What Can a Small State Do? : Swedish Leadership in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the United Nations

Sammanfattning: In the face of a global headwind against sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), led by the Trump administration, Sweden has worked together with like-minded countries to keep ground in SRHR issues. The purpose of this thesis is to increase the knowledge about what strategies are available for small states to influence global policies in international organizations. Looking at the period of 2017–2019, this thesis aims to answer the question: “Which strategies has Sweden used to establish leadership in sexual and reproductive health and rights issues in the United Nations?” The analysis through the framework of leadership theory shows that Sweden utilized all strategies investigated (ideational, structural, directional and instrumental), acting like an efficient leader. Despite previous research assuming small states would rely less on traditional sources of power, Sweden actively deployed its structural resources, covering the gap after the Trump administration defunded the United Nations Population Fund. As a result of Sweden’s and other actors’ efforts, agreed language was protected at the Commission on Population and Development.