A/HRC/41/44/Add.1 transportation, health care and information technology services. 76 In the medical area, most products (such as textiles, anaesthetic gases and pharmaceuticals) have been replaced with sustainable products, made of recycled plastic bottles and cellulose fibre from wood, for instance.77 Thanks to this sustainable approach in the areas of public transportation, medical gases and public buildings, the Stockholm County Council reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 44 per cent between 2011 and 2016.78 70. While visiting the City of Malmö, the Independent Expert also noted with appreciation the efforts made by the municipality to integrate the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals into its policies, especially with regard to climate change. The active participation of Malmö and Stockholm in European and international networks, as well as in other cooperation partnerships to promote Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) and Goal 14 (life below water), contribute to the Swedish effort and commitment to promote a clean and sustainable environment and advocate for its protection. The Independent Expert recognizes these actions as clear expressions of human rights-based international solidarity or of efforts to advance it. VII. Conclusion and recommendations 71. The Independent Expert commends the Government of Sweden and Swedish society for having endorsed and demonstrated, in line with its long tradition of human rights-based solidarity at both the domestic and international levels, its support for the concept and practice of human rights-based international solidarity as a duty of the State and society. He welcomes the new strategy adopted by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency for development cooperation in the areas of human rights, democracy and the rule of law for the period of 2018–2022, and encourages the Agency to pursue its efforts to advance human rights and gender equality worldwide through its actions. 72. Furthermore, the Independent Expert congratulates the Government and all relevant stakeholders on embracing the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals to ensure a sustainable approach to their environmental actions, inside and outside the country. He notes with appreciation the environmental and sustainable approach of the Government in its policies and strategies in all relevant activity sectors, as well as in the work of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. 73. The steps taken by Sweden to respond to migrants’ and refugees’ rights, especially in the wake of the peak migration flows to Europe in 2015, are noteworthy and welcome. However, in light of the rise of xenophobic populist discourse against migrants and refugees in Sweden witnessed during the recent political campaign, and the increased success enjoyed by populist elements in the results of that election, the Independent Expert emphasizes that such discourse, especially as it is directed towards refugees and migrants, tends to jeopardize and considerably threaten efforts to advance human rights-based international solidarity. 74. The Independent Expert was impressed by the ability and will of the Government, as well as the representatives of civil society, business and social partners that he met, to rethink the ways of addressing the many global challenges currently facing the international community, especially with regard to climate change and migration issues. The broad consensus within Swedish society and across the political spectrum on the imperative of practising human rights-based international solidarity, witnessed by the Independent Expert during his visit, is admirable. 76 77 78 18 Information shared by Stockholm County Council interlocutors. Ibid. Ibid.