YSDC Joins Global Youth Movement

The Youth Sustainable Development Centre (YSDC), based in Eswatini, has proudly stood alongside young advocates from 24 nations in endorsing a powerful Youth Statement. This unified call to action demands an end to the pervasive issue of statelessness and the establishment of equal nationality rights for all individuals, regardless of gender.

This significant collective voice emerged from a recent Global Youth Summit on Equal Nationality Rights convened in Turkey.

At this gathering, young leaders from countries faced with the consequences of discriminatory nationality laws came together to strategize on dismantling the systemic and social barriers that perpetuate statelessness and gender inequality.

The resulting Youth Statement transcends the realm of a mere petition; it serves as a potent manifesto for change. It articulates a shared global vision where the fundamental right to nationality is bestowed equitably, irrespective of gender.

YSDC Projects Officer Mpumalanga Zwane, underscored the far-reaching implications of this youth-driven initiative.

“While this powerful statement was crafted by young people, its message resonates deeply across all generations,” said Zwane.

She noted that the urgent fight to eradicate statelessness and achieve equal nationality rights is not a struggle confined to the youth.

“It is a national imperative that profoundly impacts mothers, fathers, and children throughout Eswatini,” she said.

She earnestly urged every liSwati to amplify this crucial message by signing the statement and actively sharing it within their communities.

“By uniting our voices, we can collectively ensure that no individual is unjustly denied their fundamental right to belong,” she said.

According to Zwane, the urgency underpinning this campaign stems from the stark realities faced by individuals directly impacted by Eswatini’s existing nationality laws.

“These laws currently prevent Swazi women from passing their citizenship to their children if their spouse is a foreign national. This discriminatory legal disparity has tragically created generations of stateless children within Eswatini’s borders, stripping them of fundamental access to education, essential healthcare, and crucial future opportunities,” she said.

Zwane poignantly highlighted the broader and deeply damaging consequences of these discriminatory practices.

“When a child is denied the right to inherit their mother’s nationality, they are, in effect, erased from the very systems designed to protect them,” she stated.

This is not merely a violation of fundamental human rights; it poses a significant obstacle to the overall national development of Eswatini, according to Zwane.

“Central to the efforts to combat statelessness is the critical issue of birth registration – a fundamental safeguard against the precarious condition of not being recognized as a citizen by any country. Alarmingly, in Eswatini, numerous children remain unregistered at birth due to a confluence of systemic barriers, leaving them acutely vulnerable to exclusion and statelessness,” she said.

By adding their signatures to this crucial statement, emaSwati can amplify the growing global movement and send a clear and powerful message to policymakers to enact lasting and meaningful change.

“Let us, as a nation, demonstrate to the world that Eswatini values every citizen equally and without exception,” Zwane passionately asserted.