HSE Lyceum Student Speaks at UN Forum in New York

Polina Nesterenko

Photo courtesy of Polina Nesterenko

Polina Nesterenko, who completed Year 10 at the HSE Lyceum this year, took part in the 2026 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the United Nations’ main annual forum for monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Held at UN Headquarters in New York, the forum brings together representatives of states, UN agencies, international organisations, civil society, business, and academia each year to discuss the global sustainable development agenda.

Polina is the founder and Secretary-General of the HSE Lyceum Model United Nations. She has taken part in more than ten international and Russian Model UN conferences, where she has repeatedly been named Best Delegate and held leadership positions on organising committees. In this interview, Polina talks about her educational journey at the Lyceum and her experience speaking at the forum.

Photo courtesy of Polina Nesterenko

Interest in the Social Sciences

I have been interested in the social sciences and history for as long as I can remember, but I began studying them in greater depth at the Lyceum, in Year 9, when I joined Marina Oganesyan’s elective course in advanced social studies and the Moscow history team. These classes and my experience on the team laid the foundation for my choice of specialisation in Year 10 and for my academic and professional development.

Why the HSE Lyceum?

I joined the Lyceum as part of its first intake for Year 8: a classmate suggested that we try applying together. And it worked—I got in on my first attempt without any serious preparation. I was attracted to the Lyceum for its educational system, the strong emphasis on student independence, and the promise of a university-style learning environment. The Lyceum gave me my closest friends, a wealth of opportunities, and a higher bar to aim for. Most importantly, I think, people here genuinely want you to succeed. That is why, slowly but surely, they raise the pace, test your resilience, and see whether you have a genuine willingness to work.

The UN Forum

I have been involved in Model UN conferences and simulations of international forums and organisations since the end of Year 8. In the spring of Year 9, I created my own international project, Babel Unity, which focuses on young people’s access to opportunities and education in the fields of economics, law, and diplomacy. These two areas of activity led me to take part in and organise 11 Model UN conferences in Russia and abroad, including the HSE Lyceum Model UN and Russia’s first Model WHO, organised in partnership with Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University. In the spring of Year 10, I was invited to serve as the Regional Focal Point for Europe and Central Asia in the Children and Youth Group of the Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism of the Sendai Framework, under the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. I was selected through a competitive process based on an essay and portfolio. In June, after receiving an invitation to attend HLPF 2026, I was selected from among 935 colleagues to represent the Sendai Convention at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations in New York.

The Invitation to the UN Forum

The Sendai Framework Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism works closely with MGoS—Major Groups and other Stakeholders. As I am only 16, I am part of the UN Major Group for Children and Youth. It was through their accreditation that I was able to complete several stages of the registration process for the High-Level Political Forum. I then received a letter from the head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs inviting me to join the forum as a Youth Advocate representing the Major Group for Children and Youth. The opportunity to travel to UN Headquarters in New York—a city I had always dreamed of visiting not simply as a tourist, but to do substantive work at a forum—is quite rare even among international relations students. I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity while still in Year 10.

Working at the UN Forum

I advocated for the interests of children and young people in discussions related to disaster risk reduction and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. I represented two bodies at once: the Sendai Framework Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism under the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and the UN Major Group for Children and Youth.

Thanks to these two mandates, I was able to contribute to the preparation of documents and recommendations on the Sustainable Development Goals discussed at this year’s forum. They covered access to clean water, energy, resilient infrastructure and cities, as well as international partnerships.

Photo courtesy of Polina Nesterenko

My first speech focused on how to integrate the stakeholder engagement mechanism, including youth participation, into the work of the UN Water Conference.

My second speech was related to my work outside the UN system—the Babel Unity project and research on inclusive employment for people with Down syndrome. At a round-table discussion, we talked about the ethical regulation of artificial intelligence and the role young people can play in developing the relevant rules, rather than simply discussing them after they have been created.

Educational Ambitions and Career Plans

UN Headquarters in New York helped me tick off a long-standing personal ambition, but at the same time it was disappointing in many respects. First-hand experience showed me how slowly large international institutions respond to change and how difficult it is for young people to achieve meaningful rather than symbolic participation in decision-making.

This experience has not made me abandon international relations, but it has convinced me that I do not want to limit my future career exclusively to working within the UN. I am more interested in developing at the intersection of economics, international politics, technology, and entrepreneurship, creating my own mechanisms for influence rather than simply participating in those that already exist.