European Union in Eswatini

What do you do if you are the very first EU-Eswatini Youth Advisory Board (YAB) to be established in Eswatini and you have no reference point in the form of a previous board? Do you hit the ground running and hope for the best or do you spend much of your three-year term coming to terms with your new-found role?

These are some of the challenges the 12-member YAB faced as it worked hard over the last three years to deliver on its mandate to bring in the perspective of emaSwati youth into the European Union (EU) programming in the country.

Since the current cycle of EU partnership with the Kingdom of Eswatini is focussed primarily on youth skills and empowerment, the YAB’s role is to provide constant advice to the EU on how such programming could meet the exact needs of the youth in the country.

Three years on, this out-going YAB can look back with pride for having performed to the best of its ability to deliver on its mandate despite initial challenges.

On 12 June 2026, the YAB marked the end of its term with high-fives and excitement as it reminisced about its three-year journey. The event, held at Mountain View hotel in Mbabane, was also marked with the presentation of certificates and commemorative portraits to the out-going team.

In this event, which also paved the way for a new board, outgoing YAB Chairperson, Busiswa Dlamini summed up their journey: “What stood out most throughout our journey was the shift in how youth engagement is understood. We saw, in real time, that when young people are given structured space, the right support and genuine trust, they contribute not only energy, but clarity, perspective and solutions. This experience has reinforced a simple yet important truth: youth inclusion is not symbolic but is necessary for relevant and sustainable development.”

She added: “As a Board, we have not only engaged with systems, but we have grown within them. We have learned to navigate complexity, to represent diverse perspectives and to carry the responsibility of speaking not just for ourselves, but for a broader generation. As our term concludes, the focus is not only on what has been achieved, but also on what must continue. The foundation has been laid, the expectations are clearer and the pathway for youth participation is more defined that before. What remains is the collective responsibility to build on this momentum and ensure that youth engagement continues to evolve from participation to partnership.”

Bidding farewell to the team, EU Ambassador to Eswatini, Karsten Mecklenburg, said the outgoing YAB has established a long-lasting change in how the EU engages with young people in development cooperation in Eswatini. He then congratulated the team for a job well done.

“This group, as the initial cohort, can look back on the significant achievement of laying the foundation for the YAB and establishing a strong rapport between young people of Eswatini and the EU. I urge the outgoing YAB to remain friends of the EU and continue interacting with us in future EU-supported functions and programmes,” said the Ambassador.

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