Sweden

2015: Attended the state consultations on the SSD in Geneva – led by Norway + 2015: Present at the First International Conference on the SSD in Oslo.

Save the Children in Sweden engaged with them in Stockholm; Anita raised the matter with their mission in Geneva and with their Director-General for International Development Cooperation; and Zama met with their mission in New York. They made a statement on behalf of the Nordics during the CAAC debate at the Security Council in 2015.

At the World Humanitarian Summit they committed “to continue cooperation with the International Criminal Court”, “to continuing to raise awareness on IHL and gender in order to improve dissemination and implementation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law”, “to promoting improved compliance with IHL in all contexts through support to organizations and professionals in the field working with strengthening respect for IHL and the humanitarian principles and increased focus on developing technical capacity, methods, practical tools and training for local use,” and “to support international efforts that aim to track and collect data and report violations of IHL.”

Outreach letter sent in advance of CAAC Open Debate, August 2016.

March 2017: Attended Buenos Aires Conference on Safe Schools. Provided a speaker for the panel discussion on cooperation – the ambassador in Buenos Aires. Human Rights Watch met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden to discuss implementation of the SSD, including possible initiatives at the UN Security Council.

May 2017: Human Rights Watch and Save the Children International (Geneva) both briefed Sweden’s new global ambassador on children and armed conflict, Gufran Al-Nadaf, on the Declaration and encouraged her to include the issue as one of her priorities, including peer advocacy for additional endorsements. Save the Children Denmark and UK are working with SwedInt, Sweden’s armed forces training center. Save the Children will present the Guidelines and the Toolkit during their Civil Military Relations training course on 12-16 June 2017. Participants in the training will include members of armed forces of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and the Nordic armed forces, as well as personnel currently deployed in UN missions with UNAMID, UNMISS, and others. One such scenario will include a dilemma associated with the issue of protection of schools. Save the Children Denmark and UK are contributing to the preparations for Viking18, a civil military training hosted by Sweden’s Ministry of Defense. Save the Children is coordinating humanitarian actors – including OCHA, Swedish Red Cross, and Save the Children Sweden – to work on developing scenarios that will be incorporated into the training. Other participants include DPKO and NATO. Save the Children Sweden engaged with the Global Ambassador for Children and Armed Conflict, in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden on including the Declaration in her broader priorities relating to the right to education. They arranged a public event where Sweden’s role in the UN Security Council was discussed, and raised the importance of including the Declaration in their work on education in humanitarian contexts.

September 2017: GCPEA sent a letter to the ambassador in New York asking to raise the issue on attacks and military use, draw attention to the Declaration and the Guidelines during the Open Debate on children and armed conflict. As current UNSC members, we also asked to encourage Japan, Ukraine, and UK.

February 2018: During OPAC Turns 18, at the UN in New York, organized by Child Soldiers International, highlighted the Declaration in their statement.

February 2018:In advance of the End Violence Solutions Summit in Stockholm on 14-15 February, GCPEA issued letter to Sweden, calling on them to highlight the Declaration during the summit.

March 2018: The Permanent Missions, together with ICTJ, co-hosted a side event on the impact of attacks on schools in Syria and ensuring accountability.

June 2018: During the GCPEA briefing to the Group of Friends CAAC, Sweden welcomed the gender-sensitive approach to implementation, which is key to understanding and analysing the problem, finding solutions, and operationalising the Declaration.

July 2018: UNSC Open Debate on children and armed conflict: 1) Joined Argentina’s joint statement to the UN SC during the open debate on children and armed conflict. 2) Co-sponsored resolution 2427 (2018).

October 2018: During GCPEA briefing for GoF WPS, Sweden welcomed the recommendations on how to implement the Declaration commitments using a gender lens.

March 2019: Clustered Interactive Dialogue with the SRSG CAAC Virginia Gamba, HRC Geneva: joined Norway’s joint statement on the Safe Schools Declaration.

March 2019: co-sponsored Education Above All side event “Education in the 2030 Agenda – Leaving no one behind: Children with disabilities, girls, forcibly displaced children and minorities”.

April 2019: GCPEA and Save the Children UN Advocacy Office met with the Counsellor on Humanitarian Affairs, Migration, and Refugee Issues. He was keen to discuss similarities between attacks on healthcare and attacks on education. He was interested to know who our key targets were for endorsement and where Sweden might be able to help with peer-to-peer advocacy. GCPEA encouraged them to advocate towards the Baltic states and Hungary. GCPEA shared the findings from the research in Nigeria and the DRC and how the Declaration can be a tool to protecting girls from sexual violence through attacks on education.

February 2020: Sweden supported the development of the OSRSG CAAC Practical guidance for mediators to protect children in situations of armed conflict.

October 2021: cosponsored UNSRC2601.

September 2022 Transforming Education Summit: Sweden: “We pay particular attention to the importance and role of education in conflict and post-conflict situations and in humanitarian crises” AND Endorsed the Call to Action on Education in crisis situations (refers to EuA22 data) at the Transforming Education Summit

November 2022: Endorsed the Political Declaration on Strengthening the Protection of Civilians from the Humanitarian Consequences Arising from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA) on 18 November during an International Conference hosted by Ireland, the leader and penholder behind the Declaration.