Supplementary information to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

This alternative report has been prepared for the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Its purpose is to support the Committee in its upcoming review of Sweden’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. In 2023, the Swedish Government submitted its twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth periodic reports on national implementation of the Convention.

In preparation for this report, we consulted with organisations, activists, researchers and rights-holders from seven groups exposed to racism in Sweden: Afro-Swedes, Jews, Muslims, Roma, Swedish Asians, Sweden Finns, Tornedalians, Kvens and Lantalaiset, as well as the Indigenous Sámi people. We also held a dedicated session with children and youth organisations to explore young people’s experiences of racism. In total, we engaged with over 90 individuals.

There is no general consensus in Sweden on what terminology to use to describe ethnicity and racism. We have sought to be as specific and descriptive as possible. However, we recognise that the terms used in this report may not always be precise or fully representative of the experiences and identities of all groups concerned