Aid according to OECD-DAC rules

The party programme demands solidaristic development aid and asylum policy based on respect for international conventions, and the election manifesto states that development aid should increase and that the right to asylum can never be compromised. Using development aid to compel denied asylum seekers to return violates both commitments. The counter-proposal's requirement that development aid strictly follows the regulations thus aligns with the plan's direction.

• increased development aiddecisive»Sverige ska öka biståndet, stärka FN och skriva under kärnvapenkonventionen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden should increase development aid, strengthen the UN and sign the nuclear weapons convention.”
• solidaristic development aid»solidariskt bistånd och rättvisa handelsvillkor.« (party programme ↗)“solidaristic development aid and fair trade terms.”
• inviolable right to asylum»Rätten att söka asyl kan aldrig tummas på, vi kräver att endast permanenta uppehållstillstånd ska utfärdas vid beviljad asyl.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The right to seek asylum can never be compromised, we demand that only permanent residence permits be issued when asylum is granted.”
• solidaristic asylum criteria»Kriterierna för asyl i Sverige ska vara solidariska och« (party programme ↗)“The criteria for asylum in Sweden should be solidaristic and”

The party programme binds aid to at least one per cent of gross national income and to developing countries' own needs, and the election manifesto says aid shall counter the root causes of people being forced to flee, with poor people's perspective at the centre. Using aid funds as pressure for return after rejection lies outside this purpose. The plan therefore supports the demand that aid strictly follows the rules for what aid may be used for.

• one-per-cent target for aiddecisive»Det svenska biståndet ska motsvara minst en procent av bruttonationalinkomsten.« (party programme ↗)“Swedish aid shall correspond to at least one per cent of gross national income.”
• aid against root causes»Detta genom att hantera grundorsakerna till det som driver ökade humanitära behov, som krig och konflikter samt klimatförändringens effekter.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“This by handling the root causes of what drives increased humanitarian needs, such as wars and conflicts and the effects of climate change.”
• poor people's perspective in aid»Fattiga människors perspektiv och kvinnor och barns rättigheter ska vara i centrum.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Poor people's perspective and women's and children's rights shall be at the centre.”
• safe haven for refugees»Sverige ska erbjuda en trygg fristad åt människor som tvingas fly från förföljelse och våld.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden shall offer a safe haven for people forced to flee from persecution and violence.”

The election manifesto states that no money shall be diverted from aid to refugee reception and that aid must not be conditioned on Sweden's domestic political interests. The counter-proposal's requirement that aid strictly follows international rules and is not used to pressure rejected asylum seekers to return follows directly from that. The party programme furthermore wants return to be voluntary and that forced deportations be used extremely restrictively.

• no deductions from aiddecisive»Därför ska inga pengar flyttas över från biståndet till flyktingmottagandet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore no money shall be diverted from aid to refugee reception.”
• unconditional poverty-focused aid»att mer än 1 procent av Sveriges bruttonationalinkomst fortsatt ska gå till bistånd, att biståndet ska styras av principer om effektivitet och fattigdomsbekämpning och inte villkoras mot Sveriges inrikespolitiska intressen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“that more than 1 percent of Sweden's gross national income continues to go to aid, that aid shall be governed by principles of efficiency and poverty alleviation and not conditioned on Sweden's domestic political interests.”
• voluntary return»Den som får avslag på sin asylansökan ska inte hållas i förvar, utan i första hand få hjälp att frivilligt återvända till sitt hemland.« (party programme ↗)“A person whose asylum application is rejected shall not be held in detention, but primarily be helped to voluntarily return to their home country.”
• restrictive forced deportation»Tvångsavvisningar ska användas oerhört restriktivt.« (party programme ↗)“Forced deportations shall be used extremely restrictively.”

The party programme makes asylum rights a human right and commits to a generous and humane refugee and immigration policy, while aid is described as a tool for poverty reduction and for bringing countries closer together. Using aid funds to force rejected asylum seekers to return is outside that function. The plan therefore supports the requirement that aid strictly follows international regulations.

• generous and humane refugee policydecisive»Centerpartiet strävar efter öppna gränser, fri rörlighet samt en generös och human flykting- och invandringspolitik.« (party programme ↗)“The Center Party strives for open borders, free movement and a generous and humane refugee and immigration policy.”
• asylum rights as human right»Att få söka sig en fristad och en försörjning, inte bara inom det land där man är född, utan också utanför landets gränser, är en mänsklig rättighet.« (party programme ↗)“To be able to seek refuge and means of livelihood, not only within the country where one is born, but also outside the country's borders, is a human right.”
• global development responsibility»Fred, skyddet av mänskliga rättigheter och hållbar utveckling är hela världens ansvar.« (party programme ↗)“Peace, protection of human rights and sustainable development are the responsibility of the whole world.”
• aid brings countries together»Samarbetsorganisationer som FN och EU, handelsavtal och bistånd, kan knyta länder närmare varandra« (party programme ↗)“Cooperating organizations such as the UN and EU, trade agreements and aid can bring countries closer together”

The election manifesto explicitly sets the requirement that countries receiving Swedish aid also receive their own citizens who are to leave Sweden, so that aid can be used as pressure in return matters. The counter-proposal, on the other hand, wants aid to strictly follow the international regulatory framework and not be used to force people to return. The plan combines this with the line that those without asylum grounds shall leave the country, while the aid level shall reach one per cent of GNI.

• aid conditional on returndecisive»Vi ska kräva att länder som tar emot svenskt bistånd också tar emot egna medborgare som dömts för brott i Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall require that countries receiving Swedish aid also receive their own citizens convicted of crimes in Sweden.”
• those without grounds leave the country»Asylrätten ska värnas där den med asylskäl ska stanna och den utan skäl lämnar landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The right to asylum shall be valued where those with asylum grounds shall stay and those without grounds leave the country.”
• one per cent of GNI»Därför vill vi att det svenska biståndet ska uppnå till en procent av BNI.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Therefore we want Swedish aid to reach one per cent of GNI.”
• democracy as an aid goal»Demokrati ska vara det övergripande målet för utvecklingsbiståndet.« (party programme ↗)“Democracy shall be the overarching goal for development assistance.”

The plan states that development cooperation's goal is to uphold human dignity, promote human rights and democracy and raise the living standard of the poor, and that Sweden should give at least one per cent of GNI in aid. Where return migration is addressed the plan explicitly discusses support for voluntary return. That aid strictly must follow the rules and not be used to force people to return is thus in line with the plan.

• aid for poverty reductiondecisive»mänskliga rättigheter och demokrati samt höja de fattigas levnadsnivå.« (party programme ↗)“human rights and democracy and raise the living standard of the poor.”
• return migration must be voluntary»Det är viktigt att seriös och tidig information ges om möjligheterna till stöd vid frivillig återvandring.« (party programme ↗)“It is important that serious and early information is provided about the possibilities for support for voluntary return.”
• one per cent of GNI to aid»Sverige bör ge minst en procent av BNI i internationellt bistånd.« (party programme ↗)“Sweden should give at least one per cent of GNI in international aid.”
• clear governance of aid»Det måste finnas tydliga instrument för styrning,« (party programme ↗)“There must be clear instruments for governance,”

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 establishes that Swedish interests and values to a higher degree shall guide the choice of aid measures and that it is of utmost importance that those who have been denied asylum leave the country as soon as possible, including through more readmission agreements. The counter-proposal instead wants to tie aid strictly to the international framework and prohibit its use for bringing about return migration. This goes against the plan's line that aid is a tool in the overall foreign and migration policy.

• Swedish interests guide aiddecisive»Svenska intressen och värderingar om demokrati, rättsstat och individuell frihet ska i högre grad styra valet av biståndsinsatser.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish interests and values of democracy, rule of law and individual freedom shall to a higher degree guide the choice of aid measures.”
• the rejected must leave»Av största vikt är att den som fått ett nej på asylansökan så fort som möjligt lämnar landet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Of utmost importance is that those denied asylum leave the country as soon as possible.”
• readmission agreements for return»Kraftigt öka antalet utvisningar genom fler EU-gemensamma återtagandeavtal« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Significantly increase the number of deportations through more EU-wide readmission agreements”
• aid budgets set nationally»Avskaffa enprocentmålet och ersätta det med en fyraårig budgetram för biståndet som skapar förutsägbarhet och resultatfokus« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Abolish the one-percent target and replace it with a four-year budget framework for aid that creates predictability and results focus”

The plan explicitly establishes that bilateral aid as a rule shall be conditioned on the recipient country participating in return activities for persons to be deported from Sweden, and that parts of the aid appropriation may be used directly in return programmes. The counter-proposal's requirement that aid strictly shall follow the international framework and not be used to drive return thereby stands in direct conflict with the plan. The plan moreover advocates diplomatic pressure and incentives to facilitate return.

• aid conditioned on returndecisive»Bilateralt bistånd ska som regel villkoras med att mottagarlandet medverkar till en återvändandeverksamhet för personer som ska utvisas från Sverige.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Bilateral aid shall as a rule be conditioned on the recipient country participating in return activities for persons to be deported from Sweden.”
• aid funds to return»Delar av biståndsanslaget ska kunna användas direkt i återvandringsprogram för att stimulera personer i Sverige att återvandra till sina hemländer med bästa förutsättningar om de inte skapat samhörighet med det svenska samhället.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Parts of the aid appropriation shall be able to be used directly in return programmes to stimulate persons in Sweden to return to their home countries with the best conditions if they have not created affinity with Swedish society.”
• recipient cooperation as condition»Som regel villkora bilateralt bistånd med avtal om mottagandesamverkan« (2022 manifesto ↗)“As a rule condition bilateral aid with agreements on recipient cooperation”
• pressure for return»Använda diplomatiska påtryckningar och incitament för att underlätta återvändande« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Use diplomatic pressure and incentives to facilitate return”