On 2-6 December, Their Majesties the King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden will visit India at the invitation of President Ram Nath Kovind. It will be the first state visit to the country by the royal couple in since 1993. However, the official exchange of visits between our countries has been frequent in recent years. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven visited India in 2016.
Sweden and India have signed several bilateral cooperation agreements in recent years in areas such as technical and scientific cooperation, health, the environment and sustainable urban development.
The purpose of the visit is to further strengthen the good relationship between Sweden and India. Sweden wants to be a key partner for India in the country’s rapid development and in the work to meet common societal challenges.
The Director-General of the Swedish Institute, Madeleine Sjöstedt, will participate in the state visit. The Swedish Institute will host two events during the state visit. Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden as well as representatives of the Swedish government will be present on both occasions.
Programs hosted by SI
On 2 December, Director-General Madeleine Sjöstedt will host a luncheon in New Delhi for 25 alumni on the theme of equality and sustainability in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy.
On 4 December, the Swedish Institute, the Swedish embassy and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, in collaboration with NITI, the National Institution for Transforming India, will organize a TEKLA workshop for Indian girls between the age of 11 and 15. The workshop will be followed by a panel discussion, Tekla Dialogue, on women and tech.
“Tekla is a Swedish initiative, but the values of Tekla are universal”, says Madeleine Sjöstedt, Director General for the Swedish institute. “The global gender gap within the tech world represents lost opportunities for millions of girls and women. But it’s not only a question of gender equality. Surveys show that the economy will grow if women get to contribute. Our mission is to attract more girls and women to participate in the tech sector. For the benefit of us all.”
The Sweden Alumni Network India
Actors in India are important partners for SI in areas such as innovation, sustainability, talent attraction, democracy and gender equality. Sweden has a strong brand as a study destination among Indian students. Our alumni network consists of people who have studied at a Swedish higher education institution or have participated in one of SI’s programmes.
“The Sweden Alumni Network India includes more than 400 talented and engaged alumni”, says Madeleine Sjöstedt, Director-General for The Swedish Institute. “We want to continue to support these valuable networks and the long-term work of the alumni network regarding sustainability, gender equality, and democracy. The alumni provide an excellent competence base for Swedish and Indian companies and will also create opportunities for Swedish and Indian enterprises to grow and develop.”
In 2019, the Sweden Alumni Network in India organized 14 local events. In connection with the state visit, five events will be held on the theme of equality and sustainability:
- New Delhi, 22 November: Circular Economy: the future of Sustainability
- Kozhikode, 29 November: Sustainable Development in the Context of Global Climate Changes
- Mumbai, 5 December: Gender equality Dialogue
- Chennai, 6 December: Safe cyberspace and sustainable development of women towards gender equality
- Pune, 12 December: Pune Women’s Marathon & Book donation to an Orphanage