The Government has launched preparations for what they call an Action Plan for Combating Racism and Promoting Good Relations between Population Groups.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the action plan aims to reduce hate speech and hate crime and to promote non-discrimination in working life and development of relations between different population groups, among other things. A further aim is to strengthen a culture where racism is intervened in and to improve the related skills and competence.
The Action Plan will be drawn up based on a situation assessment that will be compiled in cooperation with civil society organisations, research institutes and authorities during 2020.
“Racism in all its forms must be condemned. There is no place for racism in this country. The Government takes this issue very seriously and our aim is to prepare an effective action plan to address the existing problems,” says Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson.
“It is important for us to conduct dialogue with civil society during the preparation of the Action Plan. That is why we are launching an idea contest to encourage civil society organisations to participate in the planning of measures to be included in the Action Plan,” Henriksson continues.
Three categories
There are three different categories in the idea contest, two of which are implemented as a call for government discretionary grant applications, which means that the best ideas will receive funding.
The projects for which government grants will be awarded may be local, regional or national development projects that aim to support the achievement of the objectives of the Action Plan.
The preparation of the Action Plan will be led by an intersectoral working group. The Ministerial Working Group on Internal Security and Strengthening the Rule of Law will monitor the progress of the work.
The Action Plan will be completed during spring 2021. The work will continue in different administrative branches until the end of 2022.
