One Swede Day: Ambassador Annika Thunborg on the green and digital transition and partnership in defense and security

MANILA, Philippines — The residence of Sweden’s Ambassador to the Philippines Annika Thunborg is as understatedly elegant as the ambassador herself. We met her at the tail end of extremely hot weeks, so we had to ask her—who comes from an extremely cold country—how she has found the Philippines since her arrival in 2021.

“I think it is wonderful to live in the Philippines. It’s an absolutely beautiful country with the flora and fauna,” she says. “It is the deep tropics, of course; and there are issues that come with that, so it’s not easy for anyone.”

Ambassador Annika Thunborg is all about building a society that works for everyone, and this is where our conversation revolved. Starting, of course, with sustainability.

Sweden consistently tops sustainability indices and is said to have one of the most environmentally conscious populations with citizens who are among the highest recyclers.

For Ambassador Thunborg, sustainability is three-pronged.

“Sustainability is environmental, social and economic, and it is included in every operation, whether public or private,” she says.

“We don’t believe that that is an important issue just because we are good, but it is really important for efficiency and productivity. Anyone who includes those different criteria for sustainability would be much more efficient and productive.”

Ambassador Thunborg agrees that environmental sustainability is at the forefront with the current issues and threats as regards climate change. For her, it is also about preserving nature and deploying green solutions, such as renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency.

Social sustainability, meanwhile, includes respect for human rights. “In business operations, this means good labor conditions, decent salaries and how people are treated and included in any operation,” Ambassador Thunborg says.

She continues, “Economic sustainability pertains to the importance of transparency in governance, the lack of corruption, and the rule of law in any economic operation.”

For the ambassador, we cannot talk about sustainability without mentioning innovation. “Digitalization will be part of any operation in terms of the green and digital transition,” says