What FBA (Folke Bernadotte Academy) does

FBA (Folke Bernadotte Academy, Folke Bernadotteakademin) is a Swedish government agency (myndighet) established in 2002 and operating under the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The agency contributes to preventing, managing, and resolving conflicts through civilian means and implements Swedish foreign, development aid, and security policy in approximately twenty conflict areas worldwide. It is headquartered in Stockholm, employs 323 people, and is named after Folke Bernadotte, the UN's first peace mediator.

FBA's portfolio is service-based rather than product-based. Core offerings include (1) civilian personnel secondments to international peace operations led by the UN, EU, and OSCE (e.g., EUAM Ukraine, EUCAP Sahel Mali, EUPOL COPPS, EUBAM Rafah); (2) training and capacity-building programs, including Gender-Responsive Leadership, Youth Peace and Security (co-developed with UNSSC), and security sector reform; (3) advisory services on DDR (Disarmament, Demobilisation, Reintegration), hybrid threats, and election protection; (4) applied research led by Research Director Johanna Malm; and (5) scholarship and talent programs such as the Zaida Catalán 1325 Scholarship. Distribution and outreach run through a website (fba.se), official social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube), and the podcast "Istället för vapen" (Instead of Weapons) hosted by Director-General Per Olsson Fridh.

FBA does not earn market revenue. It is funded through annual appropriations from the Swedish government, with its mandate executed in partnership with multilateral organizations (UN, EU, OSCE, NATO, ECOWAS, UNDP, UNFPA), Swedish agencies (Sida, Swedish Institute, Swedish Police Authority), and partner governments in countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, Somalia, Colombia, Palestine, Mozambique, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The agency's competitive position rests on its statutory mandate, depth of institutional relationships, and recognized expertise in the Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325) and Youth, Peace and Security (UNSCR 2250) agendas.

Name

FBA (Folke Bernadotte Academy)

Legal name

Folke Bernadotteakademin

Website

https://fba.se

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

FBA (Folke Bernadotte Academy) is a Swedish government agency that implements foreign, development aid, and security policy in approximately twenty conflict areas, delivering civilian personnel, training, and advisory services to the UN, EU, OSCE, NATO, and partner governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Peacebuilding and Conflict Management Services

NAICS

International Affairs (92812), National Security (928110), International Affairs (928120), National Security and International Affairs (9281)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Foreign Governments (8888)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Peace, Security & Arms Control Organizations (BPADAAAF), Official Development Assistance (ODA) Program Management (BPADAOAC), Economic Growth, Trade & Private Sector Development Programs (BPADABAF)

Keywords

• Peace and security
• Civilian crisis management
• Conflict prevention
• Security sector reform
• Democratic governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: FBA is funded by the Swedish government and operates on appropriations allocated through the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The agency implements Sweden's foreign, development aid, and security policies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FBA is a Swedish government agency that contributes to preventing, managing and resolving conflicts through civilian means. It implements Swedish foreign, development aid and security policy on behalf of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, deploying civilian personnel to international peace operations led by the UN, EU and OSCE, and providing tailored training, advisory, scholarship and research services to partner governments and international organizations in approximately twenty conflict areas worldwide.

Product overview

FBA (Folke Bernadotteakademin) is the Swedish government agency for peace, security and development. Rather than a technology product company, FBA offers a portfolio of peacebuilding services including training programmes (Gender-Responsive Leadership, Youth Peace and Security), scholarship initiatives (1325 Zaida Catalán Scholarship), advisory services (DDR, hybrid threats, election protection), a podcast (Istället för vapen), and personnel deployment to international peace operations. These services are delivered through partnerships with UN, EU, OSSE, NATO, and national governments rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personalbidrag (Personnel Contributions to Civilian Peace Operations) FBA's service of contributing (seconding) civilian personnel to international peace operations and election observation missions led by the UN, EU, and OSCE. Deploys Swedish civilian experts into peace operations including EUAM Ukraine, EUCAP Sahel Mali, EUPOL COPPS (Palestine), and EUBAM Rafah.
• Gender-Responsive Leadership (GRL) Training and capacity-building initiative designed to support leaders and managers within organizations such as the EU, UN, ECOWAS, OSCE and the African Union to fulfill their central role in enabling gender-equal peace, security and development work.
• Youth, Peace and Security Programme Online courses and capacity development initiatives that strengthen young people's meaningful participation in peace and security processes, developed in partnership with UN System Staff College. Has trained over 312 persons in the 'Realizing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda' program and reached over 10,000 persons through shortened free courses.
• DDR (Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration) Advisory Service Advisory services and training on DDR (Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration) processes, contributing to reduced violence and the initiation of political negotiations in conflict-affected areas. Includes work with Mozambique's PPS supporting the demobilization of 5,221 Renamo combatants.
• Hybrid Threats and Election Protection Training and advisory services on hybrid threats and protection of free elections, helping societies increase resilience against information influence, cyberattacks, economic pressure, and political manipulation.
• 1325-stipendiet (Zaida Catalán Scholarship) Scholarship established in memory of Zaida Catalán to increase knowledge about UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, awarding young peacebuilders placements at civil society organizations in Afghanistan, DR Congo, Palestine, and Ukraine (including through MIFTAH).
• Istället för vapen (Instead of Weapons) Podcast FBA's podcast featuring the agency's experts and guests discussing FBA's civilian work for peace and security in conflict areas around the world, hosted by Director-General Per Olsson Fridh.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 312 persons trained in Realizing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda program, with over 10,000 persons in shortened free courses
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• United Nations (UN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA supports UN work at country and regional levels to effectively manage and prevent conflict. The agency provides civilian personnel to UN peace operations and contributes to UN policy development on peace and security issues.
• European Union (EU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA collaborates with EU within three core areas: civil crisis management, EU approximation, and EU's integrated approach for conflicts and crises. FBA deploys personnel to multiple EU civilian crisis management missions.
• OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA cooperates with OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) on elections, rule of law and accountability. The collaboration focuses on free and fair elections, democratic institutions and human rights.
• NATOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA contributes civilian expertise to Sweden's NATO membership and the alliance's work to strengthen European defense and security. FBA focuses on democratic governance of the security sector, hybrid threats, civil-military coordination, and gender-responsive leadership.
• ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA cooperates with ECOWAS to support the organization's work on gender equality, dialogue and mediation across 12 West African states.
• UNDP (United Nations Development Programme)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA has experts seconded to UNDP and collaborates on Ukraine support, including development of guidelines for companies regarding veteran reintegration.
• UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA and UNFPA collaborated on youth political participation projects in Somalia, organizing dialogue forums across all Somali states during 2022-2023.
• Swedish Police AuthoritycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFBA collaborates with the Swedish Police on training Ukrainian police, including developing community safety courses and supporting study visits.
• Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA collaborates with Sida as part of Team Sweden in implementing Sweden's strategy for reconstruction and reform cooperation with Ukraine (2023-2027).
• Swedish InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA collaborates with the Swedish Institute as part of Team Sweden in implementing Sweden's strategy for Ukraine reconstruction and reform cooperation (2023-2027).
• Hybrid Centre of Excellence (Hybrid CoE)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2024, FBA works on hybrid threats and secondments personnel to the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki, Finland.
• Ukraine's Veteran MinistrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA has close cooperation with Ukraine's Veteran Ministry, providing expertise, evidence and lessons learned. FBA coordinates donor coordination on veteran issues in Kyiv together with the ministry and UK.
• Ukraine's Ministry of EconomycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA, together with Ukraine's Ministry of Economy and EBRD, developed guidelines for companies to be a proactive force for veterans' return to civilian employment.
• Frontline ReformsregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA and Frontline Reforms organized the first in a series of roundtable discussions on democratic civil control and review of Ukraine's military regulations.
• Razumkov CenterregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA collaborated with Razumkov Center to conduct a national survey on population security perceptions in Ukraine. Results are used for education development and future policy work.
• Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs (DSUIA)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA partnered with DSUIA to strengthen Ukrainian police capacity through tailored education, developing community safety courses during martial law in cooperation with Ukraine's national police.
• MIFTAH (Palestinian Initiative for Global Dialogue and Democracy)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIFTAH is the recipient organization for FBA's 1325 scholarship in Palestine, working for citizens' rights and rule of law with focus on marginalized groups.
• PPS (Secretariat for the Peace Process) - MozambiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2020, FBA has worked closely with Mozambique's PPS to gather representatives from government and Renamo, focusing on relationship building and capacity strengthening for DDR implementation.
• UNSSC (United Nations System Staff College)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA collaborated with UNSSC to develop training programs on Youth, Peace and Security including 'Realizing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda' online course.
• UNDP (collaboration on Climate, Peace and Security)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFBA collaborated with UNDP and SIPRI to produce 'Beyond Vulnerability: A Guidance Note on Youth, Climate, Peace and Security' - the first guidance bridging CPS and YPS agendas.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• International Alert: Independent peacebuilding NGO operating on governance, security, and women's participation in peace processes — overlapping with FBA's peace processes and WPS portfolios. A potential implementing partner rather than direct competitor.
• PeaceDirect: International peacebuilding NGO focused on locally-led peace and Women, Peace and Security programming. Comparable to FBA in mission (peace and security work) though much smaller and non-governmental, often a partner rather than peer.

Broad incumbents

• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): Germany's federal agency for international cooperation, comparable to FBA as a large state-owned implementing agency for development and peace/security programming. Operates at significantly larger scale in conflict-affected regions, including EU enlargement and security sector reform work.
• SDC (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation): Switzerland's federal development cooperation agency, comparable to FBA as a national government instrument delivering ODA-funded peacebuilding, governance, and security programs. Similar mandate profile including peace and conflict transformation work.
• NORAD (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation): Norway's main development agency, comparable to FBA as a national governmental instrument channeling ODA and implementing Norway's foreign policy. Less focused on peace operations specifically, but operates under the same Nordic governance model and often co-funds FBA-mandated programs.
• Danida (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark): Denmark's official development cooperation program administered under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, structurally analogous to FBA's relationship to the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Comparable as a national government instrument implementing ODA and foreign policy.

Regional players

• SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute): Independent Swedish research institute on peace and security that co-publishes with FBA (e.g., the 'Beyond Vulnerability' Climate-Peace-Security guidance note). Comparable as a Stockholm-based peace and security expert producer, though distinct in being a research institute rather than an implementing agency.
• Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs / Development Cooperation: Finland's MFA implements its own development cooperation and stabilization programming, comparable to FBA as a Nordic government instrument. Distinct in being a ministry rather than a dedicated agency, but increasingly partners with FBA on the Nordic civilian security agenda.

Direct peers

• Norec (Norwegian Agency for Exchange Cooperation): Norway's government agency for international development exchange and capacity building, directly comparable to FBA as a sister Nordic civilian instrument. Norec focuses on south-south cooperation and partnerships with civil society analogous to FBA's peacebuilding model.
• European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE): Hybrid CoE is a direct functional peer of FBA in the hybrid threats and democratic resilience domain, where FBA has seconded personnel since 2024. Comparable mandate around hybrid threat policy, election protection, and civil-military coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCm1pcjWGrnz2dMdsvse9MPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/FolkeBernadotteAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/folkebernadotteacademy
• Instagraminstagram.com/folkebernadotteacademy

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about FBA (Folke Bernadotte Academy)