Sida’s decision to terminate agreements with all civil society organisations has sparked strong reactions. Sida itself also admits that the situation may lead to worse outcomes. At the same time, criticism is growing abroad – something that risks affecting Sweden’s role in several collaborating countries, according to several individuals we have talked with.
Sweden’s image has been on a downward slope for some years now. The Quran burning and the conflict with Turkey during the NATO process have had a significant impact on how Sweden is perceived among Muslims worldwide. The government’s decision to pause Palestinian aid, which has now been resumed but will be significantly altered, has also affected how Sweden is perceived in the Middle East.
Read more in Development Sweden #30 on how Sweden’s global image is affected by the government’s new aid strategy.
Development Sweden is published every fourteen days and the target group is people who work professionally with development issues. The editorial board of Development Sweden includes, in addition to employees at Global Bar Magazine, Monika Gutestam Hustus, who has worked for many years for the Save the Children movement in Washington and has extensive knowledge of how international organizations work.
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