Working for Fair and Equal Societies
Non-discrimination and inclusion is about equality in dignity for all, the backbone of all human rights. It is about combating structural inequalities and exclusion and building fair and equal societies. Societies that empower and promote full political, social, and economic inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic, or other status. Societies that leave no one behind.
Our aim and approach
Our aim is to ensure that all our work is contributing to this end. We do it by applying the human rights-based approach, guided by equality as a mainstreamed core principle. We also address different forms of inequalities and specific equal rights areas more specifically, based on challenges and needs in the contexts where we operate.
Since the start in 1984 we work strategically with stakeholders at national and regional levels to broaden and deepen knowledge and capacities to fulfil human rights and build inclusive societies.
As part of our long-term strategy, we also focus on strengthening systematic integration of human rights at the local level, in local governance. We contribute to the development of human rights-based approaches in cities and municipalities, both in Sweden and worldwide through research, capacity building and technical advice initiatives. At the local level we come closer to many everyday human rights challenges which also gives us a possibility to have a more direct impact in policy and practice.
Our Blog - The Human Righter
Read about Fair and Equal societies related human rights issues on our blog.Highlighted Publications
Get in touch
Johanna Sjöwall
Johanna Sjöwall
Leader of the Non-Discrimination and Inclusion Thematic Area
Cell phone: +46 (0) 735981811
E-mail: johanna.sjowall@rwi.lu.se
Johanna Sjöwall has recently joined the Raoul Wallenberg Institute as a Senior Expert on Human Rights in Local Governance and is the thematic leader of the Non-Discrimination and Inclusion thematic area. She brings more than 20 years of experience working with human rights in various sectors internationally, nationally and locally.
Before joining the RWI she worked as a strategist, developing anti-discrimination and human rights perspectives in local policy and governance in the City of Malmö. Prior to working with the city of Malmö, she worked internationally for the UNHCR, OHCHR and different NGOs in Latin America and Sweden, as well as for the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, where she managed regional and bilateral programmes in Latin America, East and Southern Africa 2005-2013.
Through the various positions she has accumulated both a broad and deep knowledge of how to translate human rights into practice in different settings, across sectors and levels of society.
She has studied International Migration and Ethnic Relations and Social Anthropology and works in Swedish, English and Spanish
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Non-Discrimination and Inclusion staff
Johanna Sjöwall
Johanna Sjöwall
Leader of the Non-Discrimination and Inclusion Thematic Area
Cell phone: +46 (0) 735981811
E-mail: johanna.sjowall@rwi.lu.se
Johanna Sjöwall has recently joined the Raoul Wallenberg Institute as a Senior Expert on Human Rights in Local Governance and is the thematic leader of the Non-Discrimination and Inclusion thematic area. She brings more than 20 years of experience working with human rights in various sectors internationally, nationally and locally.
Before joining the RWI she worked as a strategist, developing anti-discrimination and human rights perspectives in local policy and governance in the City of Malmö. Prior to working with the city of Malmö, she worked internationally for the UNHCR, OHCHR and different NGOs in Latin America and Sweden, as well as for the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, where she managed regional and bilateral programmes in Latin America, East and Southern Africa 2005-2013.
Through the various positions she has accumulated both a broad and deep knowledge of how to translate human rights into practice in different settings, across sectors and levels of society.
She has studied International Migration and Ethnic Relations and Social Anthropology and works in Swedish, English and Spanish
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Anna Bruce
Anna Bruce is a senior researcher who focuses on the human right to equality and in particular disability equality. After being part of the negotiations of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) her work is dedicated to developing and spreading knowledge about and implementing the CRPD.
At RWI Anna contributes to the implementation of the CRPD through the courts by leading the Disability Human Rights Clinic in cooperation with the Law faculty at Lund university. She assists in the development of national disability law and policy by regularly contributing to government investigations on the implementation of the CRPD. Anna also works together with municipalities, private companies and Disabled Peoples Organizations to translates the CRPD into concrete action. Examples of this are the urban design project Fair Share with Tengbom Architecture, Ri.SE and Helsingborg Stad and the project Article 19 as a tool developing indicators for the right to a self-determined life in the community with Independent Living Institute.
Beyond Disability equality, Anna is the researcher at RWI responsible for reporting to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on the implementation of human rights in Sweden. Anna teaches mainly at Lund university, at the Law faculty in the LL.M in Law and the LL.M in Human Rights Law and at Human Rights Studies at the Faculty of history in their Ph.D program.
Annas current research interests include the development of the concept of equality and non-discrimination in international law; systemic state obligations under the CRPD and their application to Sweden; implementation of the CRPD through national courts; human rights obligations and implementation by municipal actors; and urban design as a tool to realize equality and human rights. She recently published a book chapter on the concept of equality in international law and is currently developing it into a monograph for Brill. She developed the state obligations under the CRPD in an expert report on Swedish disability law and policy regarding the right to personal assistance and is currently finalizing a book chapter on the role of the Swedish courts in implementing the CRPD. Ahead, she is planning research output based on her work with the implementation of the CRPD through municipal governance.
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Windi Arini
Windi is currently the Country Director (a.i.) in Indonesia. She manages activities on localizing human rights in the context of SDGs in Asia Pacific and RWIs engagement with young people in the region. Her multidimensional role also allows her to oversee the national programmes in collaboration with the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
She graduated from Atma Jaya Catholic University (Faculty of Law) in 2010 and dedicated the following years working at a law firm targeting capacity building for the Indonesian military. As a committed and passionate young professional, she taught foundational knowledge on international humanitarian law to the Indonesian military.
After obtaining her master’s degree in Theory and Practice of Human Rights from the University of Oslo, she spent almost 4 years as a human rights officer at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. She worked on various thematic areas including children and women’s rights, business human rights, as well as the rights of persons with disabilities. She provided technical support and managed projects for the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (ASEAN-IPR).
When Windi is not in the office, she enjoys reading, traveling, and is very fond of spicy food.
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Morten Kjaerum
Morten Kjaerum has been Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Sweden since 2015. In 2013 he was awarded an honorary professorship at the University of Aalborg, Denmark. Mr Kjaerum was the first Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in Vienna, Austria from 2008 to 2015 and he was Director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) from 1991 to 2008 and developed it within 17 years from a small organisation to a large internationally recognized institution. He started his career in the non-governmental sector at the Danish Refugee Council.
Mr. Kjaerum was a member (2002-2008) of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). He was appointed by the UN Secretary General as member of the UN Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation (VFTC) in the Field of Human Rights and of the Voluntary Fund for Financial and Technical Assistance in the Implementation of the Universal Periodic Review.
Mr Kjaerum serves and has served on numerous boards among others he was chair of the International Coordination Committee for National Human Rights Institutions and he chaired the group of Directors of EU Agencies. He has also served as Chair of The Board of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE). He is at the Board of Centre for Democracy and Technology (CDT), Human Rights Profile Area of Lund University and Humanity in Action. He serves on the advisory Board to the Institute of Human Rights and Business and the Organisation New Europe (Nyt Europa).
Mr. Kjaerum lectures regularly for various target groups, among them master students at the programme co-organised by RWI and the faculty of Law at Lund university and students of the medical professions He has written extensively on human rights issues and most recently co-edited the books Covid and Human Rights, Routledge (2021) and Human Rights and Poverty Research Handbook, Edward Elgar, (2021).
Mr Kjaerum has written extensively on various human rights issues.
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