About the Forum
Who we are, and why it matters.
The Youth Diplomacy Forum is an international youth-led institution advancing the practice of diplomacy among students and early-career professionals. We convene conferences, publish research, and build durable channels between young people and the institutions that shape international affairs.
Mission
To equip a generation with the analytical rigour, negotiating skill and institutional literacy required to participate meaningfully in international decision-making — and to give that generation genuine access to the rooms where decisions are made.
Vision
A world in which youth participation in diplomacy is structural rather than symbolic: embedded in policy processes, research agendas and multilateral institutions as a matter of course.
What We Do
Six areas of work.
We run Model United Nations conferences and diplomatic simulations, publish peer-reviewed and editorial research on international affairs, deliver workshops on negotiation and policy drafting, and maintain a network of campus ambassadors across partner institutions.
Youth Diplomacy
Youth diplomacy is not a rehearsal. It is the practice of representation, negotiation and compromise conducted by people who will live longest with the outcomes. We treat it with corresponding seriousness — our committees are researched, chaired and adjudicated to professional standards.
Research
Our research programme produces briefing papers, committee background guides and policy analysis on peacebuilding, digital governance, climate displacement and multilateral reform. Delegates and alumni contribute alongside academic advisers.
Publications
The YDF publication series covers international affairs, diplomatic practice and youth policy. It includes conference proceedings, research briefs, opinion essays and interviews with practitioners.
International Collaboration
We work with schools, universities, diplomatic missions and civil-society organisations across multiple regions to co-host conferences, exchange delegations and coordinate research.
Leadership
YDF is led by a secretariat of students and early-career professionals, supported by an advisory board drawn from diplomacy, academia and international organisations.
Campus Ambassadors
Campus ambassadors represent YDF at their institutions — convening delegations, running preparatory sessions and building the pipeline of delegates. Ambassadors receive training, mentorship and certification.
History
From a single conference to an institution.
The forum has grown deliberately — each new programme answering a gap the previous edition exposed.
- 2019
The forum is founded
Founding
A group of student delegates and early-career researchers establish YDF on a single premise: that youth participation in international affairs should be substantive rather than ceremonial.
- 2020
First digital conference
Digital diplomacy
When physical convening became impossible, the forum ran its first entirely online conference — and in doing so built the digital-diplomacy practice that now underpins its year-round programming.
- 2021
Research programme established
Publications
The publication series launches with briefing papers on multilateral reform and climate displacement, authored jointly by delegates and academic advisers.
- 2022
International collaborations begin
Country partnerships
Partnerships with institutions across South Asia, the Gulf and Europe formalise delegate exchange, joint sessions and co-authored research.
- 2023
Campus ambassador network
Youth leadership
The ambassador programme extends the forum into partner institutions year-round, with training, mentorship and certification for student leaders.
- 2024
Peacebuilding and advocacy track
Advocacy
A dedicated track on peacebuilding and advocacy joins the programme, connecting simulation work to real policy engagement and civil-society partners.
- 2026
Diplomacy for a Fractured World
Current edition
The sixth edition convenes six hundred delegates across twelve committees to examine multilateral cooperation under genuine strain.
Impact
Measured in people, not press releases.
Thousands of delegates across successive editions, institutional partnerships spanning multiple countries, and an alumni network now active in international relations programmes, policy institutions and diplomatic services.
Delegates convened since 2019
Countries represented
Partner institutions
Campus ambassadors
Conference editions
Committees this edition
Country Collaborations
A forum with a map behind it.
Country partnerships extend the forum beyond a single conference: joint sessions, delegate exchanges, co-authored research and shared ambassador programmes with institutions abroad.
Work with the forum.
Partner with us, sponsor an edition, or bring the ambassador programme to your institution.