Statement by Sweden in the General Debate of the 73rd session of the Executive Committee (UNHCR)

Madam Chair, Mr High Commissioner, Excellencies, Colleagues and Friends,

Sweden aligns itself with the statement made by the European Union and we offer the following statement in national capacity:

Mr High Commissioner,

I would like to begin by stating that Sweden condemns the indiscriminate attacks of Russia against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine in the last two days.

It has been said many times but it bears repeating: in 2022, the number of people having fled their homes to seek safety elsewhere reached a new and tragic milestone – one hundred million. UNHCR’s unique role and mandate in assisting and protecting persons of concern in the most vulnerable situations remains crucial.

Global humanitarian needs continue to grow and Sweden would like to pay tribute to UNHCR and its staff for your tireless efforts to support affected populations including refugees, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, returnees, host communities and governments during this difficult past year. And we would like to express our gratitude to you, Mr High Commissioner, for your leadership and dedication, and for accepting to continue to steer UNHCR through an extension of your mandate until December 2025.

Madam Chair,

We are experiencing deeply challenging times. Several humanitarian crises in the world call for our unwavering attention. New and protracted conflicts, climate shocks, socio-economic impacts following the COVID-19-pandemic, the global food security crisis and rising food and fuel prices, triggered by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, are powerful drivers of displacement. 

As Europe experiences its worst displacement crisis since the Second World War, we appreciate UNHCR’s efforts to rapidly scale up and deliver support to affected populations in Ukraine and countries in the region.

Meanwhile, continued support to people in Yemen, South Sudan, the Horn of Africa, Afghanistan, Uganda, Colombia, Bangladesh and dozens of other protracted and under-reported displacement situations around the world must be upheld. The situation demands making the very best use of our resources to be able to assist the most vulnerable in need.

As one of UNHCR’s top donors of unearmarked and multiyear funding in 2022, Sweden is contributing to efficient humanitarian interventions when and where they are most needed.

Madam Chair,

Resettlement remains a sustainable, safe, and organised way to offer international protection to refugees in the most vulnerable situations, as well as an act of solidarity with host countries. Last year Sweden transferred 6,400 quota refugees to Sweden. This year we plan to resettle 5,000 refugees from UNHCR’s prioritised regions.

A robust common EU asylum system is, in our view, key for a greater solidarity and global responsibility sharing for refugees. The system should be efficient, sustainable and safeguard the right to asylum. The overall aim should be a more even distribution of responsibility. As the incoming EU Presidency, we are committed to make all efforts to make progress on the EU Migration and Asylum Pact proposals.

We thank UNHCR for its leadership and guidance of the continued implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees. We also appreciate UNHCR’s leadership of the Global Protection Cluster, and efforts to both deliver operationally, while also supporting the humanitarian system as a whole in stepping up protection.

Finally, I would like to again express our appreciation for UNHCR and its staff. We look forward to pursuing our close cooperation.

Thank you.