With the exhibition, titled "Lähme nulli" ("Let's Go Zero"), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aiming to enhance its candidacy for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The installation and its transportation cost the ministry €41,000.

Estonia is running as part of the Eastern European voting group, bidding for a non-permanent seat in much the same way it successfully did for the UN Security Council, 2020-2021.

The UNHRC seat is for the years 2026-2028.

The ministry says it is using this exhibition to emphasize its commitment to environmental sustainability, which it says is a human rights issue.

Ministry spokesperson Kerstin Meresmaa said: "The cost includes both the transport of the exhibition and fees for the exhibition organizers, among other expenses."

Meresmaa added that the exhibition was shipped to the U.S. by sea containers, to minimize environmental impact.

Meresmaa clarified that, aside from the exhibition, Estonia's UN Human Rights Council candidacy would incur no additional costs: The Foreign Ministry had previously stated that the candidacy would not cost anything extra at all.

"Lähme nulli" has previously been displayed in Tallinn, Viljandi, and Rakvere, as well as at the ILS Festival in Orissaare and Kuressaare, both on Saaremaa, and in Tartu.

The exhibition is owned by the non-profit organization MTÜ Lähme Nulli, led by Hanna Urva and Kadrin Pintson.

In 2023, the organization earned €63,000 from the exhibition and training programs, of which nearly €25,000 went to the board members.

The UN Human Rights Council, established in 2006 with 47 member states, promotes global human rights and is supported by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, with Estonia serving as a member from 2013 to 2015.

The electoral process will unfold in the coming year.

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