Section President: Anna-Lisa Eneroth

Address: Kringelvägen 8 B

City, State/Province: Växjö

Postal Code: 532 44

Telephone: +46 470-71 17 03

Fax Number:

Work and/or Mobile Number: +46 73-026 0330

Email Address: ansa.eneroth@swipnet.se

Section IEC Member: Alexandra Sundberg

Address: Oktobergatan 11

City, State/Province: Haegersten

Postal Code: 126 37

Telephone: +46 73 84 17 207

Fax Number:

Work and/or Mobile Number: +46 8 702 98 10

Email Address: alexandra.sundberg@ikff.se

Section Fundraising Contact: Lisa Hagström
(The Secretary General of the Swedish section will function as the fundraising contact)

Address: c/o IKFF, Norrtullsgatan 45, 1 tr.

City, State/Province: Stockholm

Postal Code: 11346

Telephone: +46 8 702 98 10

Fax Number:

Work and/or Mobile Number:

Email Address: lisa.hagstrom@ikff.se

2008 International Directory:
Please review your copy of the International Directory and provide all additional contacts and/or information that you would like to be listed in the 2008 International Directory. For example: Section Office, Section Treasurer, Secretary, Branch Contacts, etc.

Attached as separate document

Environment contact: Anna Lidén, anna.liden@iktk.se
Disarmament contact : Alexandra Sundberg, alexandra.sundberg@ikff.se
Economic justice : Anna-Lisa Eneroth, ansa.eneroth@swipnet.se

Section Information:

Number of members:     800       (Fill in the blank or amend)

Section website:             www.ikff.se                                                               

Section 2006 Income:     $ 182,094                                                          Expense:                $ 195,162

Committee or Working Group that your IEC Member participates in: Disarmament

What does your Section need from the 2007 Congress and what are the specific decisions that you would like to see this Congress make to further your work? Please place an X beside those that apply.

_X_ Development of 3-year Programme
_X__ Development of Committee or Working Group. Please specify. The Swedish section see a need for a more clear mandate of the committees and working groups in order for these to work more efficiently. We also would like to find a better reporting mechanism between committees, working groups and sections.
_X__ Adoption of Policy. Please specify. Pls. see below on resolutions
_X__ Adoption of Resolution. Please specify. WILPF resolutions are important for us to maintain an updated common policy as an organisation.
_X_ Adoption of Constitutional Amendment Please specify.
_X_ Specific Proposal from your Section. Please specify. We have submitted a proposed amendment of the constitution, on the Congress cycle, which we hope will be considered as an option to the Constitution Committees proposal.
___ Other. Please list below:

Geneva Office

We would like some feedback on the section mailing. Do you like the frequency and length? What topics would you like to see covered?

We highly appreciate the section mailing from the Geneva office, and even though we understand the heavy workload of the secretariat we would appreciate even more frequent updates. It would be amazing if we could develop a system of section reporting on their activities around the globe, so that we would feel more as part of an international organisation.

What information from the Geneva Office would be helpful to you?

We are altogether pleased with the information stemming from the secretariat.

What do you see as priority issues for the work of the Geneva Office?

Keeping in touch with and supporting sections, fundraising and financial responsibility, representing WILPF in international fora, written statements and reactions to international events with security political relevance that can be used by sections.

How could we improve communication between us (E-Mail, Conference Calls, Section Visits)?

E-mailing is obviously the most cost efficient way of communication, but not necessarily efficient per se. Confusions and misunderstandings occur easily in e-mail conversations, and should not be used as a means of decision making. Section visits would be encouraging and inspiring, but financially impossible with the organisation’s present economy.

UN Office (New York)

What information from the UN Office would be helpful to you?

We would appreciate an update from the UN office as part of the section report. Now the two NY based projects feel distanced from WILPF and many members don’t even know they belong to our organisation. As Peace Women and Reaching Critical Will are the projects really making WILPF’s name well-known to the international community, we should be proud of and work hard to link these closely to our name!

What do you see as priority issues for the work of the UN Office?

The two projects and representation in UN bodies and meetings.

How could we improve communication between us (E-Mail, Conference Calls, Section Visits)?

As stated above, more information on the UN office activities in the section mailing and information on how the sections can participate in the work of the projects (i.e. information on country specific news for PW)

Do you use the Reaching Critical Will website?

Yes

If so for what? What is the most useful? What would make the site more useful for you?

The site is extremely useful in knowing what is happening in different disarmament fora. The office of WILPF Sweden consult the website almost daily. When writing articles and letters, as well as in preparing for lobby meetings, the updated information is very useful. Possibly the language in which the information is provided is considered too technical for many members. On the other hand, RCW has made WILPF respected and well-known among diplomats and UN staff for its professionalism, which needs to be continued. 

Do you read the RCW E-news reports on CD, UN GA 1st Committee, NPT?

Yes!

What could be improved?

Possibly the language part as mentioned above. And if possible it would be useful for the sections to get ideas on what we can do with all the information, e.g. more template letters, articles etc, and suggestions on activities related to specific events.

Do you use the Peace Women website?

Yes

If so for what? What is the most useful? What would make the site more useful for you?

Same comment as for RCW above

Do you read the Peace Women E-news?

Yes!

What could be improved?

Does the work of your section relate to the United Nations?

Yes

If so how?

The Swedish section has a strong focus on UNSCR 1325, working with women, peace and security as one of its priority issues. We also work with UN issues when it comes to prevention of conflicts, civil society and nuclear weapons.  The UN is an important actor in the eyes of Swedish politicians and is therefore, along with the EU, one of the international organizations that we focus most of our work at.

Does your section work on WILPF’s International Program?

Yes

What is your main focus?

The Swedish section has decided to focus its activity on four core issues:  European security politics; Disarmament; Women, peace and security; and Civil society and prevention of armed conflict.

Global Economic Justice?

Yes

How?

Some of our local branches have  taken a great interest in economic justice matters, e.g. organizing seminars and participating in networks working on these issues. Anna-Lisa Eneroth is engaged in the Global Economic Justice working group within WILPF. Our section also cooperates with the international offices in Geneva and New York on an internship project. One intern has worked 10 weeks in the Stockholm office followed by 10 weeks in the Geneva office with researching for and creating a database on women workers in export zones.

Environmental Sustainability?

Yes

How?

The issue of environmental sustainability has not been one of WILPF Sweden’s priority issues, but it becomes a natural part of the lobbying we do e.g. concerning a shift from nuclear energy to alternative sources.

Disarmament and Demilitarization

Yes

How?

1. Writing publications and arranging lectures and seminars to educate and inform,
2. Training for trainers project among members on disarmamnet matters,
3. Work in the local branches through study circles and seminars,
4. Actively participating in the national Network against Nuclear Weapons,
5. Applying a gender perspective on nuclear disarmament and underlining the linkages between work for gender equality and nuclear disarmament,
6. Participating in conferences and activities regarding crisis management and disarmament in Sweden and internationally,
7. Lobbying towards politicians and officials working with disarmament issues,
8. Coordinated lobbying with the Geneva office and national WILPF sections.

Water?

Yes

How?

Some of our branches take a great interest in the water issue, and the theme of the June issue of our magazine Peace and Freedom will be Water – a matter of life and death. Here we will focus on water and nuclear energy; privatization of water in Bolivia; and water as a cause of conflict in the Middle East.

SCR 1325/Women and Peace and Security Issues?

Yes

How?

1. Active membership in a national network called Operation 1325, working to realize UNSCR 1325 primarily through education and recruitment,
2. Writing publications and arranging lectures and seminars to educate and inform about a gender perspective on security,
3. Information on our website on education, internships and voluntary work for women to participate in,
4. Lobbying towards national and international actors to increase female participation and utilization of a gender perspective,
5. Influence Sweden and other UN Member States to pass national action plans for implementing UNSCR 1325.

Women’s political participation?

Yes

How?

Through our focus on UNSCR 1325 we continuously lobby for strengthened female participation in political decision making bodies. Lobbying for a woman to take on the position as UN Secretary General has been part of our efforts in this line. We also have a one-year project on strengthening women’s participation in issues related to European Security Politics, involving all European WILPF sections.

Sexual and Gender based violence issues?

No

How?

What is the political situation in your country?

Sweden is widely considered being a country of deep rooted democracy and equality, with no recent political turmoil worth mentioning. In October 2006, national elections were held that brought a right-wing government to power. After six months, changes are already obvious: a lareger share of the national budget will be spent on the military; social benefits are reduced; taxes are reduced; and privatisation is increasing.

The national economy is good and the unemployment is decreasing. The new government is focusing largely on employment politics. However, too many young people are still unemployed, with a considerable overweight on immigrants and youths from the low income social strata. The issue of ethnic and social segregation appears to remain a problem.

For WILPF Sweden the Swedish foreign policy is of great concern. Since Sweden became a member of the European Union, the foreign policy has undergone striking changes. Earlier Sweden was one of the non-aligned countries, known e.g. for solidarity politics and a strong focus on improving the conditions for low income countries in the international system. Now the EU speaks with one voice, which is often the same as that of the United States. The new Foreign Minister Carld Bildt strongly supports this line of acting.

Although Sweden formally is a neutral country, the Swedish military and naval forces get more and more involved with NATO, e.g. in Afghanistan where a Swedish military unit works in ISAF under NATO-command. Recently, the Swedish navy began cooperating closely with the US navy having mutual submarine exercises. Moreover, Sweden has allowed NATO troops to train on vast areas in the northern parts of the country. Almost all the political parties have agreed on this policy, with merely the left party and in some cases the green party in opposition.

The Swedish WILPF Section has protested in different ways, sometimes together with other peace organizations. We have also worked hard against the militarization of the European Union – and in line with that an occurring change in Swedish military policy –  which is going on although the French and the Dutch people voted against the constitution.