News · Healthcare · Published 11 July 2026
Sweden allocates SEK 250 million to vaccines and maternal health
The 2026 support package directs development-assistance funding to Gavi, the Global Fund and a UN programme for maternal and newborn care.
DailySweden Editorial Desk
Updated 01:23 · 3 min read
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The Swedish government has approved a SEK 250 million global-health support package for 2026, directing development-assistance funding to vaccines, infectious-disease programmes and maternal and newborn care.
The largest allocation is SEK 120 million in core support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The government says this increases Sweden’s total core support to Gavi to SEK 452.5 million for the year.
Gavi works to expand access to vaccines in low-income countries. The government says the funding is intended to support the development and distribution of safe, effective and affordable vaccines, with a particular focus on countries where access remains limited.
The 2026 support package directs development-assistance funding to Gavi, the Global Fund and a UN programme for maternal and newborn care.
A further SEK 70 million will go to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. That raises Sweden’s core contribution to the fund to SEK 753 million for 2026, according to the announcement.
Healthcare essentials
The Global Fund finances prevention, treatment and care programmes and work to strengthen health systems in low- and middle-income countries. The government says the fund has helped save more than 70 million lives since it was established and has contributed to a 63 per cent reduction in the incidence of HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
The final SEK 60 million is earmarked for the United Nations Population Fund’s Midwifery Accelerator. The initiative focuses on improving maternal, obstetric and newborn care by increasing investment in the training and employment of midwives.
What happens now
With that allocation, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ total support to the UNFPA amounts to SEK 611.5 million. The Midwifery Accelerator brings together the UNFPA, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the International Confederation of Midwives and Jhpiego.
The government says the package is intended to increase vaccination, expand safe care for women and newborns, and strengthen health systems where needs are greatest.
All SEK 250 million will be financed through Sweden’s development-assistance budget. The announcement concerns funding for 2026 and does not set out a separate timetable beyond the allocations to the three international programmes.
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