Munich Security Conference 2023: Two Weeks to Go

Almost exactly one year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Munich Security Conference 2023 will provide an opportunity to take stock of alliance cohesion and political commitment to the rules-based international order and provide an exceptional platform to discuss the many pressing security challenges we currently face. For three days, Munich will once again be at the center of international diplomacy.

We are pleased to welcome many of the world’s leading decision-makers to Munich, including French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. They will be joined by more than 45 Heads of States and Government from all corners of the globe as well as over 50 Ministers of Foreign Affairs and 30 Ministers of Defense. While the conference will always remain transatlantic in nature, we are particularly pleased that so many leaders from the “Global South”, including the Presidents of Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as the Prime Ministers of Barbados, Tunisia, and Namibia have accepted our invitation. We are also grateful that so many Ukrainian decision-makers have agreed to join us at this critical junction in the war, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. A full list of participants will be available on the eve of the conference.

The conference will provide a timely opportunity to discuss many of the most difficult, and often uncomfortable questions on current security dynamics. From the need to end the age of impunity to the need to re-envision the narrative of global cooperation and development, from the need to redesign our energy supply and end one-sided dependencies on the autocracies of this world to the imperative to resist the revisionist agenda of the illiberal forces, topics of relevance and consequence abound. The sessions on our main stages are complemented by dozens of roundtables, conversations, and public square formats as well as townhalls on human security hosted in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Development and Economic Cooperation. As always, a detailed agenda will not be published until the eve of the conference.

The new Munich Security Report (MSR) will be presented just days ahead of the MSC 2023 on February 13 at the Federal Press Conference (Schiffbauerdamm 40, 10117 Berlin). The launch will take place between 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and can be followed via livestream on our website. The MSC Chairman Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, joined by Tobias Bunde, our Director of Research & Policy, and Sophie Eisentraut, our Head of Research & Publication, will present the report which will again serve as the basis for discussion at the conference in Munich and contains exclusive data and visualizations on current security policy issues.

The MSC Kick-off will take place on Monday, February 13 between noon and 01.30 p.m. at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria in Berlin (by special invitation only). The event addresses decision-makers in politics and business, diplomats, media representatives, and the Berlin think tank community and introduces key topics that will be featured at the upcoming MSC.

In memory of its long-time companion U.S. Senator John McCain, the MSC annually awards the John McCain Dissertation Award. The prize honors outstanding academic achievements in the field of transatlantic relations. This year, the MSC is proud to award the John McCain Dissertation Award to Dr. Marino Auffant for his outstanding dissertation, “Globalizing Oil, Unleashing Capital: An International History of the 1970s Energy Crisis,” in which he examines the transformation of the world order in the 1970s through the prism of the first oil shock. Mr Auffant’s excellent work makes a very valuable contribution to the debate and fits perfectly with the spirit of the award.

As a leading international platform for debating foreign and security policy issues, the MSC is convinced that relevant and effective dialogue must include diverse voices. Yet women in particular are still underrepresented in foreign and security policy. That is why, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we are addressing female members of the German Bundestag and the European Parliament with this one-year program to strengthen their role in the foreign, security and development policy discourse. Through selected formats, such as participation in MSC events, study tours and background discussions, we strive to enable participants to engage with international leaders from the MSC network and provide a platform for jointly generating new ideas and approaches for German foreign, security and development policy. Meet this year’s participants here.

The Munich Security Conference and the Körber-Stiftung are delighted to announce the Munich Young Leaders (MYL) 2023 and welcome them to this year's conference. Meet our outstanding MYL cohort 2023here. The MYL program has been initiated in 2009 and has now become an integral part of the Munich Security Conference. Every year, the program brings together around 25 outstanding young representatives of governmental institutions, parliaments, think tanks, media, and the private sector from Germany, selected NATO member and partner states, as well as from states of strategic importance in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa. Please find further information on the program here.

Numerous events for the public will take place on the sidelines of the MSC 2023. Please find further information on the Literature Series, Innovation Night, MSC Concert, Zeitenwende on tour, Responsible Leaders Hub, and Youth Hubhere. Please note varying information on registration. Many of the events will be streamed on our website.

The MSC YouTube Studio has been an integral part of the Munich Security Conference program for several years. Thanks to the innovative setting and the digital focus, the format appeals primarily to a younger target group interested in politics, as we believe that security policy is a matter of great relevance for the next generation. If you do not want to miss the exciting discussions in the MSC YouTube Studio, subscribe to our MSC YouTube Channel.

During the conference, the MSC will offer livestreams of the conference’s main program, selected press conferences, and discussions on our website and on our social media channels.

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