Sweden Release Revised National Action Plan
By Joanna Lockspeiser
Margot Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, on 12 May 2016 at United Nations, New York (Photo: UN)
The government of Sweden launched its third revised National Action Plan in May. The revised NAP follows Sweden’s commitment in 2015 to feminist foreign policy which, as Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallström has declared, is about ‘rights, representation and resources’.
The 2016 NAP, which supersedes the 2006 and 2009 NAPs, builds on a strong inclusive process involving civil society organisations including WILPF. It also includes a new “conflict prevention” goal, which was a gap in previous NAPs. However, some key aspects are still missing; financing is still lacking as there is no earmarked budget, and the language around disarmament is weak and ambiguous.
Despite these shortcomings ongoing need for future measures of financing to be addressed, WILPF Sweden found in its analysis that the NAP is a step in the right direction. It’s clear Sweden’s newest NAP is a huge win for feminists. In the wake of its release – and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s recent decision to join his voice to feminist policy – we now hope others will follow suit.
South Sudan and Timor-Leste announced the development of their NAPs on May 10 and April 26 respectively, while Spain is currently working on a second revision for its NAP. Stay tuned for PeaceWomen’s analysis for future analysis of Spain, South Sudan and Timor-Leste’s NAPs.