Munich Security Conference presents new report on Covid-19 pandemic

In just a few short months, the coronavirus pandemic has become a polypandemic – a health crisis that is accompanied by various other pandemics, among them the pandemics of poverty and hunger, of nationalism and authoritarianism. By mutually reinforcing each other, these pandemics might well reverse decades of development progress, further exacerbate state fragility, and even become a catalyst for violent conflict. The new special edition of the Munich Security Report "Polypandemic" seeks to fuel the debate on how to better protect the world’s most vulnerable people while also helping them invest in long-term crisis resilience.

On November 19, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) presented "Polypandemic" – a special edition of the Munich Security Report on development, fragility and conflict in the era of Covid-19 – to an audience of key stakeholders at a virtual launch event. Gerd Müller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, opened the event and later examined the findings of the MSC Report in a panel discussion with three members of the German Bundestag – Agnieszka Brugger, Gyde Jensen and Siemtje Möller. The discussion was moderated by Julia Steets, Director of the Global Public Policy Institute.

The coronavirus "confronts the world not only with one pandemic but with a multitude of pandemics" warned Sophie Eisentraut, Senior Researcher at the MSC, as she presented the report at the event. In already vulnerable regions and countries, the direct and indirect effects of the pandemic threatened to be particularly severe. This fact has so far received worryingly little attention in affluent Western countries. The MSC report is intended to initiate a debate on how to better protect particularly vulnerable population groups from the consequences of the pandemic and to increase crisis resilience globally.

In this context, Federal Minister Müller stressed that Germany and the EU must respond to the challenge of the polypandemic in a holistic way, as peace, security and development are interdependent. If the pandemic harmed development in Africa, this would have a direct and indirect impact on the security situation on the continent. He therefore expressed concern about the recent news that the European Union would in the future provide less rather than more money for development cooperation.

During the discussion, the panelists supported the call for a holistic approach to fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences. In this context, Gyde Jensen pleaded for the introduction of qualified majority voting at the European level when it comes to foreign and security policy, in order to increase Europe's ability to act. Siemtje Möller agreed with this and also emphasised that Germany and Europe should aim to re-strengthen international organisations and rules, which had come under even greater pressure during the pandemic than before. In her view, this would be the only way to maintain trust and peace between states in the long term.

About Munich Security Report Special Editions

The Munich Security Report Special Editions complement the Munich Security Report, which is annually published in February ahead of the Munich Security Conference. Each MSR Special Edition is dedicated to an essential and current topic of international foreign and security policy.

This special edition "Polypandemic" on development, fragility, and conflict in the era of Covid-19 available in English and German is the second such publication – after the special edition “Zeitenwende | Wendezeiten” on German foreign and security policy – and will be followed by further issues in this series in the future.

About Health Security

The MSC has acknowledged early on that local health issues have the potential to evolve into full-fledged international security crises. Aware of the need for international action, the MSC partnered with the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, Johnson and Johnson, Merck and others, to promote the discussion and collaboration between health officials, NGO leaders, security strategists, the private sector, and decision-makers. Within its Human Security Series, the MSC has been organizing events and conferences on health-related challenges since 2016. Moreover, health security has become an integral part of the MSC's annual conference in Munich as well as its Core Group Meetings. Additionally, a chapter in the annual Munich Security Report regularly focuses on health security issues.