The First Cohort’s Experience

In February 2026, the first delegation of the Young Diplomats Programme participated in the WFUNA International Model United Nations 2026 (WIMUN) simulation in New York. This was an important milestone for the United Nations Association Estonia. For the first time, the programme brought a delegation of young people from Estonia to one of the world’s most prestigious and realistic UN simulations.

WIMUN is more than a student conference: it is a learning experience that enables participants to understand how international diplomacy works in practice. The simulation follows UN procedures as closely as possible, and its opening ceremony takes place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

An important part of the programme is the preparation before travelling to New York. Participants in the first cohort met Estonian diplomats, officials and experts to gain a better understanding of Estonia’s foreign policy and the issues on the UN agenda. As part of the preparatory programme, participants visited the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where they met the Secretary General and other officials and discussed Estonia’s foreign policy priorities. They also visited the Embassy of the United States in Tallinn, learned about the work of the US diplomatic mission, and discussed cooperation between the United States and Estonia. In addition, they met Minister of Climate Andres Sutt, who provided an overview of Estonia’s climate policy and international climate negotiations. These meetings gave participants knowledge they could later draw upon during the simulation.

The delegation’s main objective was to participate in the WIMUN 2026 simulation. The opening ceremony was held in the historic General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters, where hundreds of young people from more than fifty countries gathered. Over the following days, participants worked in UN committees, negotiated, drafted resolutions and sought diplomatic compromises.

Unlike many other Model UN simulations, WIMUN is based on the principle of consensus. Resolutions are not adopted by majority vote; instead, the aim is to reach a solution that every delegation can support. This makes the simulation closely resemble the UN’s actual working methods and develops participants’ negotiation and compromise-building skills.

Alongside the committee work, the Global Experience event gave each delegation an opportunity to present its country. The Estonian delegation introduced Estonia’s culture, society and foreign policy and exchanged experiences with young people from other countries.

While in New York, the delegation also visited Estonia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, where they met Estonia’s Ambassador to the UN and learned about the Mission’s day-to-day work at the United Nations. The meeting gave participants an opportunity to see how Estonia’s foreign policy is shaped and implemented internationally and what the work of a diplomat within the UN system looks like.

In addition to the official programme, the delegation explored New York beyond the United Nations. They visited the Statue of Liberty, Columbia University, the American Museum of Natural History and the Top of the Rock observation deck. These visits helped them better understand the city that hosts the world’s foremost centre of international diplomacy.

The aim of the Young Diplomats Programme is not merely to take young people to New York. The programme’s greatest value lies in the experience participants bring home with them. WIMUN provides an opportunity to learn about international diplomacy in its most realistic form, work alongside young people from dozens of countries, introduce Estonia to them, and build connections that may prove valuable throughout participants’ future studies and careers.

The first cohort laid the foundation for a programme that aims to give a new delegation of young people from Estonia the opportunity each year to experience the centre of global diplomacy and bring that experience back to Estonia.