Higher Education's International Activities

The plan wants Sweden to be a steady voice for human rights and act for people who are persecuted, and that more people shall be able to study regardless of background. A programme that gives students whose right to education is threatened the opportunity to continue studying safely, with a corresponding programme within the EU, is a direct application of that solidarity. The plan does not mention such a programme, so the support is derived.

• voice for human rightsdecisive»en stadig röst i världen som talar för mänskliga rättigheter, fred och« (party programme ↗)“a steady voice in the world that speaks for human rights, peace and”
• haven from oppression»När rasismen växer, länder sluter sig och EU bygger murar ska Sverige agera för flyktingars rättigheter och försvara asylrätten både i Sverige och internationellt.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“As racism grows, countries close themselves and the EU builds walls, Sweden shall act for refugee rights and defend asylum rights both in Sweden and internationally.”
• academic freedom»självständiga akademier utan politisk styrning och vill se en« (party programme ↗)“independent academies without political control and want to see”
• education for more»Det måste bli lättare att utbilda sig efter grundskolan oavsett vem du är, tjockleken på din plånbok eller var i landet du bor.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“It must become easier to study after primary school regardless of who you are, the thickness of your wallet or where in the country you live.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan defends academic and research freedom, human rights and an international solidarity that does not stop at national boundaries. A programme that allows students whose right to education is threatened to continue studying in safety, and to push for equivalent within the EU, follows from these principles. The plan does not, however, mention any such programme, so the position is derived.

• academic freedomdecisive»Frihet för akademin och forskningen.« (party programme ↗)“Freedom for academia and research.”
• defence of human rights»Vi kommer att fortsätta arbetet för att öka respekten för de mänskliga rättigheterna, demokratin och en regelbaserad världsordning och global säkerhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We will continue work to increase respect for human rights, democracy and a rules-based world order and global security.”
• international exchange»Kulturell mångfald med aktivt utbyte över språkliga, nationella och kulturella gränser.« (party programme ↗)“Cultural diversity with active exchange across linguistic, national and cultural boundaries.”
• driving role in the EU»Sveriges ställning som en ledande aktör i EU stärks.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden's position as a leading actor in the EU is strengthened.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan wants Sweden to support civil society and defenders of freedom and rights in other countries and that the country is a leader for academic freedom. A programme that gives students whose right to education is threatened the opportunity to continue studying in safety, and a corresponding initiative within the EU, realises both these commitments. The plan does not mention such a programme, so the position is derived.

• support for rights defendersdecisive»Sverige ska använda internationellt utvecklingssamarbete för att främja fredsbyggande och dialog och stötta civilsamhället och försvarare av fri- och rättigheter i andra länder.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall use international development cooperation to promote peacebuilding and dialogue and support civil society and defenders of freedom and rights in other countries.”
• leader for academic freedom»Sverige ska vara ett föregångsland när det gäller akademisk frihet, hög kvalitet i högre utbildning och innovationskraft.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall be a leader when it comes to academic freedom, high quality in higher education and innovation capacity.”
• international student exchange»Internationellt utbyte är viktigt – fler svenska studenter ska studera en eller flera terminer utomlands, samtidigt som fler internationella studenter ska få möjlighet att studera i Sverige.« (party programme ↗)“International exchange is important – more Swedish students shall study for one or more terms abroad, while more international students shall have the opportunity to study in Sweden.”
• academic freedom as a democracy issue»Akademisk frihet, oberoende domstolar och konstnärlig frihet är grundläggande för en stark demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“Academic freedom, independent courts and artistic freedom are fundamental to a strong democracy.”

The plan makes academic freedom a cornerstone and sets the protection of universal human rights and freedoms as the ultimate purpose of foreign policy. A programme that allows students whose right to education is threatened to continue studying safely directly responds to both commitments, as does the ambition that Swedish higher education should be attractive to international students. The plan simultaneously protects the independence of educational institutions.

• academic freedomdecisive»Den akademiska och konstnärliga friheten liksom den fria kulturen är grundbultar i ett vitalt civilsamhälle.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Academic and artistic freedom as well as free culture are cornerstones of a vital civil society.”
• human rights as a foreign policy goal»Utrikes- och säkerhetspolitiken syftar ytterst till att värna universella mänskliga fri- och rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“Foreign and security policy ultimately aims to protect universal human rights and freedoms.”
• open Swedish higher education»förutsätter att utbildningen är attraktiv för utländska studenter och internationella forskare« (party programme ↗)“requires that education is attractive to international students and researchers”
• independence of educational institutions»Högre utbildning och fria lärosäten ska självständigt kunna bedriva högkvalitativ forskning och utbildning.« (party programme ↗)“Higher education and free educational institutions shall be able to independently conduct high-quality research and teaching.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme promises that Sweden shall offer safe havens for persecuted culture creators and be a voice for global freedom that supports those who challenge oppression. A programme that allows students whose right to education is threatened to complete their studies in a secure environment is the same commitment applied to higher education, where individual academic freedom shall be the guiding principle. High internationalization of Swedish higher education also speaks for driving forward a corresponding EU programme.

• safe havens for the persecuteddecisive»Sverige ska verka internationellt för den konstnärliga friheten, och erbjuda fristäder för förföljda kulturskapare.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall work internationally for artistic freedom, and offer safe havens for persecuted culture creators.”
• support for democracy fighters»Sverige ska vara en röst för global frihet och ge stöd åt de modiga människor som verkar för demokratisering av världens återstående diktaturer.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall be a voice for global freedom and support those courageous people who work for democratization of the world's remaining dictatorships.”
• academic freedom»Individuell akademisk frihet ska vara en bärande princip för all offentlig verksamhet inom forskning och högre utbildning.« (party programme ↗)“Individual academic freedom shall be a guiding principle for all public activity in research and higher education.”
• internationalization of higher education»Svensk högre utbildning ska konkurrera på den internationella utbildningsmarknaden och kännetecknas av hög internationalisering.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish higher education shall compete in the international education market and be characterized by high internationalization.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan makes the pursuit of knowledge a human right that shall be protected, and freedom of thought a prerequisite for successful knowledge-seeking, while promoting human rights is a central goal of foreign policy. A program that allows students whose right to education is threatened to continue studying in safety follows directly from this. The autonomy of educational institutions is a boundary but does not prevent a national program.

• knowledge-seeking as a rightdecisive»Sökandet efter kunskap är en mänsklig rättighet som måste« (party programme ↗)“The pursuit of knowledge is a human right that must”
• human rights as foreign policy goal»främja mänskliga rättigheter och demokrati« (party programme ↗)“promote human rights and democracy”
• academic freedom»Tankens frihet är en förutsättning för framgångsrikt kunskapssökande.« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of thought is a prerequisite for successful knowledge-seeking.”
• educational institutions' self-determination»ska åtnjuta stort mått av självbestämmande i förhållande till staten« (party programme ↗)“shall enjoy considerable self-determination in relation to the state”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan protects educational institutions' independence and free research from political interference, and establishes that quality and international competitiveness are to guide higher education. A national programme that politically directs the content of educational institutions' international activities lies outside these commitments, and according to the plan policy is to prioritize and choose to forgo. The plan's support for democracy and human rights points in another direction, which is why the assessment is uncertain.

• institutional independencedecisive»Värna den fria forskningen från politiska pekpinnar« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect free research from political interference”
• quality guides higher education»Kvalitet och internationell konkurrenskraft ska vara styrande för den högre utbildningen.« (party programme ↗)“Quality and international competitiveness are to be guiding for higher education.”
• prioritize and choose to forgo»Politiken har en viktig uppgift att prioritera och välja bort« (party programme ↗)“Policy has an important task to prioritize and choose to forgo”
• democracy and human rights»Prioritera insatser som stödjer arbetet för demokrati och mänskliga rättigheter« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Prioritize efforts that support the work for democracy and human rights”

The plan's line is that Swedish interests should be prioritised and that immigration law should be kept at the strictest possible level; a new national programme that gives foreign students subsistence and studies in Sweden goes in the opposite direction. The plan also wants to reduce political steering of universities, while the counter-proposal places a new state assignment on higher education and at EU level. No support for such an initiative is found in the documents.

• Swedish interests firstdecisive»Sverigedemokraterna kommer alltid prioritera svenska intressen och föra en politik som kommer alla medborgare till del.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats will always prioritise Swedish interests and conduct a policy that benefits all citizens.”
• strict immigration legislation»Skärpa reglerna i utlänningslagen till striktas möjliga nivå enligt EU-rätten« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tighten rules in the Immigration Act to the strictest possible level according to EU law”
• reduced political steering»Den politiska styrningen av högre utbildning ska minska och akademins självständighet öka.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Political steering of higher education should decrease and the academy's independence should increase.”
• universities' self-determination»Slå vakt om den högre akademins självständighet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Protect the higher academy's independence”