Press release
04 April 2007
Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Strategy for Sweden's multilateral cooperation
The Government decided today on a new strategy for development assistance channelled through multilateral organisations such as the United Nations and the World Bank. The guiding criteria are now relevance and effectiveness.
"The overall objective of Swedish development cooperation is to enable poor people to improve their living conditions. In order to achieve this objective, we must have a clear strategy for channelling Swedish funds," says Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Cooperation.
The Government's aim in adopting the new strategy for multilateral development cooperation is to ensure the quality and effectiveness of Swedish development cooperation. The strategy concerns all government agencies and ministries that decide on contributions through the United Nations and international financial institutions. It is also a guide for Swedish action in the framework of EU common development cooperation.
Sweden supports strong multilateral organisations with relevant mandates and activities. This requires consistency and established criteria for contributions approved in different sectors of the Swedish administration, for example, in global environmental issues and trade policy. Coordination between different ministries and agencies must be strengthened. A special review will be made of the division of roles and responsibilities between the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
"Sweden must have a strong, coherent policy for poverty reduction and development. The strategy brings about both a higher level of ambition and quality assurance in the multilateral area," says Ms Carlsson.
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Half of Sweden's development cooperation is currently channelled via multilateral organisations. The coordination of development assistance resources in the EU, the financial institutions and the UN will lead to lower transaction costs and greater effectiveness.
Sweden is a major and significant donor to several UN bodies, including UNHCR, UNDP and UNICEF. Sweden is also the sixth largest donor to the World Bank's fund for low-income countries, the International Development Association (IDA). In 2006 Sweden's disbursements to multilateral organisations totalled SEK 13 billion.
The Government's new strategy for multilateral development cooperation is based on Sweden's Global Development Policy, which was adopted by the Riksdag in December 2003. The policy emphasises the importance of augmented cooperation with multilateral bodies and states that Sweden should strengthen its involvement in the EU's common development cooperation.
Several studies have noted deficiencies in the management of multilateral development assistance in recent years, for example, the follow-up of multilateral development cooperation presented by the Committee on Foreign Affairs (2005/06:RFR6) and the report Sveriges internationella utvecklingssamarbete (Sweden's international development cooperation), published by the Swedish Agency for Public Management (2005:31). These studies called for more strategic action, a greater focus on results, enhanced reporting and evaluation functions and a clearer division of roles between different actors in the Swedish system.
Contact
Mikael ÖstlundChristina Wedekull
Special Adviser
Department for Multilateral Development Cooperation
+46 8 405 15 34
