Country: The Kingdom of Sweden

Committee: The United Nations Development

Programme
Topic: Achieving Equal Prosperity: Mitigating
Development-Induced Displacement and Resettlement

Development-induced displacement is characterized by permanent relocation of all

households within a geographic area as a result of the construction of infrastructure projects,
including large dams for hydroelectric power and irrigation but is also the result of various
development projects such as mining, agriculture, the creation of military installations,
airports, industrial plants, weapon testing grounds, railways, road developments,
urbanization, conservation projects, and forestry. Development-Induced Displacement and
Resettlement (DIDR) has attracted international and regional concerns in recent times due to
the overwhelmingly negative socio-economic, cultural, and human rights consequences.
As a cause of displacement, it must be said that development is different from
conflict and even natural disasters. Development is seen as a right to which all people should
have access. People have the right to development, they also have the right to be protected
from development’s negative effects, including arbitrary eviction and the loss of economic,
political, civil, and human rights.

For 2016, Sweden has so far allocated approximately USD 625 million in
humanitarian aid. In 2018, decided to enter into multi-year core funding agreements with The
United Nations’s agencies. Sweden contributes 6.8 Billion SEK and it will significantly
enhance UN’s agencies’ capacities to plan and implement Strategic Plans and to collaborate
towards Agenda 2030, fulfilling UN’s collective commitment to “leave no-one behind”, as
the common chapter of UN’s Strategic Plans commits to do. Recently , Sweden and the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have entered a US$19.3 million
partnership to strengthen work on governance, peacebuilding, crisis, and resilience.

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) contribution

to UNDP’s thematic trust funds will help build national capacities for conflict prevention and
peacebuilding. It will also help build responsive institutions and support UNDP’s work in
advancing human rights and rule of law. Sida’s contribution to UNDP’s thematic trust funds
is in line with the UN Secretary-General’s Funding Compact and commitment to increase
thematic funding in support of the SDGs. The new agreement with Sida will support the
following:

 Joint UNDP-UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Programme on

Conflict Prevention
 UNDP Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law and Human Rights
 UNDP Trust Fund (Funding Window) on Governance, Peacebuilding, Crisis, and
Resilience in support of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and responsive institution
global work.
 Sweden is one of the world's largest humanitarian donors, facilitates resettlement
of people in need of protection, and supports efforts to integrate refugees in host societies –
both in partner countries and at home. Sweden has a strong and long-standing commitment to
resettlement, and our resettlement quota is one of the highest in Europe. Sweden will
continue to make participation in resettlement activities a high priority also on the
international agenda. Sweden promotes refugees' access to education and employment in host
countries, as we ourselves make these sectors accessible to refugees and migrants in Sweden.
Since displacement puts women's and girls' health and safety at risk, we also
provide valuable insights from our unique feminist foreign policy. We are honoured to be
leading the initiative 'Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in
Emergencies' this year, with the aim of building a global coalition to prevent and respond to
gender-based violence in emergencies. We urge all actors in humanitarian emergencies to
integrate a gender perspective in their work and combat gender-based violence.
Concretely, Sweden will strive towards helping DIDR victims. We apply human
security as a tool for the analysis of the consequences of DIDR. because currently, the
relationship between security and development-caused displacement continues to inspire only
marginal scientific activity. First, we are convinced that to prevent Development-Induced
Displacement and Resettlement, we need to arrange a body to investigate development
projects. Every violation towards ethical development projects should be sanctioned.
The delegation of Sweden is open to discuss the aim of individuals responsible for
investment planning should be minimized or even totally eliminated from the associated
involuntary resettlement. Secondly, we will push a formal international policy that require
ethical development in order to get funding from international institutions. Thirdly, Sweden
will strongly urge proper health and mental care in the host state of displaced people to help
DIDR affected victims to recover. The Kingdom of Sweden is convinced that durable
solutions for mitigating development-induced displacement and resettlement can and must be
found in this council.
 Caspary, Georg. (2007). The Impacts of Development-induced Displacement on Human
Security : a Study of Dam Finance, Volume 4, 71-73.
D.Brockington, Fortress conservation: the preservation of the Mkomazi Game Reserve,
Tanzania, James Currey, Oxford, 2002.

Linde, Ann. (April 4 2016). Addressing The Displacement Crisis. Accessed on 21

October 2019, from https://www.government.se/opinion-pieces/2016/04/addressing-the-
displacement-crisis/

UNDP.org. (June 12 2018). UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN Women Welcome Sweden's
Multi-Year Commitment to Core Funding. accessed on 21 October 2019, from
https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/news/2018/UNDP-UNICEF-
UNFPA-AND-UN-WOMEN-WELCOME-MULTI-YEAR-COMMITMENT-FROM-
SWEDEN.html
UNDP.org. (october 15 2019). New UNDP–Sweden partnership will support governance,
peacebuilding and resilience. Acessed on October 21 2019, from
https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/news/2019/new-undp_sweden-
partnership-will-support-governance--peacebuildi.html

Speech by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven at the Leaders’ Summit. (September 21 2016).
Acessed on October 21 2019, from https://www.government.se/speeches/2016/09/speech-
by-prime-minister-stefan-lofven-at-the-leaders-summit/

Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström at UNRWA side event,
UNGA. (September 19 2016). Accessed on October 21 2019, from
https://www.government.se/speeches/2016/09/speech-by-minister-for-foreign-affairs-
margot-wallstrom-at-unrwa-side-event-protracted-refugee-situations--what-more-can-be-
done/