Development Sweden #26. How the Swedish Government Plans to Limit the Role of Civil Society
A newsletter on Swedish development cooperation and policy
Welcome to Development Sweden #26. In this issue we deliver news on how the Swedish government’s new aid strategy will limit the role civil society organizations, how Sweden blocked EU law on corporate responsibility, and more. If you would like to read the full newsletter you are most welcome to upgrade to a paid subscription. Thank you for joining Development Sweden and supporting our work so that we can continue to deliver insight in Swedish development cooperation and policy.
David Isaksson
Editor in Chief, Global Bar Magazine
Monika Gutestam Hustus
Editor, Development Sweden
What do you think we should write more about? Please give us feedback and suggestions.
Write to:
david@globalreporting.net
mgutestam@aol.com
The following are our headlines:
Terror expert in Sida’s board
How the Government Plans to Limit the Role of Civil Society
The Government’s War Against Civil Society
Civil Society: Unclear on What the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Actually Wants
Christian Democrats: ”Sad if it’s as you describe”
EU: Sweden blocked law on corporate responsibility
Terror expert in Sida’s board
The government continues to influence Sida’s activities. The new member of Sida’s board is terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp, who, in a recent op-ed, called for the UN's refugee agency, UNRWA, to be shut down.
At the government meeting on February 22, three new members were appointed to Sida's board. These are Magnus Ranstorp, a commentator and terrorism researcher affiliated with the Swedish Defence University; Nina Larsson, a security consultant at 4C Strategies, a former professional officer and liberal member of parliament; and Edvard Agrell, a Public Affairs Manager at pharmaceutical company Bayer and former Secretary-General of the Christian Democratic International Center (KIC).
Magnus Ranstorp will undoubtedly attract the most attention—both in Sweden and internationally. Many see him as a controversial figure for his statements about Islam and the Swedish study association Ibu Rushd.
In a comment to TT about what he wants to achieve on Sida's board, Magnus Ranstorp says:
”It is about creating transparency in aid contributions in general. I often raise this question, not to restrict aid or public grants, but to create transparent processes, to see that one can streamline, that it impacts goals, and that it conducts proper evaluations.”
Wants to stop UNRWA
Magnus Ranstorp is a highly profiled individual regarding Islam and Islamism. In an article published just a few days before the appointment in SvD, he demands that the international community put a stop to the UN's refugee agency, UNRWA:
He writes, among other things:
”Let us speak plainly. UNRWA should not continue in its current form. The organisation's local staff has strong ties to Hamas. Furthermore, UNRWA is the only refugee agency that focuses on a single ethnic group and provides a refugee status that is inherited for generations. Nothing similar has existed for the Jewish refugees who were displaced from the Arab world after the establishment of Israel and who today constitute Israel's largest population group.”
In the article, Ranstorp demands that the Arab countries where many refugees now live – including Lebanon – take responsibility for the refugees and grant them citizenship. He also claims – incorrectly – that the Palestinian refugees are the only group whose refugee status can last for several generations. The fact is that the same applies to refugees from, for example, Afghanistan, who cannot be deprived of their refugee status just because they were born or grew up in another country, such as Pakistan. Pakistan's recently conducted mass deportation of Afghan refugees also demonstrates the statelessness that refugees face in the countries where they temporarily reside, even though it may be for generations.
Israel to account
Gaza is at the centre of attention this week as well. On Monday, February 26, Israel will also be held accountable for what they have done to avoid being accused of committing genocide. In a statement on February 16, the court notes that the violence in Gaza has increased. The court writes:
The court notes that the recent developments in the Gaza Strip, and particularly in Rafah, 'would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare with unforeseen regional consequences', as the United Nations Secretary-General has stated (Remarks to the General Assembly on priorities for 2024 (7 Feb. 2024)).
This dangerous situation calls for immediate and effective implementation of the interim measures indicated by the court in its January 26, 2024 decision. These measures apply throughout the Gaza Strip, including Rafah, and do not require additional interim measures to be specified.
The court emphasises that the state of Israel remains bound to fully fulfil its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the decision above, including by ensuring the safety and security of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
At the same time, more images and videos - often taken by Israeli soldiers - are emerging, showing Israeli soldiers tormenting and looting in Gaza.
Declining Sida funds
With Sweden's decision to pause the planned disbursements to UNRWA, aid to other organisations working on the ground has increased. However, several organisations that have been offered increased resources choose to decline the Swedish funds reports Dagens Arena.
One should support UNRWA and not give the money to us instead, says Pål Nesse, special adviser at Norwegian Refugee Aid, to Dagens Arena.