Positions for the Security Council

The Kingdom of Sweden

Positions for the Security Council

I. Food Insecurity in Conflict Areas

Through the course of international politics and with the global stage on which the United Nations (UN) performs its duties, it is often possible for simplistic issues, such as a lack of food, to get lost in the noise of diplomatic grandstanding regarding complex and controversial topics. The Kingdom of Sweden is appalled by the lack of response regarding food insecurity from the entire UN. As stated in the first Security Council Update (SCU), millions of people in places such as Yemen and South Sudan are relying on the international community to come together and uphold the notions of comradery and human decency that the UN was founded upon.

As discussed in the SCU, the common belief that a lack of access to food leads to conflict has been challenged recently. Despite the famously misquoted line “let them eat cake” which is believed to have contributed to the start of the French Revolution, there are a myriad of circumstances that can lead to conflict and/or war. However, there is a clear correlation between food insecurity and conflict no matter which circumstance preceded the other. It is also clear that both issues must be resolved in tandem so as to facilitate lasting peace.[1] Unfortunately, the UN and the Security Council have a history of treating one or the other, or of treating both, albeit inefficiently.

The Kingdom of Sweden has been working diligently in recent years to provide essential provisions for those in conflict zones who would otherwise starve to death. Sweden is proud of its partnership with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN (FAO) which helps bring nourishment to millions around the globe. With over 2 million USD committed to FAO thus far, Sweden is one of the top 25 contributors.[2] While we are proud of this, it is discouraging that this level of contribution warrants such status when over 800 million people are estimated to “still suffer from chronic hunger” and over 150 million children are malnourished.[3] Even worse, there is general consensus that there is more than enough arable land and resources to provide enough food for everyone.[4] Sweden is happy to continue working with organizations such as FAO, but the UN, especially the Security Council, needs to begin working towards long-term solutions that will free the Global South from its constant dependence on foreign aid.

Common practice at these conferences is to create a grand, new, innovative solutions to address the topics at hand. Often, this approach involves inventing new agencies and/or committees that require new sources of funding. Instead of trying to “reinvent the wheel,” Sweden recommends working with successful programs, such as FAO, that simply lack the funding and reach to bring about significant change. We would also like to see debate on the notion of sending UN peacekeeping troops with envoys carrying humanitarian aid, particularly food, so as to ensure that it reaches the intended populations. Finally, Sweden would like to expand the mandate of FAO and the World Bank to include providing long-term solutions to food insecurities, as opposed to maintaining its emergency response role that constantly leaves the UN catching up with these incidents. The Kingdom of Sweden is excited to work with this committee to bring about sustainable solutions.

II. Corruption and Political Instability

Despite efforts by previous UN policies such as the UN Convention against Corruption, corruption continues to spread throughout the world in the 21st century.[5] While Sweden saw a slight decrease in its Corruption Perceptions Index 2017 score, we are still proud to be ranked 6th in the world, tied with Singapore.[6]Sweden believes that our practices can be transposed onto the world stage in order to help other Member States mitigate corruption.

Finding the source(s) of corruption can be extremely difficult. Even the World Bank acknowledges that “causes of corruption are always contextual, rooted in a country's policies, bureaucratic traditions, political development, and social history.”[7] Therefore, each Member State requires a unique approach when dealing with corruption because each Member State’s corruption is unique on some level. While there are common themes and practices that traverse national boundaries, there is no one-size-fits-all solution and/or policy that can be implemented to address international corruption. Organizations, such as the World Bank which is sanctioned to address corruption, will require a flexible framework that can be amended to suit a particular Member State’s needs.[8]

The Kingdom of Sweden has seen great success in combatting corruption with the conception of the National Anti-Corruption Unit (NACU). The NACU is “tasked with administering investigations regarding crimes of corruption…but also cases that are closely related to these types of crimes. In addition to the investigative activities, the unit also promotes uniform legal proceedings by actively working with judicial matters within the area.”[9] Whereas most Member States deal with corruption in their standard legal system, Sweden has created a specialized, separate entity with the sole purpose of investigating and preventing corruption. This unit has helped keep Sweden in the top ten on the Corruption Perceptions Index over the last decade. We highly recommend other Member States and international police agencies to consider adopting a program or unit similar to the NACU in order combat growing corruption. These units could work in tandem with other law enforcement agencies to pursue all crimes associate with corruption.

Aside from NACU on the state level, Sweden supports the UN Convention against Corruption. However, while this convention has implemented excellent means for fellow Member States to monitor each other for corruption in an impartial manner, it lacks means and/or authority to deal with said corruption if it is discovered.[10] The Kingdom of Sweden would like to work with other Member States to bring the full force of the Security Council behind this convention by finding ways to reprimand and/or address corruption if it is discovered during an Implementation Review Mechanism.[11]Notwithstanding the difficulties in addressing shortcomings within our own Member States, the Kingdom of Sweden looks forward to working with the Security Council to bring an end to the pervasive corruption seen today.

[1] “Monitoring food security in countries with conflict situations: A joint FAO/WFP update for the United Nations Security Council, June 2017,” FAO/WFP,

[2] “Regular Programme Contributions: Largest 25 Contributors,” FAO,

[3] “What We Do,” FAO,

[4] Ibidem.

[5] “United Nations Convention against Corruption,” UNODC,

[6]“Corruption Perceptions Index 2017,” Transparency International,

[7] “Helping Countries Combat Corruption: Role of the World Bank,” World Bank Group,

[8] Ibidem.

[9] “National Anti-Corruption Unit,” Swedish Prosecution Authority,

[10]“United Nations Convention against Corruption,” UNODC,

[11] Ibidem.