The Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) is a leadership program designed to foster the skills and networks of young policymakers, public servants, and civil society actors. It equips participants with the tools needed to address modern governance challenges through a human rights lens.
Background and Purpose
Since 2017, RWI has been playing a key role in the SAYP module “Perspectives on Multi-level Governance, Decentralization & Human Rights” module. In collaboration with Lund University Commissioned Education (LUCE) and the Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM), RWI supports participants in applying a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to governance. The program fosters regional cooperation and mutual learning, aiming to equip a new generation of leaders with the skills needed to meet the demands of modern governance systems.
“Usually, when we think about young professionals, we do not see them as leaders, but that is something that we would like to see more. Making passive more active to show that young people do not need to be the ones only following what their senior colleagues say, but they can make a change themselves. That is a step to leadership,” says Zuzana Zalanova, Director of RWI’s Regional Europe Office, who is in charge of SAYP on behalf of RWI.
Challenges and Opportunities Addressed
The program addresses the challenges of integrating human rights principles into governance frameworks across countries in the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, and Baltic regions. Many participants already contribute to vital reform processes in their countries, working across government, politics, academia, and civil society.
Public administrations in these regions face increasing demands for transparency, decentralization, and respect for human rights. RWI’s contribution to SAYP offers a unique opportunity for participants to learn how to tackle these issues within their own countries, focusing on the protection of human rights at all levels of government.
Moreover, in the context of countries-candidates for EU accession, like Ukraine or Moldova, this program serves as a great introduction into the EU governance practices. Thus, it helps bring up the new generation of leaders, who will facilitate this historical step of their countries.
Some of the topics covered during SAYP
Key Activities and Learning Opportunities
Through a combination of online and in-person modules, the program offers both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience by engaging in interactive workshops and meeting professionals on field trips. Participants explore real-world governance challenges, develop plans for local reforms, and exchange ideas with peers from across the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, and Baltic Sea regions.
The program not only strengthens individual participants’ abilities but also fosters long-term regional cooperation by building networks of professionals dedicated to transparency, accountability, and human rights. After completing the modules, participants continue to receive support through follow-up events, as well as membership in the extensive alumni networks of Lund University and the Swedish Institute. They are thus encouraged to continue collaborating with peers, reinforcing their commitment to public accountability and human rights in their countries.
Voices of Participants
Bridges between Sweden, the Balkans and the Eastern Partnership region
This year’s participants came from four countries: Armenia, Georgia, Albania and Kosovo. The programme thus enabled sharing unique experience across various contexts and backgrounds. This included various Swedish actors promoting human rights.
Read more about the previous SAYP programs: SAYP Archives - The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Mirsad Vitia- Kosovo
Andrea Mazelliu- Albania
Erblina Selmanaj- Kosovo
Siranush Grigoryan-Armenia
The Team Behind SAYP
The SAYP programme is coordinated by Lund University Commissioned Education (LUCE), with two distinct modules provided by RWI and Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM). This collaboration helps integrate human rights principles into modern approaches to public administration.
Ola Mattisson- LUSEM
Zuzana Zalanova and David Eile – Raoul Wallenberg Institute
Andreas Bryngelson and Alexandra Hertz- LUCE
Get In Touch
Zuzana Zalanova

Zuzana Zalanova
Regional Director for Europe
Phone: +46 46 222 12 57
E-mail: zuzana.zalanova@rwi.lu.se
Ms. Zalanova has been promoting human rights, good governance, and civic engagement in various capacities in Europe and Central Asia.
Since joining RWI in 2018, she has led RWI programme in Belarus (until 2020), initiated and expanded RWI programme in Armenia, and broadened regional engagement with initiatives in Uzbekistan and the Western Balkans. Her expanding portfolio includes four projects in Ukraine, supported by sub-regional engagement in Poland and Moldova.
In 2023, Ms. Zalanova also assumed the role of Acting Executive Director of the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC), an international nongovernmental consortium established in 2002 to help coordinate and support the efforts of legal professionals to rebuild justice institutions in conflict and post-conflict countries. Through its member organisations and individuals, ILAC is comprised of more than 3 million legal professionals worldwide, including judges, lawyers, prosecutors, and court administrators.
Ms. Zalanova teaches regularly international development, human rights, and project management at three faculties of the Lund University in Sweden.
Before joining RWI, Ms. Zalanova worked for the United Nations in Ukraine, leading the UN Volunteers programme with a focus on civic and youth engagement. She previously coordinated rule of law programmes of the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) in Mongolia, Central Asia and Eastern Europe, supported regional human rights and justice initiatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Europe and Central Asia, and managed the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum, a platform of civil society actors from the EU and Russia.
Ms. Zalanova holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, a master’s degree in Security Studies, and a joint (bachelor’s and master’s) degree in International Relations with a specialisation in Non-Profit Management from her studies in the Czech Republic (Charles University, University of Economics) and the United Kingdom (University of Reading).
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