrated in the Government’s multidimensional view of poverty and thereby the overarching objective of Swedish aid. For the Government it is equally urgent to combat political oppression and promote human rights as it is to combat economic poverty. This is clarified through the first sub-objective: Strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for human rights and freedom from oppression.

Gender equality and the role of women in development are central elements and a starting point for all aid. The Government’s thematic priority of gender equality and the role of women in development means that gender equality must characterise Swedish aid. Operational and normative work is to systematically integrate of a distinct gender equality perspective, i.e. gender mainstreaming, whereby the situation, conditions and opportunities of women and girls are highlighted and taken into consideration in relation to those of men and boys. Gender equality is included as a result in the first and the fifth sub-objectives but is also reflected in the other sub-objectives.

Comm. 2013/14:131 Sustainable growth is essential for creating preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. People being able to educate themselves and work to support themselves is not only a prerequisite for growth but also crucial to individual empowerment. This is clarified in the second sub-objective: Improved opportunities for people living in poverty to contribute to and benefit from economic growth and obtain a good education.

The importance of the Government’s thematic priority of the environment and climate is clarified in the third sub-objective: A better environment, limited climate impact and greater resilience to environmental impact, climate change and natural disasters. The priority also involves normative as well as operational work being characterised by an environmental and climate perspective and environmental and climate aspects being a central starting point for all aid.

Good health is a fundamental prerequisite for people’s opportunities to achieve their full potential and to reduce poverty. Investments in health enable greater productivity and are an investment in development overall. For this reason, the Government has chosen Improved basic health as the fourth sub-objective. Improved health is also a result of work under other sub-objectives.

Violence and armed conflict pose one of the greatest obstacles to combatting poverty. Freedom from violence is a fundamental prerequisite for other freedoms and rights and is a necessary foundation for development. For this reason the Government has chosen

Safeguarding human security and freedom from violence as the fifth subobjective. Safeguarding human security and freedom from violence seeks to combat both poverty and oppression.

In the light of increasing humanitarian needs and Sweden’s special position in the humanitarian system, the sixth sub-objective chosen by the Government is Saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity. Humanitarian and long-term aid must also work together such that humanitarian aid – where possible – has a pro-development impact and the long-term aid has a preventive approach.

4.3Target groups of Swedish aid

The Government’s assessment: The most important target groups for Swedish aid are women and girls in poor countries and people in different places who live under oppression.

In seeking to operationalise the overarching objective of aid, the Government has chosen to particularly point to two central target groups: women and girls, and people who live under oppression. Particularly highlighting these target groups means that Swedish aid as a whole, directly and indirectly, should lead to improved living conditions, primarily for precisely these two groups. At the same time, aid must be based on the needs of the individual. For this reason, it will also be possible to focus Swedish aid on other target groups, on the basis of their

needs and conditions. This might, for example, concern men and boys,

children, the elderly, or people with disabilities. However, the central Comm. 2013/14:131 target groups of Swedish aid are women and girls, and people living

under oppression.

There are several reasons why the Government has particularly chosen to focus on women and girls in the fight against poverty. Women and girls are subjected to discrimination based on sex and perceptions of gender to a much greater extent than men and boys, and generally have much less power, poorer conditions and fewer rights than men and boys. Women usually have a lower income than men and rarely have property and capital of their own at their disposal. In conflict and post-conflict situations in particular, women often bear a double burden and they risk being subjected to violence in various forms to a greater extent than others. The effects of climate change often impact on women and children to a greater extent. The role of women as actors for a country’s development is important – improved living conditions for women and reinforced work on gender equality are powerful means of achieving other aid objectives. Swedish aid must therefore particularly focus on reaching women and girls.

Oppression is about a lack of democracy and respect for human rights. Improved living conditions for people living under oppression therefore depend on support to those actors working for democratic change and respect for human rights. Democratisation is only possible if those who believe in democracy are prepared to fight for it. Sweden must therefore work with democratically focused drivers of change, such as those working for respect for human rights and democracy, particularly the people and groups who are themselves subjected to persecution, violation and abuse for exercising the different opinion-related freedoms. A central starting point in this work is to be aware of who the drivers of change are, for example organised or separate forces of democracy, defenders of human rights or other change actors.

4.4Ensuring that the direction of Swedish aid policy has an impact

All Swedish aid activities must contribute towards one or more of the six sub-objectives of Swedish aid, and thereby to creating preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. The sub-objectives shape the direction of Swedish bilateral aid. The aid activities of multilateral organisations and the EU may, however, be broader than the six sub-objectives. However, aid-funded multilateral cooperation and aid through the EU will be monitored in relation to the six sub-objectives in the framework.

Swedish aid must create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. This is often achieved by eradicating obstacles to people’s development and their efforts to lift themselves out of poverty. This can be done through initiatives at a higher institutional level that in the long run have a bearing on the living conditions of individual people living in poverty and without freedom,

while in other cases local, targeted and more individual-focussed

Comm. 2013/14:131 initiatives are required. Irrespective of the level at which or the form in which the aid is implemented, the focus must always be on the result for the people living in poverty themselves.

On the basis of the general direction of Swedish aid set out in the aid policy framework, the Government decides results strategies that steer aid to countries and regions, multilateral organisations and thematic areas; see sections 6, 7.1 and 7.2 for more details. The results strategies set out a limited number of results that can be followed up and that must contribute towards one or more of the sub-objectives. The Government intends to follow up the sub-objectives on the basis of the follow-up of the results strategies. It is also the Government’s responsibility to report the collective results of aid to the Swedish Riksdag.

Management of aid, in the form of instructions, appropriation directions and ordinances, etc. must be based on the direction of aid policy set out in the framework. This direction must also provide guidance in determining Swedish positions and standpoints in the EU and multilateral organisations, and in negotiations on relevant conventions and processes.

5 The six sub-objectives of aid policy

The overarching objective of Swedish aid – to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression

– is broken down into six sub-objectives. Swedish aid must be based on the values and points of departure set out in section 3.

5.1Sub-objective 1: Strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for human rights and freedom from oppression

The Government’s assessment: The following results are particularly important for achieving the sub-objective Strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for human rights and freedom from oppression:

-Greater opportunities to assert civil and political rights, exercise democratic influence and organise

-More robust democratic processes and institutions and greater respect for the principles of the rule of law

-A vibrant and pluralistic civil society and strengthened democratisation actors

-Greater gender equality, rights and empowerment for women and girls

-Greater access to free and independent media, both new and traditional

Democracy, respect for human rights and the principles of the rule of law Comm. 2013/14:131 are objectives in their own right and means of achieving other objectives.

This also applies to gender equality. Human rights are universal, interdependent and indivisible. This is a central starting point for Sweden’s entire development policy, and thus also for aid. Democracy is the form of governance best capable of ensuring and strengthening respect for human rights.

All central UN conventions on human rights incorporate a ban on discrimination, and protection of the equal value of all people. In aid,

Sweden’s work against discrimination focuses on some of the most vulnerable groups (including women, children, people with disabilities, LGBT persons and those who belong to indigenous, national or ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities or are infected with HIV/AIDS).

The democratic society based on respect for human rights and the principles of the rule of law must be constantly upheld – at all times and in all countries. In many parts of the world, abuses and other crimes against human rights, growing distrust of political parties and elected representatives, an ever-harsher climate for civil society organisations, abuse of women in conflict situations, and inadequate respect for the rule of law, have all made efforts to support democratic development more difficult. Gender equality is also a prerequisite for long-term democratic development and equitable and sustainable global development. Societies which are not characterised by gender equality lack a fair distribution of power, influence and resources between women and men. Globalisation and the growth of an information society with the internet as important tools mean that individual people are able to influence and change their situation and to assert their fundamental freedoms and rights themselves to a greater extent than ever before.

New donors do not always start out from democratic values or respect for human rights. This presents states and the international community as well as other actors with new challenges and makes it even more important to emphasise human rights and democracy in international aid.

The enjoyment of civil and political rights is important in itself, and also improves the chances of people living in poverty to claim their economic, social and cultural rights. Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is also of particular relevance. The right to decide and exercise control over one’s own body, sexuality and reproduction is fundamental for all people.

Sweden’s view of poverty is multidimensional and includes a lack of freedom, power and enjoyment of human rights. Every woman and man must therefore have the opportunity, the power and the security to change their situation in life and influence how their country develops. Democratisation is built from within and from below. But it can, and should, be supported from outside.

5.1.1 Greater opportunities to assert civil and political rights, exercise democratic influence and organise

Respect for civil and political rights together with the principles of the
rule of law are crucial to the task of building efficient democracies and	19
	19

Comm. 2013/14:131 reducing poverty in all its dimensions. These rights and the institutions that guarantee them must therefore be given a prominent role in Swedish aid. Special initiatives in support of human rights and democratisation are to comprise a large part of Swedish democracy support, not least in the least free countries of the world.

The Government finds that respect for the different freedoms of opinion (freedom of speech, freedom of information, freedom of assembly, freedom to demonstrate, freedom of association and freedom of religion) form a framework for work to promote democracy.

Sweden is to help ensure that women as well as men have an opportunity and the freedom to affect their living conditions by exercising an influence in political processes and decision-making, and that they are also able to prepare for this through association with civil society organisations and political parties. Homosexual, bisexual and transsexual people (LGBT persons), for example, are particularly subjected to discrimination. This is also true of minorities. Swedish aid must additionally promote young people’s organisation and meaningful participation in decision-making and demanding accountability.

5.1.2More robust democratic processes and institutions and greater respect for the principles of the rule of law

Democratic development demands functioning and independent institutions and procedures. Sweden is to promote solutions that are based on citizens’ interests and existing local conditions, and on systems with the potential to gain credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of those living in poverty or under oppression. Sweden is to help strengthen private citizens’ influence on politics. To this end, democratic structures will be required that facilitate accountability. Swedish must work for the development of strong, legitimate and pluralist election and party systems and via parliamentary support help to strengthen the political process as a whole, i.e. the aim must be clearer accountability, broader representation and greater openness and transparency. A strong and wellfunctioning public administration and functioning audit and control systems are crucial to individuals being able to assert the majority of their rights. Sweden is to give priority to the development of open, effective and efficient administration at national, regional and local level. All this must have a democratic, legal and constitutional basis.

The rule of law and access to justice before the law for all people is vital to greater respect for human rights and strengthened democratic development. Sweden must therefore promote the principles of the rule of law and seek for coherent reforms in the justice sector and other administrative processes. Important issues in designing aid are legality, the principle of equality before the law, the right to a fair trial, the prohibition of torture, the protection of citizens against arbitrary deprivation of liberty, and freedom from corruption. How the state based on the rule of law is to be constructed is set out in the international and regional instruments to which Sweden has assented.

5.1.3	A vibrant and pluralistic civil society	Comm. 2013/14:131
	and strengthened democratisation actors

The concept of “civil society” is an arena, distinct from the state, the market and the individual household, in which individuals, groups and organisations act together to promote common interests. Civil society actors have a key role in reducing poverty and a particular importance and special potential to contribute to democratic development and increased respect for human rights. For this reason, a substantial part of Swedish aid is implemented in cooperation with civil society organisations. The Government

-asserts the role of civil society as a development actor and its importance in aid that seeks to make a difference to people’s lives.

-attaches a moral weight to supporting the defenders of democracy and freedom, and

-seeks to utilise Sweden’s solid experience of partnership between civil society actors in Sweden and in the countries in which aid

operates.

Sweden must particularly recognise the potential of civil society in the countries in which it operates, facilitate organisation and create channels, including meeting places for collaboration, through which people and groups living in poverty and who face discrimination can make their voices heard, assert their human rights and influence the development of society. When women are able to meet and organise in civil society organisations and political parties they are better able to defend their rights. The potential of civil society in combatting discrimination and providing non-formal adult education must be used to strengthen the capacity of people and groups living in poverty and facing discrimination to change their life situation. The potential of civil society to organise itself and perform services beneficial to society must be recognised.

If democracy is to develop and be consolidated, it is not enough for a country simply to have democratic public institutions. The country also needs to develop a democratic culture. When supporting democratisation processes, therefore, it is vital to begin by identifying potential drivers of change in the form of organised or separate forces of democracy or defenders of human rights. Sweden and Swedish aid must constantly work to identify, promote, protect and strengthen democratic drivers of change and defenders of human rights, such as youth organisations, cultural actors, religious associations and labour market partners. This can be achieved through direct support to drivers of change and through support for collaboration between these actors and actors in the world around them. Democratic reform efforts initiated by civil society actors are to be encouraged. Potentially reform-minded actors in the state and private sectors are also to be afforded special attention.

5.1.4Greater gender equality, rights and empowerment for women and girls

Swedish aid must contribute towards an equal society. In an equal

society, women and men, and girls and boys, have equal rights, life

Comm. 2013/14:131 prospects and opportunities, and the power to shape their own lives and influence society. The absence of violence against women and girls is one requirement for attaining this. Greater gender equality is therefore an objective in its own right. However, the Government also recognises that development in the vast majority of countries is entirely dependent on taking advantage of the potential of women and the younger part of the population.

Changing attitudes and values, and increasing awareness of how women and girls are discriminated against is a long-term effort that takes time. Nevertheless, it is a fundamental prerequisite for greater gender equality.

Swedish aid must work to strengthen women’s political participation and influence, education, women’s economic empowerment and working conditions, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and women’s security, including combatting all forms of gender-based violence and human trafficking

Effective work to promote equality needs to be focused on women and men as well as boys and girls with the aim of changing institutions and social structures. Gender-oppressive behaviours must be made visible, and the practical needs and long-term strategic interests of women and girls are to be highlighted and promoted. Men and boys need greater knowledge and respect for, women’s and girls’ exercising of human rights. Responsibility for achieving gender equality is shared. The greater opportunities of girls and boys to make life choices that transcend restrictive gender norms must be encouraged.

5.1.5Greater access to free and independent media, both new and traditional

Freedom of expression and the development of free, independent media that demands accountability must be promoted in Swedish aid. Support for the scrutinising role of the media can help vitalise democracy. In this context, the central importance of journalists and other media actors for democratisation must be taken into account. In seeking to boost freedom of expression, Sweden is to push for legislation that encourages the development of free and independent media (radio, TV, the press and the Internet). Swedish aid must also work for a strong and diverse communication environment, and laws and policies that facilitate press freedom, free media, cultural diversity and the right to cultural expression, and the use of free, open and secure information and communication technology. The access of women and girls to media and access to and exercising of culture are to be particularly strengthened.

5.2Sub-objective 2: Better opportunities for people living in poverty to contribute to and benefit from economic growth and obtain a good education

The Government’s assessment: The following results are particularly important for achieving the sub-objective Better opportunities for people living in poverty to contribute to and benefit from economic growth and obtain a good education:

-Improved access to good quality education

-More and better jobs

-More inclusive and efficient markets

-More liberalised trade

-Increased food security

-High-quality research relevant to the fight against poverty

-Improved access to social protection

-Improved access to open and secure information and communication technology

-Greater capacity to tackle the opportunities and challenges brought about by migration and mobility

Economically, socially and environmentally sustainable growth is essential to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. Sustainable growth strengthens opportunities to finance social protection and education for all, while improving opportunities for self-sufficiency. When women and men who live in poverty contribute to the economy, their opportunities to also benefit from economic growth are increased. Aid therefore has an important role in promoting the opportunity of the individual to participate in the economy.

The right to education is a human right. Access to good quality education is crucial to the individual and for the development of society. Good quality education for all is also a necessary tool enabling individuals to participate in the economy and contribute to and benefit from economic growth. Investments in good quality education, especially in the education of girls, are of fundamental importance for poverty reduction and long-term sustainable development. Education is also the key to building a democratic society and promoting equity and gender equality. The children of educated women are better equipped to make active life choices and create a good future for themselves.

The Government is driven by the conviction that all development derives from the individual. In other words, change and development largely come about as a result of people’s own drive, whether this concerns education, work or enterprise. Sustainable growth that leads to increased incomes for women and men living in poverty enables them to take charge of, and change, the conditions under which they live. People being able to work to support themselves and gain access to education is not only a prerequisite for growth but also crucial to individual empowerment.

Comm. 2013/14:131

Comm. 2013/14:131 There are a number of obstacles to the opportunities of people living in poverty to participate in the economy. Many children around the world, particularly girls, do not have access to good-quality, basic education, or leave school early. A lack of access to natural resources and nutritious food keeps people in poverty. In many low income countries, the increase in agricultural productivity has tailed off in recent decades. In poor countries, a large proportion of people work long days for low pay in difficult conditions. People who live in poverty also work to a larger extent in the informal economy, where working conditions are insecure and productivity is low. Local, national and international markets need to be more inclusive for people who live in poverty. There must be greater opportunities for people living in poverty to participate in the formal economy and benefit from growth. The majority of poor countries also have insufficient resources to meet the need for self-produced research, to tackle the problems and challenges that the country and its inhabitants face. Building up a domestic analysis and research capacity is part of a long-term sustainable path away from aid dependency. Research must therefore be seen as an integrated part of work to achieve results within all sub-objectives.

Macroeconomic stability, including the absence of high inflation and debt crises, is essential for economic growth, sound public finances and public investment, for example in infrastructure and in more productive jobs in the formal economy. Macroeconomic instability and weak government institutions make it harder for many poor countries to build up well-functioning tax systems.

It is clear that without sustainable economic growth, wider and longterm sustainable development is impossible. To contribute towards the overarching objective of aid, economic growth alone is not sufficient. It is also necessary that economic growth benefits the poorest. However, aid can only affect how economic resources are distributed in partner countries to a limited extent. The focus of Swedish aid must therefore be to improve the opportunities of people living in poverty to contribute to the economy and benefit from economic growth themselves.

5.2.1Improved access to good quality education

Sweden’s aid must be focused on ensuring that children living in poverty and in other vulnerable situations, particularly girls, are able to complete good-quality education without discrimination. Children and young people with disabilities often lack sufficient education, which contributes towards marginalisation and can lead to exclusion from the job market and to poverty. Sweden’s aid must derive from a holistic approach to education systems, including the importance of good quality teacher training and further training, and promote access to good quality education at all levels of education and throughout people’s lives. Education must be seen as an important part of the work to achieve all sub-objectives, not least sub-objective 1, and strengthen human rights. The importance of education for countries and people that find themselves in conflict and post-conflict situations must be particularly

highlighted.

The low level of education of women in general in low and middle- Comm. 2013/14:131 income countries can often be attributed to social norms and values

which dictate that women and girls must take responsibility for unpaid labour in the home, including the care of children, the sick and the elderly. Swedish aid must therefore highlight and help to change such attitudes and also support opportunities for non-traditional education and career choices for girls and boys alike.

Higher education and vocational education are of great importance for a growing formal labour market and for increased productivity. There is currently a lack of relevant vocational training to match the demand in the job market and access to such education is not equitable, particularly for women. Today higher education is more important than ever in order to meet the new demands of the knowledge society. Sweden’s aid must therefore encourage higher education and vocational training. It is particularly important to strengthen women’s rights to education throughout their lifetime, such that they are able to obtain jobs or run companies.

5.2.2More and better jobs

Increased supply of more productive jobs is the key to improved living conditions for people who live in poverty and for poor countries. For this reason, Swedish aid must contribute to improving the prerequisites for the private sector to create more and better jobs and to increase the level of employment and level of income among the groups often discriminated against or excluded from the labour market, for example women, young people and people with disabilities. Fundamental requirements in terms of health and safety and the work environment must be encouraged, as must the growth of functioning, democratic and independent employee and employer organisations. Segregated job markets and gender discrimination have a negative effect on productivity and thereby also on a country’s economic growth. Excluding large proportions of the population from the job market is not only problematic from a rights perspective; it is also inefficient in economic terms. Swedish aid must therefore counter gender-discriminatory and gendersegregated job markets and promote equal access for women and men to employment under decent working conditions, including the possibility of combining family and paid employment in keeping with the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. The work that older people perform in caring for children and the sick is often of great importance in enabling other family members to work outside the home. Initiatives to increase employment are of particular importance in post-conflict situations, to improve the living conditions of vulnerable people and to prevent lapsing back into conflict.

Aid must promote entrepreneurship, innovation and a favourable business climate, partly by expanding services for business development, promoting financial systems that meet the needs of the self-employed and encouraging sustainable enterprise. It is particularly important to support women who are entrepreneurs and run their own businesses.

Sweden must also highlight companies’ responsibility for society and

Comm. 2013/14:131 sustainable development, for example, in line with international standards and principles, taking responsibility for human rights, signing up to principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and combatting tax avoidance.

Swedish aid must particularly focus on sectors that are of direct relevance to the employment and income of people living in poverty and that contribute to the structural changes that promote inclusive, sustainable growth, including initiatives to increase the degree of value added in production, and diversification from sectors that produce raw materials to the manufacturing and services sectors. Aid must contribute towards formalising the informal economy, where this benefits individuals’ opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty. Closer ties between the formal and informal economies and a formalisation of informal activities will be given priority.

5.2.3More inclusive and efficient markets

For the private sector to be able to contribute to economic growth, more inclusive, open and effective markets which provide access to jobs, products, sales opportunities and financial services are required. This provides better opportunities for women and men to permanently lift themselves out of poverty. Secure ownership and rights of use to land are crucial to the opportunities of individuals and companies to invest. Infrastructure is needed to ensure that producers have access to markets and to link markets within any given country and with international markets. Deficient transport systems, complex regulations and corruption entail high costs. Developed financial markets are necessary if the private sector is to be able to gain access to capital and translate this into economic growth and more jobs.

Swedish aid must contribute to creating more inclusive, efficient markets, partly by supporting and building up functioning institutions, strengthening public systems for rights of ownership and by investing in infrastructure, particularly in poor and marginalised areas.

5.2.4More liberalised trade

Trade contributes towards more efficient production and enables increased employment and economic growth in that the private sector is able to specialise and participate in local, regional and global value chains. This creates expanding markets for companies and improves access to intermediate goods and services.

Sweden must contribute towards the integration of poor countries both in international and regional markets, and being able to make use of increased opportunities for trade and more open markets. This includes support for building up institutions and strengthened capacity to negotiate on and implement international trade agreements, including for those countries forging closer ties with the EU and for the Southern Neighbourhood. For example goods must meet certain standards in order to be exported, for example. Inefficient trade facilitation procedures and

high tariffs constitute barriers for low-income countries being able to Comm. 2013/14:131 benefit from the advantages of trade.

5.2.5Improved food security

A sustainable increase in agricultural productivity is a prerequisite for achieving food security and thereby also sustainable economic development. Guaranteed access to nutritious and safe food is a right and a fundamental prerequisite for a decent life and the opportunity for people to contribute to the economy. Swedish aid must contribute towards agriculture in poor countries becoming more productive – partly to enable farmers themselves to earn a living and partly to create excess production for local, national, regional and international markets. Promoting more inclusive and efficient value chains for food is of great importance in enabling small producers to meet the growing demand for food. A reduction in waste of agricultural products between production and consumption also contributes towards food security.

Ensuring food security is a complex challenge in which hunger, malnutrition and food shortages often have many causes. Among them are poverty and weak infrastructure; a lack of land that can be cultivated, secure rights of ownership, capital and genetic resources such as seed and breeding animals; and inefficient and outdated farming methods. For people to produce food, they need to feel secure in their rights of ownership and rights of use of agricultural land, fishing resources and land for other investments. Women rarely have rights to the land they farm or full rights of determination over what they produce. Swedish aid must therefore contribute towards women having the same access as men to credit, technology, input goods and advice, as well as equal rights to land. This strengthens the role of women in agricultural production and their opportunities of making a living from this.

Local environmental degradation and global climate change pose major challenges to food security. The poorest groups are often particularly vulnerable to extreme events such as drought, flooding and outbreaks of animal diseases and plant pests. For this reason, Swedish aid must particularly prioritise strengthening the ability of smallholder farmers to withstand temporary shocks, as well as the ability to adapt to long-term change, such as global warming. These challenges also mean that increased agricultural production alone will not be sufficient to combat hunger and malnutrition. Swedish aid must therefore also contribute towards ensuring that increased food production reaches those who are hungry.

Because a large proportion of the people living in poverty live in rural areas and are economically active in agriculture, forestry and fishing, investments in rural areas and in these sectors are also of major importance for broader economic development. The assistance provided by Swedish aid to such investments may thereby be very effective for creating growth that reduces poverty. Swedish aid must facilitate investment for a sustainable increase in production and productivity in agriculture and forestry and for sustainable fishing. Continuous research

and development as well as training and capacity building in the sector

Comm. 2013/14:131 are of great importance for food security. Sweden must also promote the use of clear guidelines and principles for responsible and sustainable investments that safeguard food security. In this way, investments will be better able to contribute towards broader economic development and food security without marginalising or unfairly treating vulnerable groups or local populations.

5.2.6 High-quality research relevant to the fight against poverty

	High-quality research is important for countries’ education and research
	systems and enables research collaborations in which researchers from
	partner countries increasingly gain an opportunity to work internationally
	in high-quality research. Research results can also be effective tools for
	poverty reduction, and for economic growth, innovation, democratisation
	and gender equality.
	The majority of poor countries have insufficient production of their
	own research-based knowledge, including research related to needs and
	problems specific to that country. Swedish aid must therefore support the
	development of poor countries’ research capacity and research policy.
	Aid must be designed such that poor countries gain an opportunity to
	carry out high-quality scientific research in the countries and regions that
	must themselves tackle the problems and challenges in question. This aid
	includes increasing the ability and the capacity of partner countries and
	regional research actors to establish and maintain sustainable structures
	and institutions for higher education, postgraduate education and
	research in scientifically strong research environments; participating in
	international research partnerships on equal terms; and safeguarding the
	values of research ethics, scientific independence and good scientific
	leadership. Swedish aid must also contribute to increasing opportunities
	to finance research through national and regional research councils. The
	aid must also contribute to strengthening the ability of countries to
	identify problem areas for research, formulate and implement research
	strategies, and publicise and spread research in which scientific quality
	has been assured. Sweden’s wide-ranging experiences of building up
	research capacity in low-income countries and of research collaboration
	with these countries must be exploited.
	To support research of relevance to the fight against poverty, Swedish
	aid must also contribute towards research, research collaboration and
	research networks at regional and international level, in which Swedish
	universities and researchers are also able to participate, and towards
	research results being made available to researchers and decision-makers
	in partner countries. Support for high-quality research can also promote
	the development of innovation systems in which collaboration between
	researchers, the business sector and society in general is reinforced,
	thereby increasing the opportunities to use research as a means of and a
	catalyst for development. Research support must also promote and
	improve access to Swedish expertise in development research to enable
	Sweden to contribute high-quality capacity building and research
28	partnerships in the long term. Research-based knowledge is also an
28

important basis for making well-informed decisions in Swedish aid as a Comm. 2013/14:131 whole. Synergies between these different research-oriented operations in

aid, and between research support and other aid, must be exploited.

5.2.7Improved access to social protection

Social protection is a human right and a tool for ensuring that people have the opportunity to reach their full potential. Social protection contributes towards greater participation in the workforce in poor countries, so helping to reduce and prevent poverty, inequality, social exclusion and human vulnerability. It is particularly important for children, women and vulnerable groups. Furthermore, social protection is an investment in people that gives them opportunities to adapt to changed economic conditions and changes in the job market. Sustainable social protection systems contribute towards the transition to formal work, and investments in social protection systems facilitate greater productivity. Basic social protection thus plays a crucial role in economic and social development.

The Government considers that support for developing and expanding basic social protection in countries in which it is deficient or lacking altogether is an effective way of contributing towards economic and social development and giving people better opportunities to shape their own lives.

5.2.8Improved access to open and secure ICT

Global digitalisation contributes towards economic growth and gives people living in poverty access to information, knowledge and opportunities to influence the situation themselves. Access to an open and free internet plays an important role in creating economic growth, contributing towards the development of open, innovative and resilient social structures. The broader use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) plays an increasingly important role in entrepreneurship, research, job creation and combatting poverty. At the same time, large proportions of the global population remain excluded from the global information society.

Swedish aid must help to reduce the digital divide by improving the access to and use of open and secure ICTs for people living in poverty – especially women and young people. It must contribute to boosting the capacity of low and middle-income countries in terms of infrastructure, institutions and security in the field of ICTs.

5.2.9Greater capacity to tackle the opportunities and challenges brought about

by migration and mobility

For many families in low and middle-income countries, migration is an opportunity to increase the income of the whole family through the

migrant sending home money, known as remittances. Remittances also

Comm. 2013/14:131 enable investments in education, health and housing. While migration can mean a brain drain from sectors central to society, such as health and education, circular migration contributes towards expertise being fed back. Women’s opportunities to obtain gainful employment can increase through migration, both within the original country and outside its borders. The migration experience can also strengthen women’s autonomy, particularly when it brings greater economic opportunities or education.

To make the most of the dynamic force of migration, Swedish aid must help to strengthen the capacity of low and middle-income countries and of individuals to benefit from the opportunities of migration and handle the challenges that migration and mobility bring with them. It is particularly important to help to ensure that the expertise of returning migrants is made use of and to boost the capacity of diaspora groups to act as a bridge for trade and investment.

5.3Sub-objective 3: A better environment, limited climate impact and greater resilience to environmental impact, climate change and natural disasters

The Government’s assessment: The following results are particularly important for achieving the sub-objective A better environment, limited climate impact and greater resilience to environmental impact, climate change and natural disasters:

-Greater resilience to environmental impact, climate change and natural disasters, and a reduced environment and climate impact

-Strengthened institutional capacity in environmental management and environmental institutions

-Sustainable cities

-Improved access to sustainable energy sources

-Sustainable management of ecosystems and sustainable use of ecosystem services

Contributing towards good environmental conditions, the sustainable use of natural resources, limited climate impact and greater resilience to climate change and natural disasters increases the opportunities for longterm sustainable development and thereby of achieving the overarching objective of Swedish aid. Development that is sustainable in terms of the environment and climate also helps to meet the needs people living in poverty have for food, energy, clean water, good sanitation and clean air.

Changes in the environment and the climate have the greatest impact on people in poverty, people whose resilience to such changes is very weak. People living in poverty in slums or in remote rural areas are particularly vulnerable, and women and children are often the hardest hit. Furthermore, the effects of climate change increase the vulnerability of people living in poverty and are already affecting their development

potential and livelihoods today.

To avoid dangerous climate change, all countries and societies need to Comm. 2013/14:131 switch to carbon-efficient, sustainable economic development that

simultaneously promotes development opportunities and the fight against poverty. For this reason, Sweden should encourage the use of economic instruments that promote both investment in energy-efficient and green technology by the public and the private sector, and sustainable consumption and production patterns.

International tools and mechanisms need to be further developed to be effective and to be able to tackle global environmental problems, climate change, natural disasters and, not least, their impact on the living conditions of people living in poverty and poor countries. Here knowledge based on research and science plays an important role.

Weak institutions, ineffective legislation, unclear accountability, corruption, a lack of public access and participation, breaches of laws and other regulations, as well as a lack of transparency, accountability, embedded support and knowledge further exacerbate the situation. This leads to a lack of implementation of and compliance with measures to protect people and the environment. The absence of efficient management systems and resources has led, among other things, to the undermining of important ecosystem services and an inability to guarantee access to important natural resources and biological diversity.

5.3.1 Greater resilience to environmental impact, climate change and natural disasters, and a reduced environment and climate impact

The climate problem needs to be tackled from several different angles
simultaneously. Preventive measures are required in the form of emission
limits, adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Reductions in emissions
will see future damage reduced or completely eradicated, and thereby a
reduced need for adaptation measures. Here Swedish aid can play an
important role. Adaptation measures are required in areas such as water
supply, fishing, agriculture and forestry, health, infrastructure, energy,
industry and urban development. Measures that reduce the risk of
disasters must be put in place to reduce the negative effects of natural
disasters on human life, social structures and the environment. Measures
must be implemented under the leadership of national and local
authorities, with local organisations, private businesses and civil society
organisations as important actors. Sweden shall act to strengthen partner
countries’ ownership and encourage the integration of environmental and
climate aspects, including disaster risk reduction, into their frameworks
for development planning and monitoring, as well as into poverty
reduction strategies, national budgets and statistics.
An important starting point in designing Swedish aid initiatives is a
thorough consideration of development potential versus the risks of
negative environmental impact.
To achieve results, Swedish aid must be focused on preventive
measures and greater resilience on the part of people as well as societies,
to serious adverse effects of natural disasters, including environmental
and climate-related disasters. Consideration must also be given to the	31
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Comm. 2013/14:131 environmental and climate aspects in a short-term and a long-term perspective. In line with international principles, a disaster risk reduction approach must be applied in designing aid, and disaster risk reduction initiatives must be prioritised and seen as an integrated part of long-term aid, as a complement to humanitarian aid.

The funding requirements are significant and increasing, not least regarding funding for adapting to the effects of climate change. Sweden should therefore support different risk reduction instruments, e.g. in the form of guarantees.

5.3.2Strengthened institutional capacity in environmental management

and environmental institutions

By cooperating with different actors, Sweden shall support capacity building, including the development of legislation and tools for monitoring, supervision and enforcement within institutions and among democratically elected assemblies and political actors. The capacity of different actors for national cooperation must be strengthened. This must be done with respect for local knowledge. Initiatives must support and encourage countries’ abilities to live up to the goals of multilateral agreements, such as the environmental conventions. Strengthened institutional capacity can also contribute towards greater resilience to climate change, environmental impact and natural disasters.

Sweden shall promote integrated water resources management that contributes to people in poverty and marginalised groups being able to participate and hold the authorities to account in planning, decisionmaking and implementation. This applies in particular to women, who often play a central role in water supply at the local level and for household needs. Shared management of cross-border water resources, is particularly important, and can promote regional integration, so contributing towards less tension and conflict. Furthermore, Sweden should contribute towards climate aspects being included in social planning and water resource issues in national adaptation programmes.

Adaptation to the EU’s environmental standards involves important but often expensive requirements for those countries wishing to forge closer ties with the EU. However, investments offer major environmental gains and so contribute in several ways to improvements, including energy efficiency.

Sweden must also strengthen countries’ ability to phase out and deal with hazardous substances and other dangerous chemicals. This will improve people’s health and protect ecosystem services.

5.3.3Sustainable cities

Sweden shall contribute to strengthening the economic development, risk management and poverty reduction of cities. This can be achieved by promoting efficient and green resource use as well as new technology, recycling, safe chemicals management and resource-efficient use of

water, and by strengthened capacity for integrated urban planning and Comm. 2013/14:131 sustainable urban development based on the needs and participation of

poor urban populations and with the involvement of the business sector.

5.3.4Improved access to sustainable energy sources

Sweden will seek to ensure that people living in poverty gain greater access to energy. As part of this, Sweden will also strive to increase the proportion of renewable energy in countries’ energy systems and increase energy efficiency and the use of technology that reduces carbon dioxide emissions. Sweden should also encourage a policy dialogue with partner countries that seeks to reduce any subsidies of fossil fuels. Aid should be designed so as to enhance the capability and capacity of countries to utilise the means and opportunities made available to them, including financial resources, technology transfer and environmental investments, to promote sustainable economic development and poverty reduction.

5.3.5Sustainable management of ecosystems and sustainable use of ecosystem services

The world’s ecosystems and their services, such as clean water, food and energy, must be protected. Resilient ecosystems and biodiversity preserve future development opportunities and combat and mitigate natural disasters such as floods, land degradation and drought. To secure ecosystem services in the long term, initiatives geared towards the underlying causes of their depletion are important.

The opportunities of people living in poverty to sustainably make use of natural resources, e.g. water (including sea and fishing resources) land and biodiversity, must be reinforced.

Sweden must also support development towards more productive and resource efficient agriculture, forestry and fishing systems. This will contribute to the sustainable use of ecosystem services, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, reduce deforestation, improve incomes, increase employment and improve the health of rural populations. The sea and many freshwater resources cross national boundaries. Management is often far too weak. Rules and institutions need to be established and strengthened in collaboration with national and regional actors.

The ownership and rights of use to land, sea and water resources of those involved in farming, forestry and fishing, especially women, shall be supported. This can be achieved by supporting tougher legislation and its application. Sweden shall also contribute to regional cooperation on the management, protection and sustainable use of sea and freshwater resources,

Comm. 2013/14:131 5.4 Sub-objective 4: Improved basic health

The Government’s assessment: The following results are particularly important for achieving the sub-objective Improved basic health:

-Improved access to sexual and reproductive health and rights and reduced vulnerability to HIV and AIDS.

-Improved survival and healthier lives, with a focus on for women and children

-Improved access to clean water and basic sanitation

Good health is a fundamental prerequisite for people’s opportunities to achieve their full potential and to reduce poverty. Investments in health enable greater productivity and are an investment in the development of society as a whole. In addition, having the best possible health, including necessary health care, food, water, clean air, sanitation, hygiene and medicines, is a human right. Improved health is also a result of work under other sub-objectives.

The right to decide and exercise control over one’s own body, sexuality and reproduction is fundamental for all people. Previous ground gained for women’s and girls’ rights is encountering resistance, however – not least in terms of their autonomy, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and full enjoyment of human rights. HIV and AIDS continue to constitute major challenges. Complications in conjunction with pregnancy and childbirth are still the most common cause of death among girls aged 15–19 in countries where aid operates.

There are still major deficiencies in terms of access to essential health care for women and children. Child mortality and maternal mortality remain high in many low-income countries. Access to and the quality of primary health care and maternal health care need to be improved. Access to well-trained staff, medicines and vaccines, and adequate financing are crucial factors in the development of health systems that are sustainable in the long-term.

Ill-health of people living in poverty also derives from the fact that they live with poor hygiene and insufficient access to important factors such as nutritious food, clean water, clean air, good sanitation, and good education, and the fact that they live in environments where violence is common and the risk of injury is high. Emissions hazardous to health such as those caused by exposure to open fires and traditional cook stoves risk causing ill-health and death. This often affects children and women to a particularly high extent. There are also marked inequalities within individual countries regarding people’s health.

Poor access to clean water and improved sanitation facilities is a major problem with many negative consequences, particularly for women’s health, education, family relationships and time. Children who do not have access to clean water and good sanitation are more frequently ill, which has an impact on their school attendance. Being unable to safely visit the toilet is not only a serious health risk, but also humiliating and a breach of privacy. For women and girls in particular, not having access

to good sanitation facilities is a major problem.

The greatest vulnerabilities, the worst levels of ill-health and the Comm. 2013/14:131 greatest needs are often found in countries affected by conflict. Maternal

mortality continues to be high. In these countries there are clear links between long-term health aid and humanitarian assistance focused on health aspects.

Swedish engagements in the field of health shall be designed so that they contribute towards more effective health systems that deliver effective and integrated health care, clearly prioritising the most vulnerable people.

5.4.1Improved access to sexual and reproductive health and rights and reduced vulnerability to HIV and AIDS

The primary point of departure for Sweden’s work to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is comprised of international agreements and commitments, e.g. those contained in the declarations and action programmes from the UN International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994, and the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Priority is to be given to increasing women’s, men’s and young people’s access to information and education about sex and relationships, safe and legal abortions, contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and HIV and AIDS. Young people’s needs and perspectives must be highlighted, as must work on primary prevention and behaviour issues.

In many places in the world, above all in poor parts of the world, the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) persons are infringed upon. Improving this situation is a priority for Sweden.

Many of the world’s maternal deaths can be prevented and women’s lives can be saved. Swedish aid shall be focused on increasing access to trained staff, particularly midwives; on adequate maternal care in conjunction with pregnancy and labour; and on improving women’s access to contraception and safe, legal abortions.

The government recognises that a long-term and broad approach is necessary to slow the spread of HIV. Effective initiatives to prevent HIV, increase access to antiretroviral drugs and alleviate the long-term effects demand that measures are adapted to the local context and to the conditions of the specific target group.

Overall this work shall be characterised by the requirement of greater respect for human rights and increased gender equality. This is partly to reduce the incidence of stigmatisation and discrimination. Predominantly, the work must be focused on promoting greater rights and better conditions and opportunities for women and girls and young people, while also highlighting the perspective, needs and responsibilities of boys and men.

Comm. 2013/14:131 5.4.2 Improved survival and healthier lives primarily for women and children

Greater access to equitable essential health care with a particular focus on those with the greatest needs is crucial. Access to rapid diagnosis, vaccines and drugs, as well as the rational use of antibiotics is central to long-term work on improved survival and healthy lives. Similarly, it is appropriate to contribute towards a lower incidence of and death from illnesses such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and to reduced exposure to hazardous substances.

Reducing child mortality is linked to several different factors; access to healthcare in conjunction with birth, the prevention and treatment of childhood illnesses, improved diet, reduced violence, vaccination, water and sanitation are crucial. Initiatives to reduce maternal mortality can thus also help to save children’s lives.

The demographic changes seen in low and middle-income countries mean that basic healthcare will also need to be focused on preventing non-communicable diseases. This requires collaboration with other sectors.

Swedish aid must take into account the opportunities for elderly people and people with disabilities to live healthy lives, free from violence and discrimination, and contribute to social development.

5.4.3Improved access to clean water and basic sanitation

Clean water and sanitation are essential to a decent life and are a fundamental cornerstone of the fight against poverty. Clean water is crucial to life. Improved access to clean water and basic sanitation are therefore vital. It is particularly important to improve access to water and sanitation in the slums of cities, for example by providing financial support for functioning toilets and hydrants. Functioning local, national and regional water resources management combined with legislation and work initiated by institutions can contribute towards increasing access to clean water and sustainable sanitation for people living in poverty.

	5.5	Sub-objective 5: Safeguarding human security
		and freedom from violence

	The Government’s assessment: The following results are
	particularly important for achieving the sub-objective Safeguarding
	human security and freedom from violence:
	- Reduced vulnerability to conflict and for re-lapse into conflict
	- Greater human security in conflict and post-conflict situations
	- A reduction in gender-based violence
	Safeguarding human security and freedom from violence seeks to combat
	both poverty and oppression. Human security puts the security of people
36	before the security of states. For individual people, this means the right

to live a life free from violence and from the threat of violence – Comm. 2013/14:131 political, criminal, economic, social or gender-based. Freedom from

violence is a fundamental prerequisite for other freedoms and rights and is a necessary foundation for development.

Violence and armed conflict pose one of the greatest obstacles to combatting poverty. It is largely countries in conflict and post-conflict situations that tend to be the least developed, poorest and most vulnerable. In such countries it is harder for people living in poverty to have their basic needs met and to enjoy their freedoms and rights.

If societies fail to resolve conflicts by peaceful means, there is a risk of armed violence. The causes of conflicts differ, but may concern issues of land ownership, the distribution of income from natural resources, or crimes against fundamental human rights, linked, for example, to religious or ethnic identity. Factors such as lack of water and climate change can contribute towards increased instability or conflict. The cost of violence is huge. Besides the loss of human life and suffering, armed conflict and large-scale violence often set economic development back several decades. One reason for this is that violence destroys relationships of trust – between states and citizens, between social groups and people – that are necessary for development.

Once a community has fallen into a spiral of conflict or violence, it is hard to break out of it. In post-conflict situations, re-lapse into armed conflict is perhaps the most serious obstacle to development and combatting poverty.

Violence is the ultimate form of oppression. All forms of violence against women and girls in war and in peacetime have a negative impact on them and on society. Violence limits women’s opportunities to actively contribute towards societal development. Children’s right to protection from violence must be guaranteed for them to achieve their full potential.

Swedish aid must therefore contribute to the efforts and capacities of societies and people to prevent, reduce and handle conflict peacefully – and to manage the consequences of violence and assault. Swedish aid must be focused on protecting the safety and freedom from violence of vulnerable people and people living in poverty. Swedish aid must also be focused on reducing all forms of gender-based violence. After a conflict, peacebuilding and statebuilding, including reconciliation, are central.

5.5.1 Reduced vulnerability to conflict and lapsing back into conflict

A society’s vulnerability to armed conflict is intimately linked to its
ability to cope with differences of opinion without them turning into
violence. To reduce vulnerability it is essential to work with the causes of
conflict in each given situation. Since these causes vary from case to case
and over time, the conflict analysis, underlying Swedish support, needs
to be continuously updated. Potential differences in the situations faced
by groups should be clearly reflected. Flexibility, preparedness and a
conflict-sensitive approach are needed in order to provide the right
support at the right time.	37
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Comm. 2013/14:131 Sweden must support inclusive dialogue on conflict prevention, other forms of peaceful conflict management, building trust and reconciliation. Aid may consist of capacity building of actors or institutions involved in political processes. To attain lasting peace, all stakeholders must be included. The active participation of women in all phases of the conflict cycle is fundamental. Civil society also plays an important role.

Aid to strengthen justice can also address conflict-related issues. For this reason, Sweden contributes towards initiatives concerning transitional justice, combatting impunity, reforming the justice sector and dispute resolution, or other support to strengthen the rule of law.

Support to increase democratic control and oversight of the security sector, security sector reform (SSR), is an important component in reducing vulnerability to armed conflict and re-lapse into armed conflict.

Support to peace dividends may also be needed. This means that Sweden contributes towards initiatives that involve tangible, positive changes for the parties involved in the conflict and for the people and communities affected, as a direct result of peace.

Sweden also contributes civil experts in conflict prevention initiatives and crisis management initiatives as well as initiatives in the field of justice and security sector reform.

5.5.2Greater human security in conflict and post-conflict situations

Conflict and post-conflict situations are often characterised by violence and attacks on civilians. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable. Women’s security is based on women being guaranteed full and equal influence in efforts to prevent, tackle and resolve conflicts and manage post-conflict situations. Swedish aid must therefore contribute towards this and give women and girls special protection, particularly through initiatives to strengthen compliance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on women, peace and security and their follow-up resolutions.

Security risks for the civilian population may also be linked to disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of former combatants and the presence of mines and weapons. DDR can include initiatives supporting the transformation of armed groups into political actors. It is also very important that Sweden’s support for DDR is adapted to former child soldiers and women. Initiatives are introduced for dealing with mines, in line with Sweden’s undertakings under international law, and to support the work against the irresponsible and illegal spread of small arms and light weapons.

People’s security in the longer term depends on ensuring a functioning security sector. Military or police officers who use violence, threats or otherwise exploit their position of power against the population are a cause of insecurity and a threat to democracy and the rule of law.

5.5.3

A reduction in gender-based violence

Comm. 2013/14:131

Gender-based violence in all its forms prevents people from improving their living conditions. Women and girls are particularly subjected to this type of oppression, but men and boys are also affected.

Swedish aid must therefore contribute towards protecting women and girls from all types of violence, including violence in close relationships and sexual violence, in crisis, conflict and post-conflict situations and in times of peace. Swedish aid must also be focussed on preventing and reducing gender-based violence, and on tackling the consequences of violence. Both women and men need to be involved in this work for it to have the best impact. The knowledge, expertise and actions of women’s and LGBT organisations must also be taken into account.

Societies in which women have autonomy and are active participants in politics, the economy and the life of society tend to be less prone to violence and conflict. Swedish aid must therefore promote equality between women and men. It must also be used to combat human trafficking.

5.6Sub-objective 6: Saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity

The Government’s assessment: The following results are particularly important for achieving the sub-objective Saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity:

-Humanitarian aid based on humanitarian needs, including the special needs of women and children

-Improved food security in conjunction with humanitarian crises and disasters

-Effective protection of refugees and internally displaced persons

-Greater respect for humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law

-A strong and coordinated international humanitarian system

The objective for Sweden’s humanitarian aid is to save lives, to alleviate suffering and to maintain human dignity, for the benefit of people in need who are, or are at risk of becoming, affected by armed conflicts, natural disasters or other disaster situations. At the same time it is important to prevent disasters and strengthen the resilience of people and society. Effective preventive work considerably reduces the risks of extensive humanitarian crises in the future.

Sweden’s humanitarian aid is founded on the Geneva Conventions of 1949, their Additional Protocols and other sources of international humanitarian law, as well as on international refugee law, human rights, legal instruments relating to natural disasters, established international practice in this area and the humanitarian imperative. Swedish humanitarian aid must be needs based, in line with the principles of Good Humanitarian Donorship, and is guided by the humanitarian principles of

humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence.

Comm. 2013/14:131 There are challenges on several levels. Humanitarian needs in the world are increasing, partly due to the fact that natural disasters are affecting increasing numbers of people while funding is not increasing at a similar rate. Humanitarian aid therefore needs to become more efficient such that the needs can be even better met. A central element in increasing the efficiency of humanitarian aid is improving the humanitarian system’s assessment and analysis of what the humanitarian needs are in every given situation.

A large proportion of the humanitarian aid initiatives are carried out in the form of humanitarian food aid and protection of refugees and internally displaced persons. The efficiency of these two central sectors needs to be constantly improved to ensure that aid reaches as many people in need as possible, partly through new working methods and innovative types of support.

Humanitarian aid and more long-term forms of aid must work together to alleviate suffering and create the conditions to form a bridge from humanitarian initiatives to long-term development. This paves the way for long-term solutions.

5.6.1Humanitarian aid based on humanitarian needs, including the special needs of women and children

Humanitarian aid must always be primarily guided by humanitarian needs. Sweden’s humanitarian aid should be based on a global approach. Sweden will work to ensure that Swedish as well as international humanitarian aid is designed so that, in a flexible, rapid and effective and efficient manner, it can meet the humanitarian needs of women, men, children and young people in need, in each specific situation and context, and taking into account particularly vulnerable groups and their special needs. This particularly concerns groups whose lives and health are entirely dependent, for example, on relatives or functioning social institutions. Sweden will work to ensure that the ability of the humanitarian system to produce high quality, comparable and shared needs assessments improves.

5.6.2Improved food security in conjunction with humanitarian crises and disasters

The Government believes that humanitarian food aid should be shortterm. It must only be provided to satisfy major and acute needs because large amounts of imported food aid may severely undermine local markets, agriculture and food production and so damage the long-term development of the country or the area. A lack of food security and malnutrition can be due to various factors, which humanitarian food aid must take into account.

To achieve results, Sweden must work to ensure that humanitarian food aid effectively combats hunger. Food for humanitarian aid must primarily be purchased in or close to the places in which it is to be used. Humanitarian food aid must not only be restricted to food in kind; other,

more innovative types of support such as cash and vouchers that can be Comm. 2013/14:131 exchanged for goods must also be used.

5.6.3Effective protection of refugees and internally displaced persons

The Government believes that humanitarian aid – where necessary by using new methods and tools – should enable humanitarian actors to help provide refugees and internally displaced persons with effective protection and support, regardless of whether those concerned have taken refuge in refugee camps, host families or urban environments. Sweden must support the efforts of the international community to find durable solutions by striving to achieve closer cooperation between humanitarian actors and long-term development aid. Sweden must work for activities that encourage self-sufficiency and local ownership – among returning refugees, internally displaced persons and receiving communities.

5.6.4Greater respect for humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law

Sweden must work to ensure that international humanitarian law is respected and complied with and that humanitarian principles are safeguarded. All parties involved must respect and facilitate free and safe humanitarian access to people in need. Sweden will work to ensure that this is achieved. Sweden will also work to ensure that measures are taken to improve safety and security for humanitarian personnel in the field.

Sweden will work to ensure that humanitarian interventions for the protection of civilians are introduced prior to, during and after a conflict. Sweden will also work to ensure that the mandates for international peace support missions, where justified, increasingly include a mandate to protect civilians, including adequate capacity and training.

5.6.5 A strong and coordinated international humanitarian system

A strong and well-coordinated international humanitarian system, inter
alia based on the UN General Assembly’s resolution 46/183 (primarily
comprising the UN, the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, plus
international civil society organisations) is crucial to effective emergency
aid in support of the affected country’s own efforts.
Sweden’s special position in international humanitarian aid is due
partly to Sweden’s long history of active work to develop international
humanitarian policy, and partly to its sizable financial contributions.
Sweden’s distinguished position must be used as an important means of
furthering international policy development in a proactive, innovative
and responsible manner.
Disaster prevention and capacity building are important and Sweden
will work to ensure that steps are taken in the early recovery phase to
help minimise the future vulnerability of individuals and societies.	41
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Comm. 2013/14:131 Sweden will also work to ensure that the international humanitarian system is further strengthened, multilateral mechanisms are protected and that humanitarian work and long-term efforts for poverty reduction is coordinated to a greater extent. Sweden will also support the implementation of humanitarian reforms and act for effective forms of financing for humanitarian initiatives.

6Principles for effective

and result-oriented Swedish aid

The Government wants to ensure that Swedish aid produces the maximum benefit. There are a number of principles that encourage Swedish aid being used as effectively as possible to combat poverty and oppression.

Sweden has undertaken to comply with international agreements including the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005), the Accra Agenda for Action (2008) and the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (2011). Principles regarding the cooperation partner’s ownership, harmonisation, alignment to the partner countries’ strategies and systems, focus on results, and mutual accountability are important commitments in which continued progress needs to be achieved. Work to improve aid effectiveness has gradually been broadened to encompass undertakings on wider ownership and an inclusive partnership in which the role of civil society and the private sector in development is strengthened, in line with Swedish priorities. Sweden places particular emphasis on a focus on results, transparency and accountability. At the heart of Sweden’s work on aid effectiveness is that aid must lead to concrete and long-term results for individuals living in poverty or under oppression and that their opportunities to influence their situation and demand accountability must be strengthened.

Sweden must be clear and set high demands for their partners in aid in terms of a focus on results, active anti-corruption measures, an efficient use of funding and transparent accounting systems. These requirements must be expressed through more assertive dialogue and clarity in steering documents. Sweden must also be prepared to re-examine its involvement in aid when these requirements are not met. Sweden must apply a conflict-sensitive approach in situations of conflict and large-scale violence.

6.1Major focus on results

Results strategies are central steering instruments in Swedish aid policy and the intention is that all Swedish aid must be strategy-based. Results strategies enable the Government to steer aid clearly on the basis of the results that are to be achieved. The intention is to clearly set out the

results that the Government wishes to attain and facilitate the follow-up

and management of activities. Strategies are being drawn up for aid in Comm. 2013/14:131 countries and regions, for cooperation with/through multilateral

organisations and for thematically focussed aid work. These set out a number of expected results capable of being followed up that the Government wants Swedish aid to help to achieve. The point of departure is the countries’ own priorities and plans. The expected results must in turn contribute towards effectively attaining the six subobjectives of Swedish aid. This is described in more detail in the Guidelines for results strategies previously laid down by the Government.

Work on results is carried out and handled at different levels in different parts of aid administration. Learning and feeding back experiences are two fundamental components. The Government considers that particular emphasis should be placed on follow-up, evaluation and analysis of the implementation, results and aid effectiveness. The aim is to acquire better knowledge of what works well and what does not work, as the basis for better decisions on the direction going forward. The work on results is also about communicating and reporting results. The Government wants to be able to give the Riksdag and the general public more exhaustive information on the results of Swedish aid. Knowledge gained from research into aid, development problems and the conditions for development should also be used as a basis for making well-informed decisions on the direction of aid in the future. Research results can also be used as a basis for countries’ analyses of challenges and opportunities for combatting poverty. Resultsbased management relies on the availability of reliable statistics. Sweden must therefore contribute to improving the ability of poor countries to produce, provide and analyse the relevant statistics.

The Government considers that it must be possible to follow up on aid in relation to the targets set. The results of aid may look different depending on their nature and context. It may therefore be harder to follow up operations in certain circumstances than in others. The difficulties in following up results in aid must not, however, lead those administering aid to stop trying to do so. The approach should instead be to follow up what can be followed up and make assessments of the other aspects. Nor do the difficulties mean that Sweden should focus its aid on short-term results or solely on results that are easy to measure. Nor should Sweden refrain from providing aid in unstable situations where it may take longer before the aid achieves results or where the results will be harder to measure.

6.2Openness and transparency

Swedish aid must be characterised by openness and transparency. Sweden’s emphasis on transparency can be traced back to Sweden’s relatively unique principle of public access which permeates the entire Swedish administration system. This means an undertaking to make information visible, such that stakeholders in Sweden and in partner countries are able to follow the entire aid chain – from overarching

Comm. 2013/14:131 approaches concerning the direction of aid and its distribution, to preparation, decisions, payment, implementation, and follow-up of individual initiatives and follow-up at a more aggregated level.

This undertaking is manifested in the implementation of the transparency guarantee, whereby public documents and public information on aid must be made available online. The information must show when, to whom and why the aid was paid out and what the results were. The same demands of openness and transparency must apply to all aid-funded operations, with the exception of information covered by data protection. Sweden must also work for greater openness and transparency in partner countries.

6.3Aid must intensify the fight against corruption

Corruption is a serious societal problem in the countries that receive Swedish aid. It disrupts the principles of the rule of law and is an obstacle to the fight against poverty and the development of a functioning state based on the rule of law. It is people living in poverty who are hardest hit. Sweden must make requirements and support efforts on the part of partner countries to combat corruption. Important measures for tackling corruption are the development of functioning and trustworthy institutions that promote openness, transparency and accountability. It is also relevant to bolster actors that may play a key role in anti-corruption efforts, as it is to support a climate in which whistle-blowers are able to act. The large resource flows in aid may constitute a risk of corruption in their own right, for example in procurement, and all actors therefore have a responsibility for forestalling and preventing corruption.

6.4Innovation and flexibility

Swedish aid must be characterised by innovation and flexibility. It must contribute towards and benefit from international development of new aid methods with the aim of greater achievement of results. Innovation, in other words development and use of new ideas, technologies, mechanisms and forms of collaboration must be encouraged and innovation processes promoted. Lessons must be learned from evaluation of and research into ways of resolving specific problems such as child mortality, low agricultural production or low literacy. Aid may also involve developing innovative financing mechanisms, finding new, more effective channels and partners, using tried and tested methods in a new context or exploiting the possibilities of digitalisation to improve aid effectiveness. Through innovation, aid can better meet global challenges such as poverty and climate change, while the innovativeness of partner countries is reinforced.

Aid also needs to be sufficiently flexible to be able to be adapted to different contexts and rapid change. Sweden must be able to offer differentiated forms of cooperation, adapted to the political and economic

conditions of the respective countries and partners. A long-term approach Comm. 2013/14:131 in development efforts must always go hand in hand with a readiness to

act quickly where required.

6.5New knowledge and cooperation with other actors

In aid Sweden must draw on the knowledge, competence and capacity that exist among Swedish actors such as private enterprise, civil society organisations including diaspora groups, agencies and other public actors, such as research. Sweden also needs to relate to the new aid actors in global aid and find new paths for collaboration with non-traditional aid actors. Sweden must welcome innovative ideas and methods, collaboration and opportunities.

In those countries in which aid operates, the private sector can help to improve the living conditions of people living in poverty. Investments or innovations that have great potential for reducing poverty are, however, not always profitable for the individual company. Thus aid can stimulate and reinforce the positive role of companies in the development process. Swedish aid must avoid acting so as to disrupt the market but it must not hesitate to act to develop it. Cooperation with the private sector must stimulate innovative solutions and be concentrated in areas that provide a high return on Swedish aid. Swedish aid must work with the actors that provide the greatest possible impact and must not be tied to Swedish companies.

6.6Particular conditions in fragile states

Swedish aid must be adapted to particular conditions in fragile states. A large proportion of Swedish aid goes to countries that find themselves in a conflict or post-conflict situation. This means that aid initiatives are carried out in complex, risk-filled and rapidly changing environments. Longer-term development is often carried out in parallel with humanitarian initiatives and with peace-keeping operations that include military components. Keeping military and civilian roles separate is important. The strategic role of aid in such a situation contributes both to addressing the acute conflict and its structural causes while keeping the fight against poverty, opportunities for future democratic development and the individual’s right to security in the foreground.

During armed conflict, as well as in post-conflict situations, state-to- state cooperation can be problematic. The state is often weak and dominated by the previously warring parties. The risk of Swedish aid boosting an illegitimate regime or of fuelling underlying causes of conflict must therefore be taken into account through a conflict-sensitive approach. If national ownership is weak, ownership in some situations can also be sought, for example, at local level and through civil society. In situations in which peace is fragile, the majority of aid needs to be

focussed on areas that seek to strengthen peace, security and stability.

Comm. 2013/14:131 Swedish commitment to peace and security must in this case also support early recovery that normally arises immediately after a conflict. At the same time this involvement must also promote long-term development and support the fight against poverty and opportunities for future democratic development.

6.7Cost and risk awareness

Swedish aid must be cost and risk aware. The resources earmarked for aid initiatives must be used as cost-effectively as possible. This means that costs must be set against the value and benefit of the intervention in the form of its results. Cost-awareness must be present when planning, implementing and following up aid initiatives. Cost effectiveness is a relative measurement and it is only by comparison, either between the same type of intervention over time or between different interventions, that conclusions can be drawn. What can be considered to be reasonable costs and results varies depending on the context. Interventions must be designed appropriately. The size of the intervention may vary depending on the context, the target group and the result that is to be achieved. Cost effectiveness is to be sought but small interventions may be effective in achieving results in certain circumstances.

The risk management of aid administration has one clear purpose: to identify, evaluate and manage circumstances that may limit opportunities for attaining the objectives set. A risk analysis must always be carried out to identify and survey the circumstances that may prevent the operation from attaining the desired results and evaluating risks on the basis of the likelihood and consequences of them occurring. The risks that are so serious as to be unacceptable must be managed through some kind of control measure where possible. The measures must be drawn up in the light of a cost-benefit assessment.

Thorough risk assessment and risk management are crucial if aid is to achieve the desired result and taxpayers’ money is to be managed responsibly. However, risk management does not only involve minimising risk; it is also a question of weighing up risks and potential results. A certain amount of risk is often essential if the aid is to achieve its intention. Accepting particular risks does not, however, mean that Sweden accepts the consequence of the risk occurring, e.g. corruption. In its results strategies, the Government defines a direction and activities with different degrees of risk that taken as a whole create a level of risk that is acceptable for Sweden in order to achieve results. In conflict and post-conflict countries the risks are often higher.

7	Cooperation and synergies	Comm. 2013/14:131

in Swedish aid

The priorities of the Government in aid policy are realised through bilateral and multilateral undertakings, and through Sweden’s actions within the framework of EU aid. The Government recognises that bilateral aid, multilateral aid and EU aid complement each other. Better cooperation and synergies between bilateral aid and aid through multilateral organisations and via the EU must be sought in order to attain as good results as possible.

In some cases, the goals of the Government’s aid policy can best be attained through bilateral aid, in other cases in cooperation with and through multilateral organisations, through Swedish action within the framework of EU aid or through a combination of these channels. The importance of better cooperation and synergies applies to bilateral and multilateral aid and EU aid. In order to be capable of tackling regional or global issues, such as global environmental problems and climate change, cooperation between different actors is necessary – both in aid and between countries affected.

The Government is keen to review the transaction costs and identify what is necessary to lower them in the long term.

7.1Well-adapted bilateral aid

7.1.1 Focus on poor and unfree countries

The Government’s general point of departure is that Sweden must
concentrate its bilateral aid on the countries where the need is greatest,
starting where Swedish aid efforts are judged capable of leading to good
results and where Swedish bilateral aid is judged to have a clear added
value. A large proportion of Swedish aid is channelled bilaterally. The
majority of the world’s population who live in poverty live in middle-
income countries. However, the Government sees the main task of
bilateral aid as being to focus on people who live in poverty or under
oppression in countries that have limited resources of their own, in other
words low-income countries. Many of these people also live in conflict-
affected countries. The Government also considers that aid has a duty to
further democracy and human rights and contribute towards peace and
reconciliation and the environment and climate, even in countries that are
not among the poorest countries.
A bilateral aid undertaking gives Sweden an opportunity to influence
the broader development issues in individual countries by conducting
dialogue on priority issues, not least democracy and human rights and the
causes of poverty and oppression, but also the environment and climate.
There may also be political added value in bilateral aid and opportunities
to promote the rights-based perspective and reinforce values important to
Sweden such as gender equality and transparency. Bilateral aid is also an
efficient tool for working against the tide in individual partner countries.
This, for example, may involve gender equality, sexual and reproductive	47
	47

Comm. 2013/14:131 health and rights, the rights of LGBT persons, abolition of the death penalty and the rights of people with disabilities. Bilateral aid also provides important knowledge of the reality in which people who live in poverty and under oppression live and in which aid is carried out.

Some of the countries in the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans, plus Turkey, do not fall within the criteria of poor or unfree countries, but closer ties with the EU are crucial to these countries’ seeking to strengthen democracy and carry out reforms in their societies. Sweden is one of the most powerful advocates of EU expansion. For this reason, the Government sees it as essential that Swedish aid contributes towards reforms that seek to support countries forging closer ties with the EU and to strengthen democracy and increase respect for human rights. Sweden’s experiences can be used as a tool to support the countries’ journey towards open, democratic societies under the rule of law and with a modern market economy. This intensifies the fight against poverty and reform efforts on Sweden’s doorstep. As the individual countries draw nearer to the EU, democratically and economically, the reform partnership can gradually be phased out.

7.1.2A strong focus on the individual

The Government’s point of departure in deciding on the direction, scope and form of aid in a particular country is always the rights, needs and prerequisites of individuals to lift themselves out of poverty, oppression and vulnerability. The perspective on development of people who live in poverty themselves must be applied in planning, implementing, and in following up and analysing Swedish aid initiatives:

Planning of Swedish aid initiatives must always be based on knowledge of the women, men, boys and girls towards whom aid is focussed and of the communities in which they live. Sweden requires that this knowledge also forms the basis of partner countries’ planning for poverty reduction and development. Many variables interact and influence the living conditions, power and choices of individuals and groups. This is particularly true of the extent to which society’s structures and institutions support the initiative of individuals and groups to improve their living conditions. Knowledge of the individual’s problems, needs and priorities must be obtained through close contact with the target group to a much greater extent. In planning all Swedish aid the following question must be asked: What change must be achieved in the lives of people living in poverty and under oppression?

When implementing Swedish initiatives, results and collaboration must be sought at the lowest possible appropriate level, as close to people’s daily lives and reality as possible. Swedish aid must be strongly locally anchored. This improves opportunities for the target groups of aid to demand accountability regarding the aid provided and the results promised. Initiatives can also be carried out at a higher institutional level if this is judged to contribute to results that benefit the person living in poverty and under oppression. The level at which the initiative takes

place depends on the results sought and how these can best be attained.

However, the ultimate aim is better living conditions for the individual Comm. 2013/14:131 living in poverty and under oppression – in the short or long term –

which is why the result must be followed up as close to the individual as possible.

Follow-up and analysis of Swedish aid initiatives must be based on the question: What effects do Swedish aid initiatives have on the opportunities of individual people living in poverty and under oppression to improve their living conditions?

7.1.3The different partners of Swedish aid

Swedish aid has a wide range of partners to work with. The state bears the fundamental responsibility for meeting citizens’ rights, civil and political, as well as social, economic and cultural. Thereby the state also has responsibility for creating prerequisites for people living in poverty to lift themselves out of poverty and oppression. This makes the state and society’s institutions important partners for Swedish aid.

The Government considers that civil society is a development actor in its own right and that its organisations constitute a powerful force for change and play a key role in work to reduce poverty. In many countries civil society plays an important role in assisting vulnerable people and having an effect on openness, the development of democracy and respect for human rights. Close cooperation with civil society organisations, including political parties, e.g. through party-affiliated organisations, can either supplement, balance or replace direct state support. Sweden must therefore promote representative, legitimate and independent actors in civil society and also draw attention to collaboration at global level between civil society actors. The Government’s view is that support from civil society to reduce poverty can ultimately also be a means for individuals to do their bit towards taking moral responsibility for supporting people subjected to oppression, vulnerability and poverty. Many civil society organisations have great potential for acting locally and close to the people living in poverty and under oppression that Swedish aid is seeking to reach. This strengthens the opportunities to attain and follow up results at local level and individual level, while improving the accountability of aid initiatives. In this collaboration Sweden must particularly pay attention to the potential of civil society organisations to create opportunities for organisation and channels through which people and groups can make their voices heard – particularly people who are discriminated against or marginalised who live in poverty and under oppression.

Swedish agencies also have subject knowledge that means that they are in demand as a partner in particular aid initiatives. On the basis of their Government mandate, Swedish agencies can thereby play an important role in carrying out aid interventions. The long-term collaborations that emerge also create a foundation for sustainable results and lasting relationships beyond the aid itself. The priorities of aid policy must form the basis of operations, which are to contribute towards reaching the objectives of aid policy.

Comm. 2013/14:131 Sweden must also work in partnership with private enterprise. It is in private enterprise that the foremost opportunities can be found for creating employment that enables people who live in poverty to earn a living. The private sector also has a fundamental role to play in terms of contributing financing, new solutions, products and services that are adapted to the needs and purchasing power of people living in poverty. Private enterprise often also has an opportunity to directly affect areas that are central to people’s living conditions, such as human rights, the environment and corruption. One fundamental principle when aid cooperates with actors in the business sector is that all cooperation must contribute towards the overarching objective of aid – the needs of people living in poverty and under oppression must be the starting point of all operations. In the same way as with collaboration with other actors, cooperation with the private sector must be characterised by openness, transparency and cost-efficiency. It must also be independent, resultsfocussed and avoid disrupting the market. Cooperation with industry should be characterised by high requirements in terms of CSR.

The Government seeks to reduce the reporting burden on aid administration and those implementing Swedish aid, including civil society organisations. The main rule must be that results must be reported appropriately and with a long-term perspective. Follow-up in the shorter term must be kept concise such that increased efforts can instead be put into following the development of initiatives in the field.

7.1.4 Swedish aid must be adapted to the country context

	Sweden operates bilateral aid in different types of countries, all with their
	specific development challenges. To attain as positive results as possible,
	aid needs to start out from and be adapted to the conditions that prevail in
	different countries. In the normal case, Sweden’s bilateral aid takes the
	form of long-term cooperation based on the countries’ plans and
	strategies for development and poverty reduction, so promoting
	ownership.
	The degree of trust in the government of the partner country is afforded
	greater weight in considering what type of cooperation Swedish aid
	could finance in an individual country. Human rights, democracy and
	good governance are of particularly great importance when the
	Government is assessing what type of aid Sweden can offer. In partner
	countries in which Sweden has fundamental trust in the government and
	its agencies, Sweden can run broad and long-term aid that builds on
	state-to-state cooperation and is based on the development strategy of the
	partner country itself. If Sweden’s trust in the government of the partner
	country proves to be misplaced, the aid must particularly focus on
	strengthening pro-reform movements and encouraging respect for human
	rights, the development of democratic institutions, openness and
	accountability.
	If trust in the government of the partner country deteriorates
	considerably or is entirely lacking, the aid must not be channelled
50	through government actors; instead, alternative partners must be sought.
50

In the majority of cases, aid can be channelled to NGOs and pro- Comm. 2013/14:131 democracy movements in civil society.

Sweden has undertaken to comply with the agreement from Busan on the New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States. The agreement involves five peacebuilding and state-building goals and principles for cooperation. In fragile and conflict-affected countries this cooperation must be based on trust. The country itself, in other words the government, civil society and other actors, must own the process. This is necessary in order to link economic issues and politics and security. For the countries that demonstrate a serious commitment to implementing substantive reforms in line with these principles, more significant Swedish support can be considered.

7.1.5Forms of bilateral aid

The vast majority of Swedish aid comprises grants. The growth of new aid actors and the importance of new capital flows and sources of financing means that aid needs to incorporate cooperation with different actors and support to initiatives of a catalytic or innovative nature. It is therefore the Government’s ambition to channel an increasing proportion of Swedish aid through innovative forms of aid and financing.

Innovative forms must therefore also be trialled regarding donations. Results-based aid can create incentives for improving the results and create a clearer contract between the donor and the partner, where the latter is given responsibility for determining how the results are to be attained. Results-based forms of aid are characterised by the aid being paid out ex-post on the basis of the results achieved. This form differs from traditional aid, which usually finances a particular operation in advance, which is expected to lead to particular results.

Within the framework of international undertakings on aid effectiveness, Sweden and other donors have undertaken to provide aid to a greater extent in the form of broad and coordinated aid to programmes run by the partner, known as a programme-based approach. This form of aid reduces transaction costs and helps to increase partner ownership. In countries in which Swedish aid includes budget support or other forms of programme support, in its dialogue with partner countries, Sweden will work to ensure that civil society actors have an opportunity for participation, transparency and accountability vis à vis those in power and in overall national and local political processes and efforts to reduce poverty.

General budget support for poverty reduction is a form of aid which means that support is given directly to a country’s state budget with the aim of supporting the country’s poverty reduction strategy in its entirety. The Government has laid down fundamental conditions that must be met for general budget support to be granted:

Fundamental respect for human rights and democracy, and clear commitments and measures to strengthen them.

A national plan or equivalent for development and poverty reduction that enjoys democratic support and is generally deemed relevant,

credible and feasible.	51

Comm. 2013/14:131  A growth-enhancing economic policy that is sustainable in the long term, aiming at development and poverty reduction and incorporating macroeconomic stability as a necessary prerequisite.

Public financial management systems that are sufficiently transparent, robust and effective to enable the support to achieve its goals, along with positive development of these systems.

A clear undertaking on the part of the partner country’s Government

to fight corruption in the public sector, and measures taken to this end.

When the above conditions are met, general budget support may have positive effects. However, general budget support is associated with a number of risks and challenges, because it requires a higher degree of trust in the partner country’s government and the policy pursued. To manage these challenges and focus more sharply on results, the Government sees advantages of trialling results-based contracts that link payments made to result indicators agreed in advance in line with the partner countries’ own priorities.

7.2Strategic multilateral aid

7.2.1The multilateral system as an effective aid channel

Global problems require global solutions. For this reason, the Government has chosen to be strongly engaged in multilateral cooperation and channels a large proportion of Swedish aid through multilateral organisations.

Through multilateral institutions with great legitimacy and global or regional presence, Sweden can effectively combine its support with other countries’ aid to identify the best shared solutions to help the people who need it most. With their capacity for implementation, the multilateral organisations have good prerequisites to finance programmes that seek long-term capacity building and policy development, building social institutions, extensive infrastructure development and macroeconomic support for reform. In this way the burden of coordination for a partner country with limited capacity is reduced and the likelihood of achieving the desired result increased. This ties in well with Sweden’s international undertakings on aid effectiveness and the need to reduce the number of aid actors in countries that receive aid. With their legitimacy, size and expertise, multilateral organisations are also well placed to more efficiently contribute towards important political, social and behavioural changes at country level, primarily through national policy dialogue and competence building, and globally normative work.

The multilateral system is also represented in many of the most vulnerable countries, which makes it easier for the system to act quickly in the event of crises or disasters. Multilateral organisations can also contribute towards spreading global public goods and make it possible for the global community to join forces on various thematic issues.

The majority of the world’s population who live in poverty currently Comm. 2013/14:131 live in middle-income countries. Through support to multilateral

channels, Sweden can also reach people who live in poverty in these countries where Sweden does not have any bilateral aid. However, the countries must contribute domestic resources to a greater extent with the aim of reducing the exclusion of the poor, creating shared welfare and reducing inequality. Through multilateral organisations, lessons learned from aid in these countries can be spread globally, also to poorer countries, and contribute towards increased cooperation between them.

The international humanitarian system is founded on General Assembly Resolution 46/182, which gives the UN a strong leading role in coordination and sets up a number of multilateral mechanisms for ensuring that the system is effective. Sweden’s commitment to international humanitarian policy is based on the multilateral structure and Sweden is simultaneously very actively involved in strengthening the system. Swedish humanitarian aid must largely be carried out by multilateral actors and must be directed towards people in humanitarian crisis.

7.2.2Global impact for Swedish aid priorities

The multilateral system forms a framework for international collaboration. Multilateral organisations are forums in which shared norms, standards and goals can be developed into potential benefit for individual people. They also play an important role in collecting and spreading knowledge and information on global development and the situation, particularly in areas that do not recognise national borders. Knowledge of this type increases aid effectiveness. Bilateral aid can also provide knowledge of the situation of people living in poverty, allowing Sweden to act constructively and in an evidence-based manner in the steering bodies of the multilateral organisations in which Sweden is involved.

The Government’s assessment is that Sweden is well placed to influence the focus of the multilateral system and of aid and drive and support reform efforts for increased efficiency, better results, greater transparency and actively combatting corruption. Sweden’s position as a major trustworthy donor that advocates multilateral and rights-based solutions and has a strong commitment to the humanitarian system provides an opportunity for real influence. A large proportion of Swedish multilateral involvement is expressed in globally normative work, for example by setting up international agreements, because this is an important means of achieving concrete results for the individual person. By systematically promoting Swedish priorities in the multilateral system, Sweden’s priorities and goals can also have a greater impact at global level than they would were Sweden merely driving them bilaterally.

Comm. 2013/14:131 7.2.3 Effective and results-oriented multilateral aid

	The Government wishes Sweden’s multilateral aid to be run in a
	strategic, goal-oriented and coherent way to increase the opportunity to
	gain greater traction for the priorities of Swedish aid within the
	multilateral system and thereby achieve good results. Overall principles
	and guidance are given in the Strategy for Multilateral Development
	Cooperation.
	In the multilateral results strategies the Government clearly sets out the
	results that it wishes to contribute towards in collaboration with and
	through multilateral organisations. Sweden’s multilateral commitment
	goes beyond aid. For this reason, other political goals and priorities are
	also important in work with certain multilateral organisations. It is
	important to ensure a coherent Swedish approach both in multilateral
	organisations and between bilateral and multilateral aid.
	The Government’s concrete expectations in terms of the results of
	initiatives and globally normative work must be clearly set out in results
	strategies. The aim is for the Government’s priorities to gain impact in
	the organisations’ initiatives and thereby contribute to making their
	operations as effective and result-oriented as possible. The expected
	results must contribute towards effectively attaining the six sub-
	objectives of Swedish aid and thereby the Government’s three thematic
	priorities. In cases where an organisation is financed by means other than
	aid (expenditure item 7), the expected results will contribute towards
	objectives and priorities associated with that source of financing.
	The strive towards improved cost efficiency, better results, greater
	transparency and active anti-corruption must continue. In the future too,
	Sweden must be an active, demanding and constructive partner to
	organisations in the multilateral system, with clear goals for its work in
	the governing bodies and supplementary negotiations. Furthermore, the
	Government’s assessment of the results, efficiency and relevance of the
	respective organisation forms the basis for decisions on the level of
	Swedish support. This level of ambition assumes that the flow of
	information on results and problems between Swedish actors is improved
	through more efficient collaboration between Swedish public actors and
	an improvement in the follow-up of results achieved.
	To continue to strengthen the international system, the management by
	results of the multilateral organisations and the Swedish follow-up and
	analysis tools need to be developed further. The UN reform Delivering
	as One on greater collaboration at country level between the UN
	organisations is an important step in this work and the Government will
	continue to support that reform. In the same way, the Government
	welcomes closer cooperation and coordination between all kinds of aid
	actors at country level. Clearer allocation of work and collaboration
	between multilateral organisations is also an important aspect in
	increasing aid efficiency, particularly in areas such as the environment
	and climate, as well as health. Sweden must continue to work to promote
	synergies between different multilateral actors and reduce the risk of
	duplicating work.
	In principle, non-earmarked aid and long-term financing are preferred.
54	This increases the likelihood of a long-term, stable multilateral system in
54

which the Government’s policy priorities gain a greater impact. The core Comm. 2013/14:131 support is steered through results strategies for the respective

organisation in which the Government sets out the results that are expected, while the targeted earmarked multi/bilateral support is steered through thematic and geographical results strategies. The objective is to adopt a more strategic approach in governance of multi-bi aid by contributions being focussed to a greater extent than previously on the global thematic programmes, regional programmes or country programmes of the organisations, or alternatively support to entire sectors in a specific organisation’s country programme. Ahead of strategically important decisions in governing bodies, Sweden must actively drive clear and appropriate result expectations and demand thorough follow-up and reporting of results.

The core support funded by aid that Sweden provides to different multilateral organisations must help to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression, in other words we must ensure that the contributions are used to achieve the result. Swedish financing in addition to the compulsory membership fee must thereby be coupled with progress in terms of meeting the objectives.

7.2.4 Prioritisation criteria for Swedish aid via multilateral organisations

The allocation of aid to multilateral organisations builds on two main
principles with the aim of achieving good results – relevance and
effectiveness.
Relevance is judged on the basis of whether an organisation’s activities
and results contribute to meeting the overarching objective of Swedish
aid and the sub-objectives of this framework. The assessment of the
degree of relevance is, in other words, closely linked to the question of
whether the organisation’s goals are in line with the Government’s
assessments and priorities. Fundamentally this is largely about
determining whether the organisation’s operations contribute towards
added value, also in relation to other organisations.
The other main criterion when prioritising aid funding to and via
multilateral organisations is effectiveness, both external and internal. The
level of an organisation’s effectiveness is assessed by asking the
questions: does the organisation contribute towards development (results)
in line with the relevant objectives set, is it organised such that activities
lead to results and is the aid used cost-effectively? External effectiveness
is thus about assessing whether the organisation is meeting the objectives
set. Internal effectiveness covers structural factors such as whether
governance is appropriately structured and organised. Are results
formulated clearly and are there are long-term and reasonable visions,
and sound follow-up and evaluation systems?
The outcome of the classification will provide guidance in prioritising
financial support and as a starting point for influence on, policy dialogue
with and financial contributions to the multilateral organisations. If an
organisation demonstrates deficiencies in the form of sub-standard	55
	55

Comm. 2013/14:131 results or excessively sluggish progress towards reform, conditional contributions may become necessary. Sweden must also be able to leave organisations or funds which fail to adhere to overarching objectives or whose operations demonstrate poor effectiveness and an insufficient desire for change. Where positive changes are seen regarding relevance or effectiveness, Sweden must be able to re-join.

7.3Active influence on and collaboration within EU aid

7.3.1The EU as an aid actor

The EU and its member states are jointly a central aid policy actor responsible for approximately 55 per cent of the total financial flows classified as aid. Sweden and other EU member states, through their EU membership, have undertaken to contribute towards the EU’s aid budget. Contributions are determined using fixed calculation keys, and the Swedish proportion of the aid managed by the EU institutions is currently approximately three per cent. The Swedish financial contribution towards the EU aid budget is thus determined in advance and is not negotiable. Sweden’s opportunities for influence lie in active political advocacy work in drawing up, implementing and following up the EU’s aid policy. Sweden supports institutional coordination and collaboration within the EU, which is one of the prerequisites for the EU being able to be a dynamic and effective global actor.

The Government considers that the EU, as a strong global actor within in the field of development cooperation, has good opportunities to drive political work for change, for example through dialogue on sensitive issues or in sensitive situations. The EU has also established clear requirements whereby budget support must be linked to democratic development and respect for human rights.

7.3.2Swedish influence on the EU’s aid policy

The EU’s foreign policy through the European External Action Services (EEAS), within which development cooperation and humanitarian aid are included, gives the EU considerable political weight in political dialogues with third countries. The EU is also a major actor in the multilateral system. This gives Sweden an opportunity, through the EU’s development policy, to tangibly increase the impact of the Government’s political priorities. The Government also recognises a major responsibility in working to ensure that the aid initiatives financed through the EU’s foreign administration budget are well managed and that they are characterised by input values and political priorities that have been jointly agreed on within the EU.

Swedish work to influence the EU’s development policy is guided by the priorities of Swedish aid policy. Sweden’s work to influence the EU’s development policy is also guided by the Swedish EU priorities.

One priority that is particularly relevant to aid is helping to strengthen

the EU as a global actor. Sweden is well placed to influence the Comm. 2013/14:131 continued design and implementation of the EU’s development policy

and the direction of aid, as well as to drive and support reform efforts for greater efficiency, better results, greater transparency and actively combatting corruption. This ongoing work will be run strategically and with a focus on objectives. For optimum impact of the priorities of Swedish aid policy, lobbying must be run actively in Brussels, at capital level and in the field. Within the EU, Sweden also actively drives the issue of EU member states meeting the internationally agreed target of setting aside 0.7% of GNI for international aid.

7.3.3The importance of coordination

The importance of the EU as an actor in the field of development policy will increase further with fully integrated EU delegations and the implementation of the EU’s updated development policy, known as Agenda for Change. Its implementation requires close cooperation between EU delegations and member states in the field. The implementation of Agenda for Change partly involves EU Joint Programming as well as coordination of the approaches and regulatory framework of different donors regarding budget support. Sweden will be active in EU Joint Programming, which involves the EU and its member states and, where relevant, together with other donors. The purpose is to reduce fragmentation of aid and optimise the results of total aid, and for planning and coordination of aid to be carried out on the basis of the development plans, poverty strategies or equivalent of the partner countries themselves.

Sweden is and must be the driving force in implementing the EU’s Policy Coherence for Development and working to ensure that the EU’s development cooperation makes high demands in terms of democracy and respect for human rights when considering which initiatives are to be carried out in each individual country. This is particularly true within the framework of the EU’s budget support. In this context, great emphasis on the Swedish side is placed on encouraging the EU to work with a combined approach in crisis management, from prevention to transition and long-term development cooperation.

Comm.

2013/14:131 Annex 1

List of consultation bodies

Statements in consultation on the Communication have been received from the following bodies: The National Courts Administration, the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, the Swedish Migration Board, the Swedish Export Credits Guarantee Board, Folke Bernadotte Academy, the National Board of Trade, Nordic Africa Institute, the Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Swedish Institute, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, the Public Health Agency of Sweden, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Agency for Participation, the Swedish Pensions Agency, the National Financial Management Authority, the Swedish Enforcement Authority, the Swedish National Debt Office, the Swedish Tax Agency, Statistics Sweden, the Swedish Agency for Public Management, Gothenburg University (Department of Political Science), Karolinska institutet, Lund University (human rights at the Faculties of Humanities and Theology), the Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education, Stockholm University, the Swedish Council for Higher Education, Uppsala University, the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management, the National Food Agency, the Swedish Forest Agency, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, the National Veterinary Institute, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the Swedish Chemicals Agency, Lantmäteriet, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority, Air Navigation Services of Sweden (LFV), the Swedish Patent and Registration Office, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Geological Survey of Sweden, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee, the National Heritage Board, the Swedish Arts Council, the Swedish Public Employment Service, the Swedish Work Environment Authority, Action Aid, The Africa Groups of Sweden, Amnesty International Swedish Section, Civil Rights Defenders, Concord Sweden, Diakonia, Fairtrade Sweden, Folac, Swedish Foundation for Human Rights, Forum Syd, Hungerprojektet, the Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD), Islamic Relief Sweden, the Christian Democratic International Centre (KIC), Kvinna till Kvinna, Cultural Heritage without Borders (CHwB), the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry, the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, the Federation of Swedish Farmers, Equally Unique, the LO-TCO Secretariat of International Trade Union Development Co-operation, the National Council of Swedish Youth Organisations (LSU), Medicins Sans Frontieres Sweden, the Swedish Teachers’ Union, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, Operation 1325, Pingstmissionens Utvecklingssamarbete (PMU), Plan Sweden, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), RFSU, Save the Children Sweden, the Swedish Red Cross, Selam, the Stockholm International Water Institute, the Stockholm Resilience Center, Svalorna

Latinamerika, the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, UNA Sweden, the Church of Sweden, the Swedish Mission Council, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, the Swedish Women’s Lobby, Swecare, Swedfund International AB, UNICEF Sweden, WWF Sweden, Water Aid, We Effect (formerly the Swedish Cooperative Centre), the World’s Children’s Prize Foundation.

Statements have also been received from Erikshjälpen, Expertnätverket för de areella näringarnas bärkraftiga utveckling (ten members), the Swedish National Council of Adult Education, Generalsekreterarnätverket (LSU), Swedish section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (IKFF), Swedish Fellowship of Reconciliation (SweFOR), and The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (SPAS), IOGT-NTO, the Life & Peace Institute, Linnaeus University (Faculty of Social Sciences), PRO Global – pensioners without borders, The Swedish National Pensioners’ Organisation (PRO), National Criminal Police, Svensk Projektexport, TCO, Umeå University (Centre for Global Health Research), UN Women national committee, World Infection Fund and one private individual.

The following bodies have been invited to comment but have refrained from comment. The Swedish National Audit Office, the Swedish Police, the Swedish Prosecution Authority, the Swedish Coast Guard, the Medical Products Agency, the National Board of Health and Welfare, the Swedish Agency for Government Employers, the Financial Supervisory Authority, the Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency, the Swedish Customs Service, the Swedish Schools Inspectorate, the Sami Parliament, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Vinnova, the National Mediation Office, Expertgruppen för utvärdering och analys av Sveriges internationella bistånd, Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations (SACO), Caritas, Centerpartiets internationella stiftelse, Chemsec, Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, the Natural Step, Green Forum, Hand in Hand, the Swedish Disabilities Federation, Individuell Människohjälp, International Aid Services, Internet Society Sweden Chapter, Jarl Hjalmarsson Foundation, Médecins du Monde Sweden, MyRight – Empowering people with disabilities, Olof Palme International Center, Reporters without Borders Sweden, Samarbetsorganet för etniska organisationer i Sverige (SIOS), SIPRI, SOS Children’s Villages Sweden, Stockholm Environment Institute, Swedish Section of the International Commission of Jurists, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, the Christian Council of Sweden, Swedish International Liberal Centre, the Left International Forum.

Comm. 2013/14:131

Annex 1

Comm.

2013/14:131 Annex 1

Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Extract from the minutes of the Cabinet Meeting, 13 March 2014

Present: Prime Minister Reinfeldt, chair, and Ministers Björklund, Bildt, Ask, Erlandsson, Hägglund, Borg, Billström, Adelsohn Liljeroth, Björling, Ohlsson, Norman, Attefall, Engström, Kristersson, Elmsäter- Svärd, Ullenhag, Ek, Lööf, Svantesson

Rapporteur: Minister Engström

The Government hereby adopts Communication 2013/14:131 Aid policy framework

Production: MFA, Communications Department • Printed by: Elanders Grafisk Service 2014 Article no UD 14.024 • Additional copies can be downloaded from www.sweden.gov.se or requested from the Management and Methods in Development Cooperation Department: ud-ustyr@gov.se