prop · H103131en · 2014-03-18 00:00:00 — own lives and limit their opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty. The everyday lives of oppressed people are often characterised by a lack of respect for human freedoms and human rights, abuses of power, corruption and violence on the part of the powers of the state, for example in the form of arbitrary arrests and summary trials, crackdowns on free media, threats from the security services, smear campaigns against dissidents, and making it difficult for opposition parties to carry out political work. Oppression can be directed towards people in general or towards minorities, and often also specifically towards those who make their voices heard and criticise those in power. vary in how it is exerted, against whom it is exerted, the degree of brutality and how the outside world responds. The Government taking as its starting point the view of poverty and of required to improve their living conditions held by people themselves living in poverty and under oppression builds on a conviction Comm. 2013/14:131 of human empowerment – fundamentally and under the right conditions, people have the capacity to define their problems themselves and act to attempt to resolve or tackle them. In this approach, people who live in poverty and under oppression are subjects and actors rather than objects or passive recipients. For this reason the Government is sharpening the focus on the individual in aid (section 7 provides more detailed guidance on what this means for bilateral aid). A greater focus on the individual means that in administering aid, greater knowledge is needed of the complex causes and dynamics of poverty, and ministries and agencies need to be better at familiarising themselves with the reality in which people in poverty live. The point of departure for aid must be a combined analysis of the poverty situation, including the situation of the country or region in terms of democracy and human rights. Knowledge of the problems of people living in poverty and under oppression, their needs and priorities, can be acquired in different ways, including research, studies, evaluations and consultations with people who themselves experience poverty and oppression in the countries in which the aid operates. This will ensure that the contribution made by aid to the fight against poverty and oppression is effective. One fundamental principle in international aid that the Government supports is for partner countries themselves to own their development and control financial flows. For this reason, Swedish aid is best placed to reach people who live in poverty and oppression once their government has the political will to put in place changes that people experience as improvements to their lives and is aware of and able to represent peoples problems. This can be achieved, for example, through the broad consultations carried out ahead of national poverty reduction and development strategies. It is also achieved by up expertise and a capacity to analyse important social issues in the countries concerned as a basis for tackling challenges faced by society and individuals themselves. 3.2.2The rights perspective – for aid that derives from human rights Human rights are , interdependent and indivisible. This is a central starting point for development policy, and thus also for aid. The rights perspective derives from a globally agreed set of values, comprising the UN and the human rights conventions subsequently adopted, which are binding in international law. The rights perspective places the rights and freedoms of the individual at the centre and must be applied consistently throughout Swedish aid. Fundamental principles of the rights perspective Non-discrimination: All people are to be treated equally and with the same respect for their dignity, which in practice often means that the 2013/14:131 interests of marginalised and discriminated individuals and groups are to be brought to the fore and given priority. individual is entitled to a life free from discrimination and poverty. Participation: All individuals must be able to make their voices heard, regardless of their social position, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ethnicity, religion or other belief, or sexual orientation. A starting point is to strengthen participation in democratic political processes. Openness and transparency: The right to free and independent information is a condition of participation in society. Openness and transparency enable people to hold decision-makers accountable. Accountability: It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that individuals are made aware of and are able to enjoy their human rights, whether alone or in the company of others. In practice, the rights perspective is a matter both of urging the state to guarantee the rights of the individual and of heightening peoples awareness of these rights and improving their chances of asserting them themselves. The principles also provide a basis for analyses and assessments and provide a common , cooperation and follow-up. Gender equality and womens rights, along with childrens rights, the rights of people with disabilities and LGBT persons rights are core aspects of the rights perspective. Realising human rights is of crucial importance in extending peoples freedoms and thereby for other dimensions of human development. For the results of aid to be sustainable, aid must be focused on creating opportunities for people to increase their power over their lives. policy is based on every persons right to a life in freedom and without poverty. 3.3Points of departure for aid policy In order to achieve results, aid needs to relate to the changes taking place and exploit the opportunities to work more efficiently that are currently available. Swedish aid must have a clear focus Committing to a limited number of thematic areas means that the combined experiences and expertise of Swedish aid administration can be exploited to the full. This is in line with international agreements on more effective aid. The fact that poverty has tangibly decreased in recent decades means that there are grounds to explore where Swedish aid should operate and which people it should focus on, where there are appropriate opportunities to do so. One clear conclusion is that Swedish bilateral aid should be focused on people living in poverty or under oppression in poor countries. The Governments aid policy must go hand in hand with policy coherence for development The aid policy framework takes as its point of departure Policy for Global Development (PGD) with its overarching objective of contributing to equitable and sustainable global development. perspective and the perspective on development of people living in poverty are central to the Policy for Global Development. is not the Governments only tool in working to reduce poverty, increase freedom and ensure equitable and sustainable global development. Through the Governments work on increased coherence between different policy areas in line with the Policy for Global Development, is strengthening its contribution towards equitable and Policy coherence covers all ministries and operations in all policy areas, including aid. The aid policy framework is focused on the contribution of aid towards the objective of the Policy for Global The eight central component elements which, according to the Policy for Global Development are to characterise Swedish policy, are covered by the six sub-objectives of the framework (see section 4). Aid must be characterised by a perspective beyond the aid itself Aid is one of many factors that contribute towards socially, economically and environmentally sustainable development and reduced poverty in a The level of ambition regarding what Swedish aid is to achieve therefore needs to be realistic. Aid can contribute towards people and societies striving to seek and choose their own path to development and use their own resources in the best possible way. This is the purpose of In this sense, aid is a catalyst for long-term development. In a perspective that extends beyond aid, resilience is central. all the objectives, aid must strengthen the resilience and adaptability of people and societies when faced with sudden and protracted changes of a varying nature, such as disasters, conflicts and climate change, and in recovering and continuing to develop. In practice, this also means that the objective of aid is to reduce countries and societies aid dependency, measured as the proportion of the countrys economy that comprises aid, by constantly aiming towards results that are sustainable in the long term and a perspective that extends beyond the aid itself. Inherent in this is that aid also needs to find new forms of cooperation and financing models capable of stimulating other sources of development financing. 4 The direction of Swedish aid The overarching objective of Swedish aid is to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. The objective derives from a multidimensional view of poverty in which people are seen as actors capable of influencing their The Government breaks this overarching objective into six 2013/14:131 contributory sub-objectives. In this section the Government describes the direction of Swedish aid by listing a number of results judged to be particularly relevant in helping to achieve the sub-objectives. In this way the framework sets out the general direction of Swedish aid. The Governments three thematic priorities – democracy and human rights, environment and climate, and gender equality and the role of women in development – remain fixed priorities and guide the direction of Swedish aid policy. They must permeate all aid, while particularly being incorporated in two of the six sub-objectives. 4.1A clear hierarchy of objectives for Swedish aid Swedish aid must contribute towards achieving internationally agreed poverty reduction objectives. The point of departure for Swedish aid is the needs and conditions of individual people living in poverty and under oppression, not those of states or governments. Aid must seek to contribute towards attaining concrete results for individuals living in poverty and under oppression. must be early and outspoken in its support for people fighting for freedom and in dialogue with and in the demands made of partners who fail to live up to democratic values or to respect all people exercising their human rights. The ability of people living in poverty to act as independent actors is crucial to achieving development. The objective of Swedish aid, operations run within expenditure area 7 in the national budget, International aid, is therefore to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. This is the contribution aid makes towards the objective of Policy for Global Development – equitable and sustainable global development – which applies to all policy areas. Swedish aid is founded on a holistic approach to the needs, problems and opportunities of women and men, girls and boys, living in poverty and under oppression. The fundamental principle is that the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – work together and are mutually supportive. In the light of this standpoint, the Governments three thematic priorities, as well as global trends and the points of departure of aid policy described in section 3, the Government has broken down the overarching objective into six sub-objectives for aid policy. The Government presents the hierarchy of objectives for Swedish aid in the diagram below. The Government attaches equal weight to the importance of all the subobjectives for achieving the overarching objective. When results strategies and other steering documents for implementing aid are produced, priorities will be set in each individual strategy, for example, partly on the basis of the needs expressed by the partner in question and partly on the basis of Swedish added value. This is described in more detail in the Guidelines for results strategies. The sub-objectives interact and are mutually reinforcing. Synergies can arise in that in many cases the actual interventions carried out by the different bodies implementing Swedish aid contribute towards several different results, and in that many of the results are important to achieving several of the sub-objectives. 4.2Reasons for choice of sub-objectives The Governments thematic priority of democracy and human rights are integrated in the Governments multidimensional view of poverty and thereby the overarching objective of Swedish aid. For the Government it is equally urgent to combat political oppression and promote human rights as it is to combat economic poverty. This is clarified through the first sub-objective: Strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for human rights and freedom from oppression. Gender equality and the role of women in development are central elements and a starting point for all aid. The Governments thematic priority of gender equality and the role of women in development means that gender equality must characterise Swedish aid. Operational and normative work is to systematically integrate of a distinct gender equality perspective, i.e. gender mainstreaming, whereby the situation, conditions and opportunities of women and girls are highlighted and taken into consideration in relation to those of men and boys. Gender equality is included as a result in the first and the fifth sub-objectives but is also reflected in the other sub-objectives. 2013/14:131 Sustainable growth is essential for creating preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. People being able to educate themselves and work to support themselves is not only a prerequisite for growth but also crucial to individual empowerment. This is clarified in the second sub-objective: Improved opportunities for people living in poverty to contribute to and benefit from economic growth and obtain a good education. The importance of the Governments thematic priority of the environment and climate is clarified in the third sub-objective: A better environment, limited climate impact and greater resilience to environmental impact, climate change and natural disasters. The priority also involves normative as well as operational work being characterised by an environmental and climate perspective and environmental and climate aspects being a central starting point for all aid. Good health is a fundamental prerequisite for peoples opportunities to achieve their full potential and to reduce poverty. Investments in health enable greater productivity and are an investment in development overall. For this reason, the Government has chosen Improved basic health as the fourth sub-objective. Improved health is also a result of work under other sub-objectives. Violence and armed conflict pose one of the greatest obstacles to combatting poverty. Freedom from violence is a fundamental prerequisite for other freedoms and rights and is a necessary . For this reason the Government has chosen Safeguarding human security and freedom from violence as the fifth subobjective. Safeguarding human security and freedom from violence seeks to combat both poverty and oppression. In the light of increasing humanitarian needs and special position in the humanitarian system, the sixth sub-objective chosen by the Government is Saving lives, alleviating suffering and maintaining human dignity. Humanitarian and long-term aid must also work together such that humanitarian aid – where possible – has a pro-development impact and the long-term aid has a preventive approach. 4.3Target groups of Swedish aid The Governments assessment: The most important target groups for Swedish aid are women and girls in poor countries and people in different places who live under oppression. In seeking to operationalise the overarching objective of aid, the Government has chosen to particularly point to two central target groups: women and girls, and people who live under oppression. Particularly highlighting these target groups means that Swedish aid as a whole, directly and indirectly, should lead to improved living conditions, primarily for precisely these two groups. At the same time, aid must be based on the needs of the individual. For this reason, it will also be possible to focus Swedish aid on other target groups, on the basis of their needs and conditions. This might, for example, concern men and boys, children, the elderly, or people with disabilities. However, the central Comm. 2013/14:131 target groups of Swedish aid are women and girls, and people living There are several reasons why the Government has particularly chosen to focus on women and girls in the fight against poverty. Women and girls are subjected to discrimination based on sex and perceptions of gender to a much greater extent than men and boys, and generally have much less power, poorer conditions and fewer rights than men and boys. Women usually have a lower income than men and rarely have property and capital of their own at their disposal. In conflict and post-conflict situations in particular, women often bear a double burden and they risk being subjected to violence in various forms to a greater extent than others. The effects of climate change often impact on women and children to a greater extent. The role of women as actors for a countrys development is important – improved living conditions for women and reinforced work on gender equality are powerful means of achieving other aid objectives. Swedish aid must therefore particularly focus on reaching women and girls. Oppression is about a lack of democracy and respect for human rights. Improved living conditions for people living under oppression therefore depend on support to those actors working for democratic change and respect for human rights. Democratisation is only possible if those who believe in democracy are prepared to fight for it. must therefore work with democratically focused drivers of change, such as those working for respect for human rights and democracy, particularly the people and groups who are themselves subjected to persecution, violation and abuse for exercising the different opinion-related freedoms. A central starting point in this work is to be aware of who the drivers of change are, for example organised or separate forces of democracy, defenders of human rights or other change actors. 4.4Ensuring that the direction of Swedish aid policy has an impact All Swedish aid activities must contribute towards one or more of the six sub-objectives of Swedish aid, and thereby to creating preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. The sub-objectives shape the direction of Swedish bilateral aid. The aid activities of multilateral organisations and the EU may, however, be broader than the six sub-objectives. However, aid-funded multilateral cooperation and aid through the EU will be monitored in relation to the six sub-objectives in the framework. Swedish aid must create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression. This is often achieved by eradicating obstacles to peoples development and their efforts to lift themselves out of poverty. This can be done through initiatives at a higher institutional level that in the long run have a bearing on the living conditions of individual people living in poverty and without freedom, while in other cases local, targeted and more individual-focussed 2013/14:131 initiatives are required. Irrespective of the level at which or the form in which the aid is implemented, the focus must always be on the result for the people living in poverty themselves. On the basis of the general direction of Swedish aid set out in the aid policy framework, the Government decides results strategies that steer aid to countries and regions, multilateral organisations and thematic areas; see sections 6, 7.1 and 7.2 for more details. The results strategies set out a limited number of results that can be followed up and that must contribute towards one or more of the sub-objectives. The Government intends to follow up the sub-objectives on the basis of the follow-up of the results strategies. It is also the Governments responsibility to report the collective results of aid to the Swedish Riksdag. Management of aid, in the form of instructions, appropriation directions and ordinances, etc. must be based on the direction of aid policy set out in the framework. This direction must also provide guidance in determining Swedish positions and standpoints in the EU and multilateral organisations, and in negotiations on relevant conventions and processes. 5 The six sub-objectives of aid policy The overarching objective of Swedish aid – to create preconditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and under oppression – is broken down into six sub-objectives. Swedish aid must be based on the values and points of departure set out in section 3. 5.1Sub-objective 1: Strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for human rights and freedom from oppression The Governments assessment: The following results are particularly important for achieving the sub-objective Strengthened democracy and gender equality, greater respect for human rights and freedom from oppression: -Greater opportunities to assert civil and political rights, exercise democratic influence and organise -robust democratic processes and institutions and greater respect for the principles of the rule of law -A vibrant and pluralistic civil society and strengthened democratisation actors -Greater gender equality, rights and empowerment for women and girls -Greater access to free and independent media, both new and traditional Democracy, respect for human rights and the principles of the rule of law Comm. 2013/14:131 are objectives in their own right and means of achieving other objectives. This also applies to gender equality. Human rights are , interdependent and indivisible. This is a central starting point for entire development policy, and thus also for aid. Democracy is the form of governance best capable of ensuring and strengthening respect for human rights. All central UN conventions on human rights incorporate a ban on discrimination, and protection of the equal value of all people. work against discrimination focuses on some of the most vulnerable groups (including women, children, people with disabilities, LGBT persons and those who belong to indigenous, national or ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities or are infected with HIV/AIDS). The democratic society based on respect for human rights and the principles of the rule of law must be constantly upheld – at all times and in all countries. In many parts of the world, abuses and other crimes against human rights, growing distrust of political parties and elected representatives, an ever-harsher climate for civil society organisations, abuse of women in conflict situations, and inadequate respect for the rule of law, have all made efforts to support democratic development more difficult. Gender equality is also a prerequisite for long-term democratic development and equitable and sustainable global development. Societies which are not characterised by gender equality lack a fair distribution of power, influence and resources between women and men. Globalisation and the growth of an information society with the internet as important tools mean that individual people are able to influence and change their situation and to assert their fundamental freedoms and rights themselves to a greater extent than ever before.