Annex to II:2
meeting of the Swedish Government
on February 1, 2024
(translated by Sida)
Strategy for Sweden’s Development Cooperation with Civil
Society 2024
1. Starting Points and the Added Value of Civil Society
Civil society organisations are important partners in the implementation of Swedish
humanitarian aid and development cooperation. These organisations add value through their
local presence and ties, enabling individuals themselves to influence and improve their living
conditions directly. Civil society enhances opportunities for marginalised or underrepresented
groups and minorities, particularly in conflict environments and volatile contexts. They are also
an important part of a country's democratic foundation.
The purpose and added value of this strategy is to contribute to a vibrant and pluralistic civil
society in developing countries, enhancing its opportunity, capacity, and ability to create better
living conditions for people living in poverty and oppression in an effective and result-oriented
manner.
A strong civil society in developing countries is vital for implementing Swedish development
aid across numerous other strategies. There are also clear synergies with Swedish interests in
broader foreign policy areas, such as democratic development, peace, and security.
2. Orientation and Goals for Swedish Aid
The goal of Swedish international development cooperation is to improve living conditions for
people living in poverty and oppression.
The strategy shall be in effect for the period of 2024 and covers the funds allocated under item
5 for the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) in their annual letter
of appropriation.
The activities shall contribute to the following objectives:
Strengthened capacity of civil society in developing countries
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Increased capacity of civil society and its target groups to organise in matters
concerning democracy, human rights, rule of law, gender equality, free market and
property rights, accountability, tolerance, anti-corruption, and/or peace and security.
Increased effectiveness, local anchoring, and transparency of civil society actors.
An enabling environment for civil society in developing countries
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Strengthened space for an independent and pluralistic civil society.
Improved conditions for dialogue and collaboration within civil society, and between
civil society and other actors.
Improved conditions for civil society actors to act independently and diversify their
financing.
3. Context
Civil society is defined as a domain distinct from the state, the market, and private households,
where individuals collectively organise and take action based on common interests. This sector
includes networks, non-profit associations, faith communities, actors of the independent
cultural sector, and others. Civil society offers a platform for individuals of all ages to come
together and voice their collective concerns on issues that affect them. A free and vibrant civil
society is crucial for the advancement of democracy and the sustainability of democratic
systems.
The Swedish civil society can play an important role in supporting democratic civil society
actors in developing countries.
Democratic backsliding is an ongoing global phenomenon that curtails human rights and
freedoms and violating on the operational capacity of civil society. The rise of autocratic
regimes and oppressive measures has escalated risks, threats, and constraints on the space
available to civil society. Administrative barriers are being established in various places with
the intent to control and limit civil society, and thereby creates difficulties for both civil society
organisations and their donors.
4. Programmes
The strategy aims to provide flexible support to civil society in developing countries, allowing
for adjustments in cooperation in response to contextual changes. The programmes shall be
designed to protect civil society and ensure its space to operate freely and safely. A key priority
is also to reinforce local ownership. The strategy aims to enable civil society organisations in
developing countries to evolve in terms of thematic, organisational, and financial capacity, as
well as internal democracy and learning based on their own priorities and as independent actors.
The implementation may include activities with global added value, as well as activities that
are specific to a certain region or country. The strategy may include local initiatives in areas
where there is a pressing need for support to civil society, but where opportunities are lacking
within the framework of bilateral or regional strategies, or where such a strategy does not exist.
Support shall be directed towards enhancing the democratic working methods and fostering
equal and equitable internal structures within organisations, including their leadership. It is
important that civil society organisations are not only democratic in a formal sense but also
function democratically in practice.
Activities conducted by organisations supported by this strategy shall be guided by the four
core principles of participation, non-discrimination, accountability, and transparency.
Furthermore, it is crucial for organisations to be well-grounded in the contexts in which they
operate and that they act with legitimacy and representativeness on behalf of their target group.
Additionally, it is also important that organisations operate in a manner that promotes
international law, including human rights and freedoms, as well as international humanitarian
law.
Sida shall ensure that the operation contributes to increasing the participation, influence,
representation, and involvement of women and girls in civil society organisations and in
advocacy work at global, regional, national, and local levels. It is by investing in the younger
generation, that development cooperation can lay the foundation of a more long-term positive
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change of the welfare level in poor countries.. For these reasons, attention should also be given
to activities that include children, their experiences, and their life circumstances.
The internationally agreed principles for aid and development effectiveness shall be applied.
This may include support for policy and methodology development, as well as assistance to
improve the aid and development effectiveness of civil society itself.
The operation shall promote the participation of a diverse and broad range of organisations
rooted in democratic values. Both formal civil society organisations and informal actors such
as networks, including democracy movements and human rights defenders, shall be able to
receive support. Furthermore, the operation shall consider both new and established civil
society organisations.
Sida shall regularly review the selection of organisations which are granted support, aiming to
foster a diverse civil society and the development of new democratic actors. The review shall
be made considering the evolving global context, taking into account the government's policy
priorities within development cooperation, and involve dialogue with the Government Offices
(Ministry for Foreign Affairs). Sida shall also strive for transparency in the process of selecting
partner organisations and ensure that the organisations fully adhere and actively promote
democratic values and the principles of the rule of law.
Activities on a smaller scale should be included, as well as support to activities in repressive
contexts, including to human rights defenders and particularly vulnerable civil society actors.
It is also a priority to facilitate organisations' work to support vulnerable, weak, and/or informal
civil society actors, and to facilitate particularly innovative initiatives with the potential to
contribute catalytically to the objectives of the strategy.
Support to civil society organisations shall focus on developing programmes that, as far as
possible, align with the priorities set out in the government's policy “Aid for a New Era –
Freedom, agency, and sustainable growth” (UD2023/17726). Such programmes may include,
civil society organisations dedicated to combat poverty through job creation, trade, and
education; improved health for the most vulnerable; promoting freedom and fighting
oppression, including against Christians and other religious minorities; improved
environmental and climate conditions; strengthening the agency of women and girls; and
reinforcing the links between development cooperation and migration policy; humanitarian
support to save lives and alleviate suffering, including efforts at the intersection of humanitarian
aid and development cooperation.
To some extent, organisations, networks, or other civil society actors may receive support for
their participation in normative dialogues and methodological development with the aim of
influencing international normative policy development within the strategy's areas.
Civil society organisations based in countries other than developing countries will be required
to contribute with their own funds, which must amount to at least 10 percent of the total
programme funding in 2024. In Sida’s dialogue with partners, Sida shall encourage actors to
diversify their funding.
The civil society organisations that Sida supports shall strive for sustainability in their
operations and sustainable conditions for financing their activities, not least through a variety
of financiers.
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Sida shall actively steer the operation towards the goals and ensure that actual results are
followed up based on these. The annual strategy report shall be comprehensive and include a
report, analysis, and assessment of the results of the activities in relation to the stated objectives.
Result information shall be used for decision-making, learning, accountability, and to ensure
transparency towards the public. The follow-up shall provide reliable and useful information
about results in both the short and long term through both qualitative and quantitative
information, where possible.
Partner organisations are responsible for the design, content, and control of their operations.
Sida shall steer the operation through guidelines and regular follow-up to ensure that the
strategy is implemented in a relevant and effective manner. Sida shall ensure that partner
organisations are transparent in decision-making processes and report the results of their
programme activities. Sida shall also ensure that civil society organisations, based outside
developing countries, report how much of the Swedish support that is allocated to operations in
partner countries as well as costs in the home country, respectively.
Sida and recipient organisations shall ensure that civil society support beneficiaries do not have
ties to violent ideologies, extremism, or Islamism, and that they support democratic values and
human rights. Additionally, Sida and partner organisations shall further ensure that provided
support does not contribute to activities that oppose the rules-based international order and
Swedish interests.
Support will be allocated following an application procedure based on rules and criteria
developed and decided upon by Sida.
Organisations that receive support through this strategy may seek cooperation with entities
funded by other strategies in order to achieve synergies as well as to make funding possible for
activities in the intersection of two strategies. This is particularly relevant in relation to
humanitarian aid.
In their reporting to Sida, the organisations are required to, as far as possible, detail any
synergies arising from programme implementation that are funded by the CSO budget line and
other sources, such as other thematic or geographic strategies. Sida shall also develop and
implement a tailored and streamlined financial reporting framework, alongside simplified
accounting requirements for smaller organisations receiving grants below SEK 250,000.
Transparency in the accounting of funds through the strategy shall be strengthened. All
organisations receiving support through this strategy must provide data on the utilisation of the
support to Sida. Particularly, results from the organisations' activities should be reported, in
additions to the conducted activities. Where applicable, the reports should also denote the
country to which the support can be linked. Sida shall ensure that all reported data is easily
accessible to the public through digital means, such as OpenAid.
The programmes must be monitored and reported on in accordance with the existing guidelines
for development cooperation strategies. The annual strategy report shall include, among other
things, a report, analysis, and assessment of the results of the activities in relation to the stated
objectives. Where possible, gender-disaggregated data shall be incorporated into the operational
reports.
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