Sweden to send police and prison officers to Haiti
The Government today decided to contribute to the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) by providing three police and four prison officers.
Do you have ideas about how to make the world a safer place?
Then why not take part in the virtual ideas forum, "The Security Jam".
The forum will be taking place on 4-9 February 2010 and will come up with ideas on how the world can become a safer place. These ideas will then be presented to EU and NATO leaders at a special event. Several international experts in the area of security will be taking part in the virtual forum. These include Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt, former Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces Håkan Syrén, and former NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Carl Bildt to Paris for Global Zero Summit
On 2 February Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt will travel to Paris to attend an international conference on nuclear disarmament, the Global Zero Summit. Global Zero is a major worldwide initiative against nuclear weapons and the Minister for Foreign Affairs has been invited to attend the conference as main speaker on the afternoon of 3 February.
Talks on a strengthened dialogue between Europe, Turkey and the USA
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the German Marshall Fund and Turkish cooperation partners are organising a seminar to take place on 28-30 January under the title 'Regional Flashpoints and Trilateral Strategies' to discuss some of the most important foreign policy challenges of the day - above all the strategic dialogue between Europe, Turkey and the United States.
International Afghanistan conference in London
On Thursday 28 January, Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt will take part in the international conference on Afghanistan in London. The aims of the conference are to create the conditions for gradually handing over more responsibility to Afghanistan for the stabilisation and reconstruction of the country, to enable disarmament and reintegration of the resistance, who are prepared to lay down their arms, and to strengthen the international community's civilian efforts and secure the UN's role as coordinator of these efforts. Better governance and economic development will be key issues at the conference.
Holocaust conference: Ten years of the Stockholm Declaration
On Tuesday 26 January the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Living History Forum will jointly hold a conference to mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Stockholm Declaration on the Holocaust. The speakers include Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt and Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Störe.
The conference will be in English and will be webcast.
"Communication and coordination are fundamental"
In normal circumstances Tomas Brundin works with strategic policy relating to democracy and civil society at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Ten years ago he lived in Haiti and for two years led the work of building up a regional office for the Lutheran World Federation's development cooperation in the country. Today, 21 January, Tomas is travelling back to Haiti to participate in relief operations after the earthquake.
Sweden to open ten embassies and close six
Today the Government announced a number of changes in the Swedish Foreign Service. Ten embassies will be opened and six closed.
"Within the framework of the close cooperation that exists between the EU Member States, there is scope for developing new forms for maintaining bilateral contacts in future. It is positive that we can use our resources to strengthen Sweden's presence in a number of nearby countries," says Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt.
Sweden contributes additional humanitarian support to Haiti
Sweden's support for the emergency situation in Haiti now amounts to SEK 180 million. In addition, Sweden will disburse its entire annual contribution of SEK 425 million to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The Fund is in urgent need of resources after being nearly emptied as a result of the Haiti disaster. This was announced by Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson today at the extra meeting of EU development ministers in Brussels.
Powerful earthquake in Haiti
A powerful earthquake occurred in Haiti on Tuesday 12 January, in the late evening, Swedish time. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) is aware of about ten Swedes on the island. There are only a few tourists in the area. At present, there are no reports of injured Swedes.
For EU citizens in Haiti, evacuation from the country is being arranged by Spain as holder of the EU Presidency. Spain calls on all EU citizens who want to be evacuated to make their way as soon as possible to the logistics base of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) in Port-au-Prince, where the evacuation is being coordinated and where some accommodation is also available.
The MFA is following developments in Haiti closely, both from Stockholm and from embassies in the region. Sweden has an honorary consul in Haiti. In other respects, relations are managed via the Office of Swedish Ambassadors Stationed in Stockholm.
In view of the earthquake disaster and its consequences, the MFA advises against all travel to the country. This advice applies until further notice. The MFA has previously advised against unnecessary travel to Haiti.
