The Folke Bernadotte Academy (Swedish Agency for Peace, Security and Development) has become an important actor in Swedish development cooperation, in terms of both the volume of aid managed by the agency and its role in the implementation of several Swedish overseas strategies. This evaluation was initiated to investigate whether FBA’s operations have contributed to the realisation of the agency’s overarching objectives, and whether its work is coordinated effectively with relevant actors in Sweden and internationally, including in conflict and post-conflict countries.
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Main findings
- The evaluators call for more long-term and targeted support to institutions to achieve sustainable change that promotes peace, security and development in the countries with which Sweden cooperates.
- FBA need to clarify how imparted knowledge should result in changed working methods and routines that are maintained over time. Many of the interventions contribute to local change, but they often lack a stable structure for anchoring and implementing new knowledge and working methods in organizations. Many results thus remain at the individual level and long-term results are not forthcoming.
MFA and FBA should
- Clarify FBA’s role in political peacebuilding processes.
- Ensure that goals and ambition levels are realistic in relation to FBA’s available resources and the local context.
- Link capacity-building initiatives closer to political peace processes in partner countries.
- Identify synergies with Sida and other Swedish and international peace-building actors through a use of theories of change.