What is partyoriented democracy support?

All political parties elected to the Swedish Parliament have the opportunity to contribute internationally through the partyoriented democracy support programme.
The purpose of the programme is to contribute to wellfunctioning party systems, political participation, democratic political systems and democratic development;
to promote respect for human rights and the equality of all people; and to establish channels between citizens and decisionmakers.
The programmes are not run by the parties, but by affiliated organizations. The Swedish Social Democratic Party has entrusted the Olof Palme International Center
with responsibility for its party support projects since the start in 1995.

How is the support programme funded?

The Swedish people fund all development cooperation through their taxes. Swedish development cooperation totals about SEK 30 billion, corresponding to one percent of the gross national income. Of this money, some SEK 3.8 billion is allocated to democracy support.
In turn, a small portion of this money, SEK 75 million, is reserved for partyoriented democracy support, distributed according to the number of seats held by each party.

What kind of partners can be supported?

The Swedish government states in its guidelines that the support shall benefit the establishment of democracy in developing countries and in the countries of the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe.

How does the Palme Center choose its partners?

The Palme Center and the Swedish Social Democratic Party have numerous, wide-reaching international contacts developed over many years. This is also true of the party at local and regional level, as well as of  the organizations affiliated to the party. Many projects have been running for several years, though new activities are continually developed.

Who is responsible for the projects in Sweden?

The Palme Center has ultimate responsibility for all activities. The individual projects are run by the Palme Center at a central level in cooperation with the Swedish Social Democratic Party, by its organizations at regional and local level, or by its four affiliate organizations (S-women, Social Democratic Youth Organization, S-students and the League of Christian Social Democrats).

Which projects are prioritised?

The government guidelines point towards projects that aim to develop the organizational structures and capacity of political parties based on each partner’s
particular needs. The work methods employed are mainly education and exchange of knowledge and experience at local, regional and central level. The Palme Center prioritises adult education and activities based on local assumption of responsibility and local influence. The most important target groups are women, young persons and active party members at grassroots level.

What are the greatest risks associated with party support?

There are many risks. The target countries often face problems with corruption and unsound political structures, resulting in conditions that generally make it difficult to conduct activities. In some countries, opposition parties are regularly persecuted and we must exercise great caution to avoid exposing our partners to danger. A third challenge is that many of our project countries are politically unstable and circumstances can change rapidly.