The Olof Palme International Center works with international development co-operation and the forming of public opinion surrounding international political and security issues.

 

The Palme Center was established in 1992 by the Swedish Social Democratic Party, the Trade Union Confederation (LO) and the Cooperative Union (KF). Today the Palme Center has 28 member organizations within the labour movement.

 

The centre works in the spirit of the late Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, reflected by the famous quotation: "Politics is wanting something. Social Democratic politics is wanting change."

 

Olof Palme's conviction that common security is created by co-operation and solidarity across borders, permeates the centre's activities.

 

The centre's board is chaired by Lena Hjelm-Wallén, former foreign minister of Sweden. Viola Furubjelke is the centre's Secretary General, and Birgitta Silén is head of development aid. There are 13 members of the board, representing member organisations.

 

The commitment of these member organisations is the core of the centre's activities. Besides the founding organisations, they include the Workers' Educational Association, the tenants' movement, and individual trade unions. As popular movements and voluntary organisations , they are represented in all Swedish municipalities and at many workplaces. An individual cannot be a member of the Palme Center, but the member organisations together have more than three million members.

 

In Sweden, the centre carries out comprehensive information and opinion-forming campaigns on issues concerning international development, security and international relations. This includes a very active schedule of seminars and publications, both printed and an e-mail newsletter.

 

International development co-operation is concentrated on six regions: The Balkans, Eastern Europe and Russia, Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and southern Africa.

 

The Palme Center and its member organizations are involved in approximately 450 international development projects a year. These range from civic education and organisational structure, to human rights and reconciliation projects.

 

The centre has a framework agreement with the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA), which finances the international development projects of the member organisations. Most projects are carried out directly by the member organisations, which together with their local co-operation partners are responsible for project planning, initiation and evaluation. This helps to create very strong local ties. The centre carries out relatively few international development projects on its own, except in the Balkans.

 

The centre also administers the International Solidarity Fund (the I-Fund), which is the labour movement's fund for international solidarity and development co-operation. All money collected by the I-Fund is used exclusively to support trade union and political development work.

 

The centre is located in central Stockholm. There are currently 35 employees.

 

The Palme Center’s engagement in Asia has expanded in the last decade.

 

In the Philippines, it supports the trade union and political organizations as a way to consolidate the forces working for democratic structural changes. Its activities in Pakistan aim at increasing the understanding for peace, democracy and the importance of civil society. In Vietnam, work is focused on building up the capacity of local organizations in HIV-AIDS education .

 

The Palme Center is also concerned with reinforcing regional cooperation among labor centers. Presently, it collaborates with Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN) and Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) in the Philippines, Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) and the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) in Hong Kong and the Labour Education Foundation (LEF) in Pakistan. These organizations have been instrumental in developing working class consciousness and in effectively training workers to collectively bargain and undertake unified actions.

 

Moreover, the Palme Center serves as a coordinating hub for major projects geared at strengthening democratic development in Burma and the Aceh province in Indonesia.