These are the Munich Young Leaders 2021/2022

The Munich Young Leaders program has been initiated in 2009 and has now become an integral part of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). Every year, the program brings together about 25 outstanding young representatives of governmental institutions, parliaments, think tanks, the 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.

The MSC and the Körber-Stiftung are delighted to announce the Munich Young Leaders 2021 on the occasion of the Welcome Session on September 29, 2021:

Aboulnaga, Mohamed
Political Awareness Team Lead, Egyptian Social Democratic Party, Parliament of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Cairo

Al Mahmeed, Hamad
Director of Research, Office of the First Deputy Prime Minister, Kingdom of Bahrain, Manama 

Alametsä, Alviina
Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, The Greens/EFA Parliamentary Group, European Parliament, Brussels

Ba Matraf, Emad
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Prime Ministry of the Republic of Yemen, Istanbul

Begum-Ali, Nisha
Deputy Head, China Internal Team, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, London

Bernard, Frédéric
Head of Cabinet & Sherpa, Cabinet of the President, European Council, Brussels

Bruder, Erwin
Chief Executive Officer of an Army Combat Unit, Ministry of Armed Forces, French Republic, Paris

Deschamps-Laporte, Laurence
Visiting Professor, Political Science, Montréal Centre for International Studies, Université de Montréal, Montréal

Earle, Katherine
Professional Staff Member Europe and Russia, Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC

Heydarian, Richard Javad
Professorial Chairholder in Geopolitics, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila

Iyonaga, Ayaka
Deputy Director, International Policy Division, Japan Ministry of Defense, Tokyo

Jalil, Hosna
Former Deputy Minister, Policy and Strategy, Ministry of the Interior, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Kabul

Kim Eunbee
Associate Professor, Security Policy Department, Korea National Defense University, Seoul

Kupe, Laura
Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, U.S. State Department of Defense, Washington, DC

Li Wentao
Deputy Director and Associate Professor, Institute of African Studies, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, Beijing

Miguel dos Santos, Ana
Member, Parliament of the Portuguese Republic, Lisbon

Nyabola, Nanjala
Writer, Political Analyst and Activist, Nairobi

Osswald, Marius
Private Secretary, State Secretary Miguel Berger, Federal Foreign Office, Berlin

Pisarska, Katarzyna
Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Warsaw Security Forum, Warsaw

Quartapelle Procopio, Lia
Member of the Committee on Foreign and Community Affairs, Parliament of the Italian Republic, Rome

Rakhra, Kanica
Senior Consultant, Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division, Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi

Shmatsina, Katsiaryna
Fellow, Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS), Vilnius

Stefanishyna, Olha
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Ukraine, Kyiv

van Damme, Phumzile
Former Member, National Assembly (Parliament of the Republic of South Africa); Misinformation Expert; Freelance Consultant, Pretoria

von Daniels, Laura
Head of Research Division "The Americas", German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin

Wong, Catherine
Policy Specialist, Climate and Security Risks, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), New York City

The Munich Young Leaders programme by the Körber-Stiftung and the Munich Security Conference is designed to give promising young professionals and future decision-makers the opportunity to take part in important political debates, introduce new ideas to the international scene and strengthen their professional networks. To date, more than 290 talented minds from over 60 countries have become part of the Munich Young Leaders. Among them are ministers, members of parliament, senior civil servants, commanders and leading political experts from some of the world’s most distinguished institutions. They come from a wide range of backgrounds including governments, national and regional parliaments, civil society, academia, think tanks, the media and the private sector. The group has a strong interest in international and security affairs and includes experts in a variety of fields.

Every year, a new cohort of outstanding talents joins the Munich Young Leaders programme. The selected candidates will have the opportunity to attend next year’s Munich Security Conference 2022. Against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, we did not want to miss the opportunity to welcome this year's Munich Young Leaders and therefore organized a digital welcome session. This year’s programme began with the digital opening session on September 29, 2021 and will conclude with discussion sessions during the Munich Security Conference 2022. The welcome event focused on the state of multilateral cooperation in the wake of the pandemic.

The COVID-19 crisis constitutes the greatest stress test for the multilateral order since the Second World War. The pandemic is accelerating many of the profound political changes that have rendered multilateral cooperation increasingly difficult well before the coronavirus struck the world. At a moment like this, it is crucial keep the conversation going regarding the future of multilateral problem-solving, even if it is with virtual meetings.