Elevating political dialogue in Swedish Almedalen – an inspiration for the rest of Europe

It is happening this week, in and around the park named Almedalen, located in the medieval town of Visby on the large island of Gotland in Sweden. It is an annual conference that takes place every summer since 1968. It all began with Swedish former prime minister Olof Palme who spent his summers in Gotland and that year he organised an improvised meeting in the park. But it was not until 1982 that the first official Almedalen week was organised, and since then it has grown into a conference which is gathering local and national politicians, private sector professionals, journalists, local, regional and national organisations, lobbyists and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Last year the event had more than 32 000 unique visitors, and more than 2 100 separate events, making it to the most important forum in Swedish politics. The focus on sustainability and climate has grown for each year in the 21st century and those topics dominate throughout the week, followed by topics such as healthcare and social welfare.  

The Almedalen Week has inspired similar events to be held in other European countries, like Suomi-Areena in Finland, Arendalsuka in Norway, Arvamusfestival in Estonia and Folkemødet at the island of Bornholm in Denmark.

SEI engaging in events on climate policy, geopolitics, sustainable lifestyles, finance and more

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is always present at Almedalen. Read more about SEIs events here. SEI’s director Måns Nilsson moderated a high-level session on harnessing science and bilateral cooperation in changing geopolitical contexts, gathering leaders from Sweden’s biggest funder organisations. This session explored how development cooperation and research are becoming increasingly crucial in understanding and managing today’s rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, including state power games. They discussed how Sweden is responding as a country transferring knowledge and innovation to other countries and regions when geopolitical dynamics is shifting, and what is needed in terms of the reorganization of aid, financing and collaborations in this evolving context.

SEI’s Executive Director Måns Nilsson facilitated a dialogue on science and geopolitics with leaders from funding and development organisations Sida, Vinnova, Mistra, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency during this year’s Almedalen Week. Photo credit:Ylva Rylander, SEI.

The Almedalen Week represents values of the Swedish society

The Swedish political week of Almedalen is a week not for an elite or a specially elected group, it is for everyone and anyone who wishes to discuss societal issues with like-minded people, with decision-makers and with those responsible for change. It symbols values of democracy and political pluralism, consensus and openness, all important values in the Swedish society.

The Almedalen Week is a member of the Democracy Festivals Association which unites different Democracy Festivals across Europe which are all aiming to facilitate constructive political dialogues and offer a platform for people from all walks of life to discuss how to improve their countries. New festivals are welcome to join the community and become members of the Democracy Festivals Association. There´s more information on the website: https://democracyfestivals.org/.