During the election campaign, twenty key politicians have stood behind our political demands for a fair and sustainable global development. That is good, but far from enough, writes MyRight together with representatives of 48 organizations within Swedish civil society.
Key politicians in parliamentary parties from right to left on the political scale stand behind civil society's political demands for a fair and sustainable global development. That's good, but far from enough. To resolve the crises facing the world, global issues must permeate the policies of all parties and be given extra focus after the election.
Global challenges
Poverty, the threats to democracy, the climate crisis and other crises that force people to flee are some of the many examples of global challenges that the parties in Sweden must actively address after the election.
To give global issues a place in the election campaign, 51 organizations behind the election manifesto asked #hjärtavärlden, selected Riksdag politicians if they support our demands for a fair and sustainable global development policy.
Now we have received an answer and can state that 20 politicians with responsibility for key areas for sustainable global development has chosen to publicly support the manifesto #hjärtavärlden. The politicians consulted are, for example, the parties' spokespersons for foreign, migration or environmental issues.
Demands from civil society
The demands of civil society that politicians support are that they should pursue a policy that:
- Stands for the right of people to make their voices heard at a time when threats against defenders of human rights, democracy and the environment are increasing.
- Creates sustainable, peaceful and equitable development so that the Global Goals are met by 2030, where all policies put human rights only when conflicts of interest arise.
- Accelerates efforts to reduce our climate-affecting emissions, regardless of the country in which they occur, and increases support for low-income countries hard hit by climate change.
- Increases gender equality and stands up for equal rights for all through a truly feminist foreign policy.
- Continues to spend 1 percent of GNI on international aid. The money will be used in a way that safeguards the unique role of development aid in combating poverty and promoting sustainable, democratic development.
- Stands for a humane migration and refugee policy, defends the right to asylum and creates safe and legal routes into Europe.
Mixed compote
The politicians behind the demands of #hjärtavärlden come from both the right and the left on the political scale. The breadth shows that there are conditions for the parties to reach new agreements after the election and build on the global development policy that they have already agreed on.
It is important that there are politicians within the parliamentary parties who, just like us in civil society, want to ensure that Sweden contributes to political solutions on a global level. Their work in pushing the issues is crucial to how the parties shape their global development policy.
At the same time, the commitment of individual politicians to global development issues is not at all on a par with the world's crises and challenges. Spring examination of the parties' international policies, which we presented in June, show that the parties do not prioritize these issues to the extent required.
Need more
In order for Sweden to be able to contribute to global solutions, significantly more than the involvement of individual politicians is needed. Political solutions to the crises and challenges we face require a global perspective in all policies, not just foreign policy or development aid. The most important global development issues must be prioritized. Especially at a time when the equal value of human beings is being questioned and the political tone is sometimes harsh and nationalistic. Then we need instead an even greater focus on people's fundamental rights and responsibility for our environment.
Time to defend global politics
We, 49 organizations with hundreds of thousands of members, want politicians to stand up for the common agreements that exist. For example, the UN human rights conventions, the Refugee Convention and the global goals for sustainable development, which the countries of the world have promised to live up to in order to create a better world.
That political decisions made in Sweden affect people in other countries and what happens in other countries affects us is a matter of course that we are forced to remind politicians of, especially in election times. That is precisely why the parliamentary parties need to safeguard global justice, now and after the election.
The debate article is coordinated by CONCORD Sweden, of which all the organizations below are members.
Ingela Holmertz, Secretary General of ActionAid Sweden
Louise Lindfors, Secretary General of the African Groups
Anna Svärd, Secretary General Barnfonden
Georg Andrén, Secretary General Diakonia
Daniel Grahn, Secretary General Erikshjälpen
Ulrika Urey, Chancellor Fair Action
Viktoria Olausson, Chairman of FIAN Sweden
Ulrika Strand, Secretary General Fund for Human Rights
Lisbeth Petersen, Acting Secretary General Forum South
Richard Nordström, Secretary General Hand in Hand
Silvia Ernhagen, CEO The Hunger Project
Ann Svensén, Secretary General Individual Humanitarian Aid
Malin Nilsson, Secretary General of the International Women's Union for Peace and Freedom
Mona Örjes, chairman of the IOGT-NTO movement's international work
Mohammed Mohsen, spokesman, Islamic Relief
Mikael Sundström, President of Friends of the Earth
Aron Wängborg, Acting Secretary General of YMCA Sweden
Lotta Sjöström Becker, Secretary General of the Christian Peace Movement
Petra Tötterman Andorff, Secretary General Woman to Woman
Julia Qwist, Chairman of the Latin American Groups
Jenny Svanberg, Senior Advisor Life & Peace Institute
Rosaline Marbinah, chairman of LSU - Sweden's youth organizations
Hanna Ingelman-Sundberg, President Physicians of the World
Johan Lilja, Secretary General of the Medical Mission
Göran Alfredsson, Chairman MyRight - Empowers people with disabilities
Alán Ali, Chairman MEN
Karin Lexén, Secretary General of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation
Anna Sundström, Secretary General Olof Palme's International Center
Annika Schabbauer, Chancellor Operation 1325
Mariann Eriksson, Secretary General of Plan International Sweden
Niclas Lindgren, director PMU
Anna-Karin Johansson, Secretary General, RFSU
Elisabeth Dahlin, Secretary General Save the Children
Martin Ängeby, Secretary General Silc
Annika Billing, program manager SOS Children's Villages
Carolina Ehrnrooth, operations manager Swallows India Bangladesh
Klas Sellström, operations manager Swallows Latin America
Andreas Stefansson, Secretary General of the Swedish Afghanistan Committee
Annelie Börjesson, chairman of the Swedish UN
Karin Wall Härdfeldt, Secretary General of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association
Erik Lysén, international director, The Church of Sweden's international work
Anders Malmstigen, Secretary General of the Swedish Mission Council
Karin Wiborn, Secretary General of the Christian Council of Sweden
Alice Blondel, Chancellor Swedwatch
Véronique Lönnerblad, Secretary General of UNICEF Sweden
Rosmarie Strasky, Chancellor Union to Union
Anna Tibblin, Secretary General Vi-skogen We Effect
Cecilia Chatterjee-Martinsen, Secretary General of WaterAid
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