The European Union Youth Delegates to the UN programme

Participation in the EU in the UN Youth Delegate programme allows the EU to be present in relevant Youth dialogues at the UN, to advocate for the interests and rights of young persons in Europe, and to increase the representation and geographic coverage of young persons in the EU.

The EU is delighted to nominate European Union Youth Delegates to the UN for a fourth year in 2025-26, in cooperation with representatives of the European Youth Forum and the National Youth Councils of EU Member States.

Mission

Two European Union Youth Delegates to the UN will be selected to participate in the programme for 2025-2026. Their mandate will include, inter alia:

• Participate on behalf of the EU Delegation to the UN in New York in relevant discussions, including on youth affairs and other matters as appropriate, in the UN General Assembly and its committees and the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council.
• Ensure close coordination and information sharing with EU Member States’ Youth Delegates, including through the organisation of regular coordination meetings with EU Member States’ Youth Delegates, with the support of the EU Delegation.
• Provide input to EU Delegation staff when needed, to ensure that a youth perspective is reflected across the three pillars of the UN (peace and security, sustainable development, human rights) and in all strands of work.
• Liaise and coordinate with and report to National Youth Councils and youth organisations at EU and EU Member States level, including the EU Youth Sounding Board and other youth groups, to ensure that their voices are reflected and that they are aware of important discussions at the UN that touch on subjects of interest for European youth.
• Communicate their activities in line with the communication strategy created by the EU Delegation, in the context of the Youth Delegates programme: host/participate in preparation of the “Who Rules the World” podcast episodes, promote their activities via social media to their networks, and communicate in the digital space about other aspects of their work as Youth Delegates.
• Offer guidance to the subsequent cohort of Youth Delegates, including through the provision of a written handover and a virtual meeting with the selected candidates (tentatively in August 2026).

The fourth cohort of the programme will begin its mandate in September 2025 for a duration of 12 months. The programme is managed jointly between the EU Delegation to the UN in New York and DG INTPA of the European Commission in Brussels.

Candidates should meet the following criteria:

• Be a citizen of an EU Member State;
• Be under the age of 30 at the time of application;
• Be able and willing to devote up to approximately 40 days per year to activities related to their role as Youth Delegates;
• Demonstrate an interest in international relations, political science, law, human rights, international development, public health, climate or any other field related to UN activities;
• Be motivated and/or have experience in and knowledge of youth advocacy;organisations, and movements, and have a vision for youth participation at EU and UN levels;
• Be available to travel to New York approx. three times during the year, as well as to Brussels if necessary (travel costs will be covered by the Youth delegates programme);
• Have excellent knowledge of written and spoken English and have good communication and presentation skills;

Selection

Applications should consist of a CV and a short motivation letter (one page maximum) outlining relevant experience, motivation and potential contributions to the EU Youth Delegates to the UN programme.

These are to be submitted to the EU Member States (MS) National Youth Councils by 28 February 2025 at 17:00. The EU MS National Youth Councils are invited to submit one candidate per EU Member State to form a pool of candidates for further selection, which will be conducted by the EU Delegation to the UN in New York and DG INTPA of the European Commission. Please find information on how to apply on the respective web sites of the EU MS National Youth Councils listed HERE (among other National Youth Councils). The European Youth Forum will additionally select five youth activists from their INGO pillar to be added to the pool for selection.

The EU is committed to the principle of non-discrimination. Applications from European young persons of various backgrounds are encouraged. Respect for gender equality, balance in regional representation and diversity will be key criteria during the selection process.

Timeline

Launch of the Call for Applications: 30 January 2025

The application documents are to be submitted to National Youth Councils by 28 February 2025 at 17:00 CET. Late applications will not be considered.

The deadline for the nomination by the EU MS National Youth Councils of candidates from EU Member States and by the European Youth Forum for candidates from their INGO pillar to the EU Delegation to the UN in New York is 14 March 2025 at 17:00 CET.

Further selection process will be conducted in two stages:

• First stage - shortlisting: all candidates submitted to the EU Delegation by the National Youth Councils and the European Youth Forum will be informed of the outcome of the first stage by 31 March 2025, by the EU Delegation.
• Second stage - interviews: the shortlisted candidates will be invited for interviews between 14-18 April 2025, by the EU Delegation.
• Result: all shortlisted candidates will be informed of the results by 30 April 2025. 

An information session took place on 11 February 2025 at 5.00pm CET/11.00am EST, for interested parties. Please note that we will soon update this page with Frequently Asked Questions segment.