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When Bosnia and Herzegovina began reforming labour law linked to EU integration, political tensions in the country simultaneously increased.
The issue of the minimum wage in particular created conflict – making trust between authorities, trade unions and civil society weak.
In May 2025, the Palme Center, together with the Forum Left Initiative (FLI), took the initiative to bring together key stakeholders in Sarajevo. During a four-day programme, politicians, trade union representatives and civil society organisations met to discuss labour law, social dialogue and labour market reforms.
The dialogue made it possible to discuss concrete solutions regarding the minimum wage, labour inspections and how the reforms could be implemented more fairly.
The initiative proved to be particularly important for the decision to raise the minimum wage to 1000 KM in 2025.
By creating a forum for open dialogue, the initiative helped to strengthen trust between the prevailing parties and create better conditions for fair labour market reforms.
Female politicians forge new alliances in the PhilippinesIn the Philippines, local politics is often characterised by informal networks and personal dependencies, which makes it more difficult for women to gain influence.
The Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Institute of Politics and Governance (IPG), has established the so-called Women Power Hub initiative to strengthen women’s role in politics. In six local communities, female politicians and women’s organisations have begun to collaborate in new ways.
Previously, many worked in isolation, with limited resources and small personal networks. Through this new initiative, these women and organisations now meet regularly to formulate joint political priorities and plan advocacy work together.
IPG has brought together local decision-makers and civil society organisations for education, mentorship and exchanges of experience on gender equality issues and an inclusive governance.
As a result, more women are now acting in a more coordinated manner and with greater knowledge of political processes.
Cooperation on regulations of civil society in ZimbabweWhen a new law regulating the work of civil society organisations was passed in Zimbabwe, tensions between the government and civil society increased. Many organisations were concerned about how the law would affect their ability to work and represent vulnerable groups.
The Palme Center’s partner organisation, the independent think tank Zimbabwe Institute (ZI), then took the initiative to resume dialogue with the authorities.
By bringing organisations together in a joint coordination group, the voice of civil society was strengthened and common grounds could be met. ZI also organised national dialogue meetings where civil society met with government representatives and relevant authorities.
These discussions focused on the implications of the law and how the regulations could be designed to function more effectively in practice.
The process led to a joint effort to develop principles and proposals for regulations on how the law should be implemented. The government has also clarified registration processes and shown greater openness to civil society’s interests.
This work has helped to rebuild trust between civil society and the state. At the same time, it has created better conditions for organisations to continue working on issues such as democracy, gender equality and human rights in Zimbabwe.
Improved conditions for Albanian sanitary workersSanitary workers in Elbasan have long worked under poor conditions, with low wages and limited influence over their working conditions. Many of them belong to Roma and Egyptian minorities – and work in a sector that is often undervalued despite its crucial role in society.
Through organising and dialogue, workers, civil society organisations and trade union actors succeeded in improving conditions during 2025.
The organisation Youth Roma and Egyptian Movement (YREM) brought workers together to document the problems and formulate joint demands for fair wages and better compensation for night work. Ahead of May Day, YREM brought together Elbasan municipality, sanitary companies and trade unions to discuss the situation.
The dialogue led to concrete results – waste transport workers’ pay rose of 12.5 percent, along with a pledge of a 37.5 percent increase for day work and 50 percent for night work for street cleaners.
The agreement means better incomes for sanitary workers and marks an important step towards stronger social dialogue between workers, companies and local authorities.
Progressive summit puts Ukraine’s future on the agendaIn the midst of Russia’s full-scale war, the Palme Center’s partner SD Platform brought together European social democrats in Kyiv for the first EUkraine Summit – the largest gathering of progressive forces in Ukraine to date.
The summit marked an important step in the work to build a strong progressive movement – with the aim of forming a new political party.
The Palme Center co-organised the summit, and participated with a Swedish delegation.
By strengthening progressive forces, the collaboration helps to promote a political alternative, where reconstruction is not just about investment and infrastructure but also about democracy, social justice and human rights.
SD Platform is an important progressive voice in a political landscape long dominated by the centre and the right.
By bringing together civil society, trade unions, the public sector and academia, they are working towards a society built on freedom, justice and solidarity, and for a just reconstruction of Ukraine.
Updating the paralegal manual in South Africa – rights in practiceIn South Africa, the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Education and Training Unit (ETU), has updated the Paralegal Manual this year.
The manual provides practical guidance on laws and legal processes that affect people’s daily lives, and is specifically designed for counselling offices, civil society organisations, trade union representatives and others who support vulnerable groups.
The manual comprises over 1,000 pages and is available online, via the Legal Fundi app and in print.
The material is used by civil society, government bodies and local representatives to provide practical support on issues relating to working conditions, social security and legal processes.
By further developing these much-needed methodological resources in collaboration with other actors, ETU is helping more people to assert their rights in practice.
Dialogue on an inclusive and peaceful transition in SyriaFollowing the fall of the Assad regime, Syria faces a crucial crossroad: a peaceful political transition or continued instability.
After 14 years of war and five decades of brutal dictatorial rule, there is a strong desire among Syrians to build a new society characterised by peace, democracy and inclusion.
The Palme Center therefore, together with SILC and the Swedish Institute for Dialogue in Amman, brought together representatives from different sections of Syrian society for a meeting regarding the way forward for the country. The participants came from diverse political and social backgrounds and met to discuss how Syria’s future system of government can reflect the country’s multifaceted society.
During the discussions, issues such as peaceful coexistence, coalition-building and equal representation between women and men were raised. By also drawing on experiences from other countries that have undergone political transitions, the participants were able to identify common challenges and possible ways forward.
North Macedonian citizens’ demands become political commitmentsMany citizens in North Macedonia feel that solely contact with politicians rarely leads to real change. Ahead of the 2025 local elections, the Palme Center’s partner organisation, NGO Info-centre, therefore brought together over 1100 residents across six municipalities to formulate their priorities for their own local communities.
Through a structured process involving surveys, focus groups and public debates, citizens were given the opportunity to ask mayoral candidates directly how they intended to implement these demands. Post the election, the process was followed up with the newly elected mayors.
The result was a democratic breakthrough: in all six municipalities, the mayors signed formal cooperation agreements for the 2026–2029 term of office, in which they committed to working on the basis of the priorities formulated by the citizens themselves.
Local communities in Thailand enforce new climate policy against forest firesRecurring forest fires in northern Thailand have become increasingly severe as a result of climate change. The fires particularly affect local communities through rising health problems, destroyed ecosystems and threats to livelihoods.
At the same time, the people who are most affected by this have had limited influence over the political decisions that govern the efforts to combat these fires.
With support from the Palme Center, local communities in Chiang Mai province received education on climate change, environmental impacts and forest fire management. Through the education, participants developed their own policy proposals based on their experiences and needs.
The proposals were presented to a progressive parliamentary partner in Thailand, who took the initiative further and transformed the recommendations into a draft bill. The bill was passed in two of three readings in the Thai parliament before parliament was dissolved in December 2025. At the same time, a breakthrough was achieved at regional level: the Lamphun provincial administration adopted both the education methodology and the policy proposals as the basis for its own strategy for managing forest fires.
This work has brought about a significant change. Local communities that previously tried to fight the fires themselves have now been given the opportunity to influence the policies that govern climate adaptation and environmental work.
By combining public education, local engagement and parliamentary influence, the initiative has demonstrated how climate policy can be developed from the bottom up – where those affected by climate change also have a say in decisions on how to address them.
Ingen fred utan solidaritetNästa år skulle Olof Palme ha fyllt 100 år. Samtidigt är hans idéer om ”gemensam säkerhet” mer aktuella än på länge. De innebär att länders trygghet ytterst inte kan byggas på militär överlägsenhet eller hot – den måste grundas i samarbete, nedrustning och ömsesidigt förtroende. Ingen stat kan i längden trygga sin egen säkerhet på andras bekostnad.
Men utvecklingen går nu bakåt. Den internationella rätten bryts sönder, och ekonomiska och politiska maktintressen tillåts väga tyngre än mänskliga rättigheter och folkrätten. En sådan värld blir inte säkrare – den blir mycket farligare. I detta allvarliga läge sviktar det politiska ledarskapet. Sveriges utrikespolitik blir alltmer passiv, med ett enögt fokus på egenintresset, närområdet och det militära försvaret. Vår röst har tystnat där vi tidigare talade klarspråk. Oförmågan att stå upp för folkrätten, oavsett vem som drabbas, blir förödande för vår gemensamma framtid.
Samtidigt monterar regeringen ned det internationella utvecklingssamarbetet. Resurser dras tillbaka från aktörer som bemöter den destruktiva utvecklingen och skapar förutsättningar för fred. Det handlar om multilaterala samarbetsorganisationer som lägger grunden för internationellt samarbete, humanitära organisationer som motverkar nöd och civilsamhällesorganisationer som försvarar rättigheter och skapar dialog i konfliktens frontlinjer.
Det är en illavarslande väg. Vår säkerhet kan inte byggas på egennytta och passivitet. Fred kräver politik. Den kräver mod. Och den kräver samarbete över gränser.
Vi ser inte heller några nya initiativ för att förhindra ett storkrig i Europa – inga försök att börja samla länder kring en ny framtida Helsingforsprocess med tydlig utgångspunkt i folkrätten och respekt för alla staters suveränitet och territoriella integritet. En sådan process handlar inte om att acceptera övergrepp, utan om att minska spänningarna och åter försöka skapa långsiktiga spelregler för fred och säkerhet i Europa. Det tas heller inga initiativ för att bryta den dödliga våldsspiralen i Mellanöstern, och det görs inga helhjärtade ansatser att hålla krigsförbrytare ansvariga.
Dessutom försvagas de institutioner som kan bära en annan utveckling. FN behöver reformeras för att spegla dagens värld, med bredare representation och större legitimitet. I en tid när maktbalansen förändras är ett starkt och representativt multilateralt system avgörande.
Sverige måste åter våga ta initiativ, tala klarspråk och prioritera en aktiv diplomati med respekt för internationell rätt. Regeringen måste prioritera FN, investera i konfliktförebyggande insatser och aktivt bidra till att försvara den regelbaserade världsordningen.
Vi behöver också prioritera stödet till civila fredsinsatser, demokrati- och rättighetsaktörer och lokalt utvecklingsarbete. Ytterst är biståndet en investering i vår gemensamma säkerhet: i demokrati, mänskliga rättigheter och rättvisa.
Politik är att vilja, och att våga. När gamla maktstrukturer faller samman öppnas också nya möjligheter. Som det progressiva toppmötet i Barcelona nyligen visade kan också nya allianser växa fram – mellan progressiva krafter i Europa och i det globala syd: allianser som sätter fred, rättvisa och demokrati före kortsiktiga maktintressen.
Men vägen mot en fredligare världsordning börjar inte i regeringskanslierna, utan hos människor. I folkrörelser, fackföreningar och civilsamhället. Hos alla som vägrar acceptera krigen, den starkes rätt och att världen inte kan förändras. På första maj påminns vi om att våra öden är sammanflätade. Att vår trygghet och vår framtid hänger ihop med andra människors, långt bortom Sveriges gränser. Freden byggs inte av några få. Den byggs av oss tillsammans.
