International Children's Day in Sweden
International Children's Day is linked to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child from 20 November 1989. The United Nations encouraged all states to establish a children's day as early as 1953. Each country decides itself when the day is to be celebrated. In Sweden, International Children's Day is celebrated on the first Monday in October. The idea is that all sectors of society are to focus on the needs and rights of the child on this day. (Photo: Ingram)
Swede elected to the UN Human Rights Committee
Swedish judge Krister Thelin was elected today to the UN Human Rights Committee. Mr Thelin is currently serving as a judge with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
Carl Bildt welcomes release of political prisoners in Belarus
Former presidential candidate Alexander Kozulin was pardoned on Saturday and Sergei Parsyukevich and Andrei Kim have been released from prison.
"Sweden welcomes the release of the last remaining political prisoners in Belarus. It is important now that Belarus does not again imprison people on political grounds," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt.
New legislation to combat discrimination
On 4 June 2008, the Swedish Riksdag adopted a new anti-discrimination act. A new agency - the Office of the Ombudsman against Discrimination - is to monitor compliance with the new act.
Interview with Thomas Hammarberg
As of 7 May, Sweden will hold the chairmanship of the Council of Europe. Thomas Hammarberg is a Swede and Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe with 47 member states to keep an eye on.
- The Council of Europe has the best system in the world for monitoring human rights, says Mr Hammarberg.
Sweden may accede to new UN Convention
An inquiry chair has examined the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and concluded that there are no obstacles preventing Sweden from acceding to the Convention. (Photo: Minister for Elderly Care and Public Health, Maria Larsson)
Sami Parliament to promote gender equality
The Swedish Government has decided to allocate 1.5 million swedish kronor to the Sami Parliament for 2008 for gender equality work.
Food security for hiv/aids-affected in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe faces a great hiv/aids problem. Twinned with the political repression and the economic meltdown, the burden to hiv/aids-affected households becomes an enormous challenge. A Swedish cooperation project seeks to lessen the burden by encouraging selected affected households to grow crops that are drought-resistant and less labour intensive with high nutritional value.
The Sami National Day, February 6
The Sami National day is celebrated on the 6th of February. The Sami National day is common for all Sami people in Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.
Martin Luther King Day
Today, January 21, Dr. Martin Luther King is being remembered in more than 100 countries. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan declared the third Monday in January a federal legal holiday in the United States, commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday.
