MFA emergency preparedness
The Swedish Foreign Service is constantly working to increase the capacity for action in emergency situations and to develop and strengthen consular activities and emergency preparedness. This is done within the MFA and at Swedish embassies and consulates.
Consular Contingency Planning Section
The Consular Contingency Planning Section is a special section within the MFA that handles consular emergency preparedness. The section is part of the MFA Department for Consular Affairs and Civil Law. In the event of an emergency, additional resources are available, including a permanent consular stand-by team and a rapid response team. The MFA's out-of-hours emergency service ensures that alert and decision-making functions are constantly staffed. Emergency planning at all missions abroad has been revised.
The main task of the Consular Contingency Planning Section is to develop and maintain the MFA's capacity to handle emergencies in the consular area. The section works with such matters as strategic monitoring and threat assessments, travel recommendations, identifying travel patterns, emergency planning, emergency equipment and emergency logistics.
Consular stand-by team
The consular stand-by team consists of some 30 MFA staff members who are constantly standing by to reinforce, at short notice, the emergency organisation of the Department for Consular Affairs and Civil Law.
Rapid response team
The rapid response team consists of some 60 MFA staff members who can be dispatched at short notice to reinforce a mission in an emergency situation. The size and composition of the team that is dispatched is adapted according to the situation. The team includes consular officers as well as officers responsible for communication and IT issues. The team works in the field with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency's Joint Response Team.
Consular support offices
Twenty-one missions abroad (embassies and consulates) have been designated as consular support offices. The aim is that officials from these missions can quickly be dispatched if an emergency arises in their region of activity.
Emergency planning for missions abroad
Emergency planning for missions abroad covers all kinds of crisis situations. The emergency plans are drawn up on the basis of special threat and risk assessments for extraordinary events. They contain checklists and simple procedures in the event of an emergency and have been drawn up in close cooperation with such organisations as the Swedish Emergency Management Agency and the Swedish Rescue Services Agency.
Exercises and staff training
The MFA conducts regular training and exercises for the officials involved in consular preparedness. These cover consular procedures, crisis management, work supervision, leadership, security and logistics.
The MFA's rapid response team trains together with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency's Joint Response Team. The support offices receive training and conduct exercises through special cooperation with the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. The other missions abroad also conduct crisis exercises.
Out-of-hours emergency service
The MFA duty officer is responsible for alerting relevant officials outside normal working hours. The MFA's Department for Consular Affairs and Civil Law and the Press, Information and Communication Department both maintain 24-hour duty desks. An on-call scheme for senior officials ensures the operative leadership of the Ministry in the event of serious emergencies and disaster situations.
Cooperation with the travel industry
The MFA Department for Consular Affairs and Civil Law maintains close cooperation with travel companies and their industry organisations. It is important that the MFA receives information at an early stage on new travel destinations, the number of travellers visiting them, etc.
Insurance coverage for travel is another important area. The MFA works to increase cooperation with the insurance industry on these issues.
Close cooperation has been established between the MFA and the rest of the Government Offices, as well as a number of government agencies and other actors, aimed at strengthening emergency preparedness and crisis management capabilities. This cooperation takes the form of activities such as network meetings and joint exercises. In the event of major consular emergencies, a national liaison group can be formed to coordinate the emergency efforts.
Nordic cooperation and EU cooperation
Initiatives have been taken to strengthen Nordic cooperation in the field so as to better deal with consular crisis situations. The Nordic foreign ministers have decided on a number of measures to increase the efficiency of help given to Nordic citizens in a crisis situation abroad.
A joint instruction issued to Nordic embassies and consulates encourages them to make use of the local coordination benefits when conducting their emergency planning. It is also recommended that they conduct crisis exercises primarily at Nordic level.
There has also been cooperation in the consular area within the EU since 2001. Cooperation in consular crisis situations is based on the principles of voluntary participation and intergovernmental cooperation, and primarily covers an exchange of information aimed at coordinating national resources and emergency initiatives.
MFA's normal staffing outside office hours
The following on-call scheme applies weekdays from 18.00 until 08.00 and round the clock on weekends and holidays:
MFA duty officer - monitors all incoming messages and conveys the information to the relevant person or department.
MFA consular duty desk - receives information about people in distress abroad and immediately takes appropriate action.
MFA press duty desk - receives and responds to calls from the media concerning current MFA issues.
All three of these functions can quickly call in additional staff when necessary.
