Sweden is the country in the world that gives the second largest share of its gross national income, GNI, to aid, and Ukraine is today the country that Sweden gives the most to.
The increased support for Ukraine already started with the previous government and the current government has continued on the same track. They have also scrapped the goal that one percent of GNI should go to aid. Something that human rights organizations are sharply critical of.
– We move money from people who live in extreme poverty and oppression to Ukraine. Then of course we will stand with Ukraine, but it would have been much better to keep the one percent target, says Mattias Brunander, director general at Diakonia.
The Minister: Of course we care
Mattias Brunander believes that the change signals irresponsibility and that Sweden does not care about people in other countries where there is a humanitarian crisis. The minister for development does not share that picture.
– Sweden is a very generous donor. We have increased support for women in war-torn Ukraine, we have increased aid to Turkey to unearth people from the racial masses, and we have also increased global support for human rights defenders and democracy fighters, says Johan Forsell in Agenda.
V: “Does not become more efficient due to cutbacks”
Johan Forssell (M) says that you can’t just look at how much money is invested, but also need to look at the results. He says that the government is therefore taking measures to make aid more efficient, modern and transparent.
The Left Party’s Lotta Johnsson Fornarve is of a different opinion and says that it is a mistake to leave the one percent target and that a high level of aid is more important than ever in view of the world situation.
– To claim that the aid becomes more effective just because you cut it, I think is very strange. Businesses do not usually become more efficient when they receive less money, says Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V) in Agenda.