Rule of law and human rights

Societies with legitimate, predictable and accountable institutions are better equipped to manage conflicts, uphold peaceful political processes and withstand both internal and external destabilisation.

Efforts to strengthen the rule of law, human rights and democratic institutions are therefore of paramount importance in preventing and resolving conflicts and creating stable societies.

The Principles of the Rule of Law

The rule of law is central to peace and stability and is part of the values underpinning the work of Sweden and the FBA: democracy and democratic resilience, respect for human rights, inclusive governance and gender equality.

The principles of the rule of law include, for example, equality before the law, accountability, the right to appeal, non-discrimination, human rights, legal certainty, transparency and the separation of powers.

The principles of the rule of law serve three main functions in society:

• They prescribe a distribution of power within the state based on the independence of institutions and a framework that limits the exercise of power and the use of violence.

• They provide a normative framework for good governance, the distribution of resources and human rights.

• They lay the foundation for society’s mechanisms for managing conflicts through due process and impartial administration of justice.

In practice, this means that everyone should be treated equally before the law and have equal access to public institutions. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to participate in and influence decisions and processes, and decisions taken by public authorities should be transparent and subject to appeal.

The state and public institutions must also respect human rights. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone in the world has, among other things, the right to life, education and health, freedom of religion and expression, personal security and protection from abuse.

Freedom of opinion and the right to political participation are other important human rights. Democracy enables people to hold those in power accountable.

What we do

The FBA works on rule of law development with a focus on rights-based governance, professional ethics, transitional justice and public administration.

We strengthen the capacity of public administrations and civil servants to address challenges based on the principles of the rule of law, and support civil society actors in their role within a rule of law ecosystem. We also work on security sector reform based on the principles of the rule of law and democratic oversight.

Supporting Political Appointees in Moldova

In Moldova, the FBA supports the country’s path towards EU membership by assisting the development of a code of conduct for politically appointed officials and strengthening their expertise.

Part of this support involves strengthening civil servants’ capacity to plan and conduct public consultations. This is based on a central principle of the rule of law – citizen participation – and contributes to increasing trust between society and state institutions.

Consultations with Civil Society in Armenia

In Armenia, the FBA supports the Office of the Prime Minister in establishing Public Councils for each ministry, which conduct consultations with representatives of civil society. This is part of efforts to strengthen citizen-centred governance and democratic decision-making.

In addition to these examples, the FBA has supported civil society and state actors in, among others, Liberia, Myanmar, Iraq, Bosnia, Syria, Moldova, Armenia and Ukraine.