International Affairs Academy, Document of the Day - Free Professional Development
[Originally published by Ministry of Defence] The Strategy does not propose a change of course, but instead comprises a series of concrete initiatives and focus areas that align with the guiding principles and aims of the Government’s previous Foreign and Security Policy Strategy. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Anders Samuelsen, said: ”The world today is a better place to live than ever before. But at the same time the world is far more unpredictable. Global power relations are shifting, and the rules-based international cooperation that has been defining the global development is under pressure. These developments increase the demand for Danish foreign and security policy. We must engage in the world, fight for our values and actively pursue our interests. Only this way can we ensure that Denmark will continue to be among the world’s most free, safe and prosperous countries in the future”. The Strategy outlines the most important areas for Denmark’s Foreign and Security Policy: Rules-based international order; Security; Europe – a strong, streamlined, and effective EU; Refugees, migration and development; Economic Diplomacy, strategic partnerships and the new digital world order; The Arctic. Minister of Defence, Claus Hjort Frederiksen, said: ”The threats against Denmark are very complex and are in my perspective the most unpredictable since the end of the Cold War. This is based not least on the aggressive behaviour of Russia, massive cyberattacks, instability in the Middle East and North Africa and the sustained terrorist threat against Europe and Denmark. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the US commitment in Europe is maintained through NATO, which remains the cornerstone of Danish security policy. We must also strengthen the European security architecture and be at the forefront of the international cooperation on cyber security.” Minister for Development Cooperation, Ulla Tørnæs, said: ”We have succeeded in reducing the refugee and migration pressure. This means that we can prioritize more resources for efforts in the countries of transit and origin. In the coming years, we will increase our focus on long-term efforts to fight the root causes for irregular migration and contribute to a sustainable development. This also requires that we strengthen the rights of girls and women, which are key in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals”. Initiatives and areas of focus in 2019-2020
• The Government will commission an external report on developments in EU security and defence policy, and what these developments mean for Denmark.
• The Government will, in accordance with the Danish Defence Agreement, promote security policy cooperation with the countries around the Baltic Sea, and strengthen Denmark’s focus on security in the Baltic Sea region through increased contributions to collective defence in NATO.
• The Government will, through the Danish Defence Agreement, improve Denmark’s ability to participate in international operations with new and strengthened capacities, as well as a 50% increase in funding for international operations.
• The Government will, through the Peace and Stabilisation Fund, allocate an additional DKK 118 million to strengthen peace and stabilisation efforts, including measures to prevent radicalisation, terrorism and irregular migration. Furthermore, the Government will launch new peace and stabilisation programmes for SyriaIraq, the Sahel, Ukraine, Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa, and the Gulf of Guinea.
• The Government will, based on the Danish Defence Agreement and the Danish Cyber and Information Security Strategy, significantly strengthen Denmark’s digital security and increase Denmark’s engagement in the international cooperation for cyber security.
• The Government will strengthen efforts against foreign influence campaigns that threaten Danish values and interests through the implementation of the Inter-ministerial Action Plan, Danish membership of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, and collaboration with tech companies.
• The Government will establish a defence policy advisory group that will contribute to advancing Denmark’s commercial and research interests relating to the EU’s new Defence Fund.
• The Government will investigate the possibility of establishing a screening mechanism for strengthening controls on foreign investments that may pose a risk to national security and public order.
Initiatives and areas of focus in 2019-2020
• The Government will establish a process driven primarily by the private sector, including transatlantic stakeholders, to explore the potential for drafting an international set of rules for e-commerce.This initiative will be marked with an international conference.
• The Government will strengthen the international community’s capacity to respond to armed conflicts by increasing the Danish contribution to the UN’s peacekeeping and conflict prevention efforts.
• The Government will achieve greater Danish influence in international organisations through a coordinated effort for Danish candidatures, including the establishment of a clearinghouse and a digital platform that support interministerial coordination and targeted efforts.
• Based on Denmark’s membership of the UN Human Rights Council, the Government will defend liberal values – such as basic rule of law, freedom of religion and beliefs, women’s rights, and freedom of expression – and promote political freedoms for human rights advocates.
• The Government will increase the spread of sustainable solutions through the P4G initiative, including the allocation of DKK 55 million annually in the 2019 Finance Bill to promote concrete public-private partnerships and contribute to a gradual expansion of the group of P4G partners.
• The Government also allocates an additional DKK 60 million in the 2019 Finance Bill to promote reforms proposed by UN Secretary General Guterres to strengthen and improve the efficiency of the UN.
• The Government will appoint a special envoy for climate and energy, who will support Denmark’s engagement in connection with the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit in September 2019 and related follow-up activities.
Initiatives and areas of focus in 2019-2020
• The Government will continue the strengthened efforts to protect and pursue Denmark’s interests in the decisive phase of negotiations with the UK on its exit from the EU, and in the negotiations on the future relations between the EU and the UK.
• The Government will strengthen its efforts to ensure a responsible expenditure level of the EU budget, with a fair burden-sharing between member states, and in which cross-border issues such as migration, climate and growth generating initiatives are prioritised within a frugal framework. The Government will work actively to increase the number of Danes employed in EU institutions to ensure Danish insight and influence.
• The Government will continue to make it a high priority to ensure fairness in the EU’s rules on social benefits.
• Through targeted efforts, the Government will work to maintain the ambitious free trade agenda in the EU, with the aim of achieving new free trade agreements and ensuring open and equal trading conditions.
Initiatives and areas of focus in 2019-2020
• The Government will intensify its efforts to promote return and readmission of foreigners without legal residence in Denmark.In the 2019 Finance Bill, the Government proposes to increase funding for efforts that promote quid pro quo cooperation with countries of origin on the return and readmission of their own citizens, bringing total funding in this area to DKK 110 million.
• The Government will continue to work for a new asylum system in Europe, including stronger efforts to eradicate the foundation of the business model of human traffickers, and to combat existing pull factors in cooperation with countries of origin and transit along migration routes. The Government will also work with like-minded countries to develop new paths to a more effective European asylum processing system.
• The Government will strengthen the EU’s external borders and asylum processing in frontline states through continued contributions to the EU’s asylum processing office, EASO, and increased contributions to the EU’s border agency, Frontex.
• In the 2019 Finance Bill, the Government proposes an increase in humanitarian assistance from already historic levels to DKK 2.6 billion, with objectives including the promotion of long-term solutions in regions of conflict and disaster.
• The Government will prioritise international cooperation on migration management as part of its follow-up on the UN Global Compact on Migration, including stronger involvement in the EU’s Trust Fund for Africa.
• The Government will give greater priority to the long-term bilateral efforts to combat poverty, irregular migration, forced displacement and instability, with a focus on the poorest and most fragile priority countries and host societies for large refugee populations, particularly in Africa, including the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, where Denmark will work with France and others in relation to youth and gender equality.
• The Government will work bilaterally and through larger actors, such as the World Bank, to strengthen efforts to promote the right of women to control their own bodies – these efforts include the allocation of funding and secondment of experts.
• The Government will strengthen efforts to generate economic growth, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for the many young people in Africa, with a focus on creating opportunities for the largest generation of young people in history, and thereby establish alternatives to irregular migration.
• In the 2019 Finance Bill, the Government has allocated DKK 540 million in development aid funding to the Climate Envelope for efforts to promote sustainable growth and reduce the impacts of climate change in developing countries.
• With a new regional stabilisation programme for Syria and Iraq, the Government will address immediate stabilisation needs in both countries, thereby improving regional security, which in turn will reduce migration pressures and the number of displaced persons, while also counteracting radicalisation and terrorism.
• The Government will explore the possibilities of contributing to innovative financing mechanisms in education, e.g. the International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd).
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