Relationship dossier
Eswatini
United States
Relationship assessment
Development and health cooperation alongside U.S. concerns over human rights and trade eligibility
Eswatini toward United States
+20Eswatini has participated in bilateral development cooperation, including a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact, and has worked with the United States on health programs. The scope of Eswatini's current government cooperation with these programs is unclear.
United States toward Eswatini
+15The United States has provided development and health assistance to Eswatini, including through HIV/AIDS programs and a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact. It also removed Eswatini from AGOA benefits effective in 2024, citing failure to meet eligibility criteria.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has a foundation of bilateral development and health cooperation, but it is not free of policy friction. U.S. trade-preference eligibility decisions and concerns about human rights have created tensions alongside the cooperative programs.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Eswatini and the United States have cooperated on development and health programs, including a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact and U.S.-supported HIV/AIDS work. Relations also include friction over human rights and trade eligibility: the United States removed Eswatini from AGOA benefits effective in 2024, citing failure to meet eligibility criteria. The relationship combines practical cooperation with policy disagreements.
Areas of tension
- U.S. concerns about human rights and eligibility for AGOA trade benefits.
Key developments
Eswatini and the United States entered a Millennium Challenge Corporation compact supporting development projects.
The United States removed Eswatini from AGOA benefits, citing failure to meet eligibility criteria.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and current implementation of bilateral health and development cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of Eswatini's government cooperation with U.S.-supported programs is unclear.