Swedish Aid in the Time of the Pandemic

Summary

This study analyses how the Swedish aid has been managed and adjusted during the covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of the study is to contribute knowledge and learning, primarily to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), to prepare development cooperation and humanitarian aid for future chocks and crises.

The report provides a mapping of Swedish Official Development Assistance (ODA) funds to respond to covid-19. The report also presents an analysis of how adjustments and reprogramming due to the pandemic have been managed administratively and operationally and identifies lessons learnt for future crises. The study covers the period from March 2020 until the end of 2021.

The main conclusion from the study is that the overall strategic direction of the Swedish development and humanitarian assistance has remained unchanged during the covid-19 pandemic. At an overall level, there has been an increase in humanitarian aid and a relative increase in health aid between 2019 and 2020. The financial support reported as directly covid-19-related amounted to SEK 2.6 billion in 2020, or 6 percent of total ODA. It has not been possible to map financial adjustments related to the pandemic at a more detailed level, partly because a large part of Swedish ODA is provided as core support.