IM in a New Era
The rapidly shifting aid policy pursued by Sweden’s Tidö coalition has created new circumstances for organisations like IM. Reduced government funding and a sharper rhetoric surrounding aid and civil society have led to re-prioritisations and restructuring within foreign policy. For us – with nearly ninety years of experience working for human rights and social justice – this has meant rethinking both our role and our methods.
Over the past year, we have adapted to become better equipped for uncertain times. We have reduced administrative costs and freed up resources for our partners and target groups. At the same time, we have created a more flexible and agile organisation – one that can grow when funding opportunities arise and contract when circumstances change. For us, it is not about following every political shift, but about staying true to our direction and our values, and finding sustainable ways to continue our work.
As part of this transition, we have had to make some difficult decisions. From October 2025, IM will focus its international work on five countries outside of Sweden: Moldova, Ukraine, Palestine, Malawi and Guatemala. This means we will end our direct engagement in Nepal, India, Jordan, Zimbabwe and El Salvador – a difficult but necessary decision to concentrate our resources where we can make a real difference.
Staying True to Our Values
IM maintains a presence with its own representatives in all the countries where we operate – people who live in the same reality as those we aim to support. This gives us strong local grounding and ensures our work remains relevant. Together with our partners, we build relationships based on trust and transparency. It is a truly decolonised partnership – one where we listen, learn, and work side by side as equals.
We have also become clearer about what we do not do: we do not compromise our principles in exchange for government funding. Faced with the choice between expansion and staying true to our values, we will always choose the latter. We would rather be a smaller, free and independent organisation than one that sacrifices its integrity.
At the same time, our direction is clear. IM continues to strengthen civil society and empower people to organise and raise their voices. We know that lasting change happens when people are given the opportunity to transform their own lives and communities. That is why we focus especially on supporting women and young people, who are too often held back by structural barriers. Through our work, we help more people to earn a living, organise, and build communities where rights and opportunities are accessible to all.
Stronger Together
At the heart of everything we do is the belief that we are stronger together. Change does not happen in isolation – it happens when people come together, whether to resist oppression or to forge new paths forward.
At the same time, we see that development cooperation is under pressure globally. In the UK, the aid budget has been cut to fund increased defence spending, while Estonia has chosen a different path, introducing a temporary war tax to protect aid. Investing in global justice and social sustainability is not the opposite of security policy – it is part of it.
IM has always stood up for human rights, democracy, and human dignity. We are a movement that takes a stand – regardless of where the threats come from. And when the Swedish government chooses to withdraw from its global responsibility, we remain – side by side with those who fight for justice, freedom and human dignity.
Text: Anders Berg
The photo above shows a women’s group in Zimbabwe that has received support from IM.
Photo: Malin Kihlström
By: Malin Kihlström