A high-level delegation from the National Youth Parliament Association of Antigua and Barbuda (NYPAAB) arrived in St. Kitts and Nevis on September 23, kicking off a new round of regional diplomatic engagement centered on expanding youth parliamentary collaboration across the Eastern Caribbean.
Led by NYPAAB President Ezekiel Francois, the visiting delegation includes key organizational leaders: Vice President Rainer Santos Mercado, External Affairs Officer Esther McKenzie, and Celine Edwards, who serves as the Youth Member of Parliament for All Saints East & St. Luke.
This trip coincides with a major milestone for the regional youth parliamentary network: the partner organization in St. Kitts and Nevis is celebrating 25 years of its founding, a testament to the long-running work of youth civic engagement across the bloc. Over the past four years, the partnership between NYPAAB and regional youth parliamentary bodies has already delivered tangible results, with a packed schedule of collaborative activities. These include the 2022 and 2023 regional youth parliamentary sittings, the 2023 Eastern Caribbean Youth Parliamentary Network (ECYPN) gathering, and joint initiatives with the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) that bring parliamentary representatives together to share governance insights, exchange on-the-ground experiences, and deepen cross-border collective action.
As NYPAAB joins its regional counterparts to honor this 25-year milestone, the organization has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to nurturing substantive, mutually beneficial relationships with youth parliamentary groups across the Eastern Caribbean. Beyond collaboration on existing initiatives, the association’s core mission focuses on cultivating a new generation of skilled, informed parliamentary leaders who can shape the future of regional governance and address shared challenges facing young people across the subregion.