Eva Christina Nilsson

I will respond to the previous presentation out of my background in international diaconia. I have for some years been working for Church of Sweden Aid, in its relationship with Eastern Europe and lately with policy issues. I have also worked with another organisation within the Brussels-based ecumenical family, namely Aprodev, in which I have chaired the Policy and Advocacy Group.

In the Church of Sweden, international diaconia has been part of our church's diaconal work for many years. We are now trying to make it even more visible that diaconia is one, with certain expressions in the international context and certain expressions in the national context.

One starting-point for this response is the way we view human beings and who they are. In today's globalised world the main player is a rational individual, acting out of self-interest and for personal financial gain. We are required to be capable of making rational choices for ourselves, whether the choice involves energy utility providers or pension funds. People are seen as individuals rather than persons in community, as competitors rather than partners, as consumers and materialists rather than spiritual beings. Putting the individual in the centre is reminiscent of the philosophy of individualism, based on the idea that all parties are equally free to make choices regarding their own welfare. In reality, we can see that this favours the strong in society and invites greed at all levels. This view of humankind has reduced us to acting only out of self-interest and has led to global, social Darwinism.

The market economy has become a market society, in which the attitudes, norms and values related to financial transactions and economic efficiency have invaded all aspects of public and private life. Earlier, social relations were governed by other values, but this is changing. We are left with a de-politicised society where global financial frameworks are determined and designed by global financial actors, sometimes in a rather anonymous way, and the local level is also influenced. But Jesus questions a view of society and humankind which measures success in economic categories and puts one's own self-interest in the centre; he expects us to look to the needs of our fellow human beings.

For change to occur - now we turn to visions and strategies - there must be a vision of a good society; a vision based on fundamental values.

For two years a parliamentary commission of inquiry has been working on a Swedish policy for global politics. The background of this commission is the need to redefine Swedish policies in relation to global politics in this time of globalisation. Under the heading Globalisation of Solidarity, the Swedish Christian Council has approached that commission. We understand the phrase "Globalisation of Solidarity" to mean the attempt to unite all humanity in mutual responsibility for one another, regardless of whether we live close to each other or on the other side of the globe; this also includes global environmental issues. Our message is that we want a policy for global politics to be built on the values of human dignity and our mutual interdependence. By mutual interdependence we are also saying that we Swedes are not neutral observers of development. We are part of the development, both of the problems and of the solutions.

According to the rite used at ordination of deacons in the Church of Sweden, a deacon shall "...defend the rights of the individual and stand at the side of the oppressed, and encourage and liberate God's people to that which is good, so that the love of God may be visible in the world."

Church of Sweden Aid formulates its mandate in this way: "Based on the diaconal ministry, in close co-operation with partners, Church of Sweden Aid shall promote dignified living conditions and combat injustice, poverty and oppression."

The church can never be satisfied with merely relieving the symptoms of something that has gone wrong. It must also have the courage to ask about the causes, and must be prepared to work to change unjust structures and to enable humane living conditions. Diaconal ministry implies the will to change people's way of thinking about their own possibilities and thus to create hope and faith in the future, rather than merely a passive reception of aid. By stressing the will to make changes in society, the church's diaconal ministry represents an attitude, and thus it is more than a collection of projects, within and outside the borders of our own country. We have to work for a

Globalisation of Solidarity.

One of the big challenges we have is to be much better at linking local experiences to global policies. They are closely interrelated. You could call it glocalisation. This is also one reason for national and international diaconia needing each other.

In a time when there is a great lack of participation by ordinary people at the economic, political and social levels, it is important to increase participation, to mobilise people.

We have to approach not only poverty but also wealth. When we talk about gender we tend to make it a problem related to women only. But it has to do with both men and women. It is the same when we talk about poverty. It seems to be a problem related only to poor people. In development co-operation the new fashion word is poverty eradication. I think it is time to talk about wealth eradication as well.

In the Second Letter to the Corinthians, Paul is writing about the situation in Jerusalem and the need to share. He speaks of the need for action "that there may be equality". The demand for equality comes from God. God demands that we treat each other as was intended in the creation.

Finally, we have had a lot of research, studies and statistics. This is important. However, when we are talking about political challenges I think we also need plenty of political will, righteous indignation and passion in order to change the situation.