Costa Rica is in many aspects a well-developed country, but as many other countries there is still a lot of inequality between the genders. Which can take its form in violence towards minorities such as women and children. The region is also influenced heavily by very conservative gender norms. The aim of this study is to conduct an in-depth investigation of the occurrence of gender-based violence (GBV). As well as to understand the societal and cultural factors that serve as institutional mechanisms and how they impact the country's development. The study will focus on institutions as structural features of public policy, and the norms set by these institutions that affect laws and civil society. By identifying these institutional mechanisms through the help of our respondents and relevant theories, the study will analyze the legislation, policies and cultural norms that exist within Costa Rican society and compare them with the insights provided by the respondents. This will be achieved through first-hand experiences and observations obtained from in-depth interviews with women and professionals who work and live in Costa Rica. The responses from the interviews will serve as the primary source of data for analysis. The result will be analyzed using Hirdman gender theories: Bandura A. social learning theory, and new institutional theory. The analysis will be presented in different themes, focusing on the legislation and the implementation of laws. The second theme will discuss in more detail the institutional mechanisms and how they impact the development of the country. The study findings indicate that Costa Rica has an underrepresentation of women in the political sphere and society overall, and there is no priority on women's issues. The patriarchal structure perpetuates a damaging worldview for women, machismo, and cultural traditions are some of the examples of informal mechanisms of influence present in the society. In conclusion, GBV is a significant problem in Costa Rica that leads to a high number of women being hurt or killed each year and makes it harder to move forward when it comes to sustainable development. The study finds that institutionalized norms influence the country's politics and contribute to the rise in cases of GBV. Costa Rica is in a unique position concerning sustainable development, and it is essential to study this issue, especially given the country`s previously positive development trajectory. There is also a lack of studies and work by Sweden and Sida in Central and Latin America.

The EU Sustainable Development Goals have long been a resemblance of the urgent call forclimate action and sustainable development. With increasing attention for climate change anda subsequent call for action from states, consumers’ preferences have now also changedtowards opting for sustainable goods and services. The fact that sustainability has becomeincreasingly important to consumers has not gone unnoticed by manufacturers and sellers ofgoods and services. Consequently, trade marks are increasingly used to label goods asenvironmentally sound and to create a sustainable image. With trade marks, certification marksand geographical indications being a valuable source of information, capable ofcommunicating this green reputation, there is also a significant risk of consumer deceptionthrough greenwashing. Nevertheless, trade mark law is used as a means of fosteringsustainable development. Consequently, trade mark law is concerned with sustainability. Thisbegs the question to what degree EU trade mark law is tailored to achieve the EU SustainableDevelopment Goals. To answer this question, a thorough assessment is made of the currentlegal framework of EU trade mark law. Multiple aspects of this system are discussed with afocus on descriptive and deceptive marks, as well as the right to repair, certification marks andgeographical indications. The assessment comprises of a look into the influence on sustainabledevelopment, together with the discerning of shortcomings in the way the respective aspectsof EU trade mark law can add to the achievability of the EU Sustainable Development Goals.After the individual assessments it is argued that there are multiple points of improvement.Further, solutions are introduced to remedy these points of improvement. In specific, aguideline including a non-exhaustive list of terms that should be avoided when registering atrade mark, CJEU recognition of sustainability as a characteristic through which the public canbe deceived and the introduction of sustainable production standards for EU certificationmarks and GIs, possibly through governmentally issued certification marks and GIs, are the keyimprovements of the EU trade mark regulatory system to improve the achievability of the SDGs.It is concluded that EU trade mark law is to a great extent tailored to achieve the EU SustainableDevelopment Goals, but that with the help of the suggested remedies, EU trade mark law canbecome a true catalyst of sustainable development.

The Doughnut Economy integrates social and environmental sustainability into one holistic model. As sustainability becomes more relevant for multinational corporations, it is crucial to explore the possibilities of the Doughnut Economy as a tool for enhancing and visualising corporate sustainability efforts. Therefore, this study examines how multinational corporations' sustainability strategies align with the Doughnut Economy model and explores potential challenges and stakeholder benefits of alignment. Moreover, this interpretive study adopts an inductive approach, employing an exploratory and explanatory case study to contribute to existing theory and practice. Gathering qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with sustainability managers at Husqvarna Group, complemented by the company's 2022 sustainability report as secondary data. Next, thematic analysis was used to analyse the empirical findings, providing a comprehensive understanding of patterns and themes. Overall this study concludes that strategic alignment with the Doughnut Economy enables multinational corporations to enhance sustainability efforts and enables stakeholder benefits. Additionally, there are challenges of alignment due to the Doughnut Economy model’s complexity and limited stakeholder knowledge, however, investments in education and stakeholder engagement can address these challenges. By embracing the suggested strategies and overcoming identified obstacles, multinational corporations can strengthen their alignment with the Doughnut Economy, contributing to a sustainable future.

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In some aspect gender equality could be considered threatened by a growing backlash all around the world and without commitment to achieve what has been agreed so far it will continue to remain an unachievable goal. The objective of this research is to look into the fifth of the Sustainable Developmental Goals, which strives to promote gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. Further, this thesis is done through qualitative research with abductive reasoning by doing a single case study looking at Bangladesh in order to try and make sense of the research gap that was found through the literature review. In addition, the theory used throughout this research is Steven Lukes´s and his three dimensions of power which will be used in order to try and answer the research questions. Lastly, this research is relevant to the subject of peace and development since it is connected to sustainable development which is important for future development.    Bangladesh has been comparatively more successful than its neighbouring states at implementing gender equality. But as the main result of this thesis showed they still struggle in many aspects and power structures and power relations are one of the main reasons for the problems that have occurred when trying to implement the fifth goal. The lack of data that is prevailing all over the world in this field also plays a huge role in making it difficult the implementation of the SDG. The research also found that the theory used in the research was not as fully applicable as first thought however it could be used in order to discuss the findings in some ways and in order to answer the research question asked in the research.

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This is a study of how two companies from different countries construct and communicate their Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The companies are from the confectionery industry with a similar size, sales, and number of factories. The only difference is the origin of the companies. One is from a developed country (Cloetta based in Sweden) and another is from a developing country (Roshen based in Ukraine). The combination of critical discourse and comparative analysis is used in the study to explain the contexts of countries and companies. The analytical categories are based on Triple Bottom Line Theory and the value-based concept of Sustainability.   The study shows the differences in the constructs of Sustainability and CSR of companies from Sweden and Ukraine. Cloetta's communication is used as a form of legitimization and a tool of green marketing (for enhancing the image and its repair in case of a crisis). Roshen's communication is less developed and used as a self-promotion tool (sustainability understood as philanthropy). The findings add the knowledge in Sustainability and CSR traditions in developing and developed countries.

Organizations carry an important role in transforming sustainable systems, not least their leaders as they can influence the well-being of employees. Implementing Mindfulness Practices (MPs) within organizations could therefore have a positive influence on several levels throughout the organization for making sustainable change.  As meetings are the playing field for decision-making in organizations, mindfulness is a way to engage people in meetings, to help participants rise to the opportunity of making sustainable decisions. Building on the existing research on organizations and mindfulness, this study aims to provide a descriptive account of the perceptions and experiences of individuals within a team when a short MP is incorporated at the beginning of meetings, resulting in a Mindfulness Meeting (MM). The research took a multi-method qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews and participant observations on two teams from different organizations. Two interviews were conducted, on both leaders and followers, one focusing on general meeting perceptions, and a second focusing on the perceptions of the MMs. The findings of the research indicate that a MP, when conducted in the right format, helps cultivate and strengthen the cognitive processes critical for work environments. In particular the factors perceived as positive for achieving meeting goals were a sense of being present, aware, having clarity of thought, and regulating interactions with others. However, this study is just a starting place for the future of MM within organizations and the work they must do to transition towards sustainable systems.

This dissertation includes four papers— two conceptual and two empirical— on universal health coverage introduced in global health as a policy concept to improve access to health care. The conceptual papers review the selection process for the Sustainable Development Goal indicator on universal health coverage and propose parameters to guide an evaluation framework for universal health coverage. The first two papers show that including participants from as many sections of the health sector and policy community is recommended in policy formulation and evaluation, and recognize that decision-making might be slower as a result. While the first two papers focus on the third Sustainable Development Goal to achieve universal health coverage, the following two empirical papers focus on the sixth Millennium Development Goal which committed to provide universal access to treatment and care for people living with HIV. The first empirical paper shows how physicians in six Eastern Caribbean countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines) cope with the lack of resources for treatment and care. Access was implemented broadly emphasizing the availability of HIV treatment and care while ensuring that everyone who needed antiretrovirals did not incur out-of-pocket costs. In most cases, this meant receiving care in the public system which was mostly centralized and where people living with HIV had concerns about their privacy being compromised in societies where HIV stigma was prevalent. The second empirical paper shows that in St. Lucia, third-line antiretrovirals could be unaffordable to as much as 98 % of the population, depending on how affordability is measured. The papers collectively demonstrate how the Millennium Development Goals provided an opportunity for policy learning by comparing the implementation of universal access for HIV treatment and care with universal health coverage in the Sustainable Development Goals. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The dissertation recognizes the challenges with defining and measuring universal health coverage and with providing access to treatment and care for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the Eastern Caribbean. The first conceptual paper documents the process of selecting indicators for universal health coverage in the Sustainable Development Goals. The second conceptual paper advances recommendations for evaluating universal health coverage. The following two studies then empirically assess the challenges with access to health care for people living with HIV in the Eastern Caribbean. The third paper shows how physicians cope with the lack of appropriate resources and highlights the issue of privacy for patients. The fourth paper uses data from St. Lucia to assess the affordability of antiretrovirals and highlights the difficulties of measuring financial affordability.

No / There has been a recent rise in optimism about Africa's prospects: increased economic growth; renewed regional and national political commitments to good governance; and fewer conflicts. Yet, given current trends and with less than eight years until 2015, Africa is likely to fail to meet every single one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Home to almost one-third of the world's poor, Africa's challenges remain as daunting as ever. Despite highly publicized increased growth in some economies, the combined economies of Africa have, on average, actually shrunk and are far from meeting the required 7 per cent growth needed to tackle extreme poverty. A similar picture emerges from the analysis of Africa's performance on the other MDGs. In a world where security and development are inextricably connected in complex and multifaceted ways, Africans are, as a result, among the most insecure. By reviewing a select number of political, security and socio-economic indicators for the continent, this analysis evaluates the reasons underlying Africa's continuing predicament. It identifies four critical issues: ensuring peace and security; fostering good governance; fighting HIV/ AIDS; and managing the debt crisis. In assessing these developmental security challenges, the article recalls that the MDGs are more than time bound, quantified targets for poverty alleviation¿they also represent a commitment by all members of the international community, underwritten by principles of co-responsibility and partnership, to an enlarged notion of development based on the recognition that human development is key to sustaining social and economic progress. In recent years, and often following failures, especially in Africa, to protect civilian populations from the violence and predation of civil wars, a series of high-level commissions and expert groups have conducted strategic reviews of the UN system and its function in global politics. The debate has also developed at the theoretical level involving both a recon-ceptualization of security, from state centred norms to what is referred to as the globalization of security around the human security norm. There has also been a reconceptualization of peacekeeping, where the peacekeeping force has enough robustness to use force not only to protect populations under the emergent responsibility to protect norm, but also enough conflict resolution capacity to facilitate operations across the conflict¿development¿peacebuilding continuum. This article opens up a discussion of how these ideas might be relevant to security regime building and conflict resolution in African contexts, and suggests how initiatives in Africa might begin to make a contribution to the theory and practice of cosmopolitan peacekeeping.