The Eighth and final Session of the Academy of Young Diplomats 2026 took place in-person in Warsaw on June 26–28, following the theme of "The Art of Negotiation: Dialogue in a Divided World," by providing participants with comprehensive practical training and expert insights into various aspects of negotiation and diplomatic dialogue, and bringing together leading figures.

The session started on Friday with participants visiting the embassies of Germany and Guatemala in Warsaw, exploring different aspects of these nation's relations with Poland, and the inner workings of their diplomacy. In the evening, participants gathered to take part in a talk given by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, National Leader of Belarus, Head of the United Transition Cabinet, and President-elect of Belarus, widely recognized as the true winner of the 2020 presidential election against dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka, and moderated by Prof. Katarzyna Pisarska. 

The weekend began with two rounds of Diplomatic Skills Workshops focused on practicing various aspects of negotiations:

• Conflict Resolution Negotiations - Ron Ton
• Cross-cultural Communication - Marta Brzezińska-Hubert

They were followed on Sunday with day-long specialization classes, exploring negotiating techniques through in-depth simulated scenarios :

• EU Policy-Making in Practice - Minister Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński
• Advanced Negotiations Between Countries in Conflict - Ron Ton

With this, the last session of the Academy of Young Diplomats 2026 closes. Over the summer, participants will pass exams, and graduation will be held during the Warsaw Security Forum in October.

Applications for the next Edition of the Academy of Young Diplomats, held in 2027, are now open.