Sweden’s new Ambassador for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Ann-Sofie Nilsson has a hectic schedule when she visits Geneva for the first time in her new role. Ann-Sofie will represent Sweden in various multilateral and international fora in the context of the widespread disarmament and non-proliferation agenda. We meet her between meetings for an interview
Hi Ann-Sofie! You have taken up your duty as Sweden's Ambassador for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation on 17th of September this year. The first stop on your agenda is Geneva where a lot of disarmament work takes place. Describe your new assignment.
How does your current position differ from your previous functions and how do you welcome your new assignment?
I have a quite varied background within in the Swedish Foreign service; I have served in the Western Balkans and in the Middle East. I have also been working with international development cooperation including humanitarian affairs. Coming into the field of disarmament and non-proliferation may, from the outset, look like a different thing. But when you take a closer look you realize that, in addition to the security policy aspects, it is closely linked to human development. The United Nations Secretary General’s Agenda for Disarmament - which was launched here in Geneva in May this year - has a people’s centered perspective and connects these matters with the 2030 Agenda for Development. He also emphasizes the need for a comprehensive gender perspective, in line with Sweden’s feminist foreign policy. Such connections are important and indeed relevant within in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation.
Unfortunately there is a trend of increasing uncertainty in the world, for example tensions between the US and Russia, countries investing more resources on defense spending, chemical weapons are being used in Syria, hundreds of thousands of people are killed every year by small and light weapons. What role can disarmament and non-proliferation play to break this trend?
Again, we need to respect the multilateral system which have served us well for decades but have come under a lot of strain lately. Rather than undermining what has been constructed, now is the time to demonstrate our commitment to this framework. The field of disarmament and non-proliferation is not an exception as our common goal of a world free of nuclear weapons requires engagement, dialogue and confidence-building measures.
One example is the Hague Code of Conduct which is designed to counter the spread of ballistic missile technology. To this volontary arrangement, Sweden and myself serve as chair in 2018-2019, and I see this as a “hands-on” engagement which can contribute to transparency and confidence-building among states, both nuclear and non-nuclear ones.
The large number of casualties caused by small arms and light weapons around the globe, often with children and youth as victims, should definitely serve as a reminder of the need for action. Further universalization of the Arms Trade Treaty is thus a Swedish priority.
What challenges do you anticipate ahead of the NPT Review Conference 2020?
I believe it is still too early to say what the outcome of the NPT review conference in 2020 could look like, but I know that for a successful outcome it will be important for all parties to stay engaged and focus on steps forward. From a Swedish perspective, a basic but still crucial element would be a declaration re-affirming our commitment to the treaty itself and to its obligations. It should also make clear that ”a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought”. Such a policy statement should be underpinned by practical measures. Here, Sweden has previously pointed to nuclear risk reduction and transparency measures as potential common ground to build upon. Being able to transform constructive ideas and proposals into concrete Summit deliverables will make the difference.
