Information about the Munich Security Conference 2022, February 18–20

The Munich Security Conference 2022 will be different from recent editions. In order to adhere to current COVID-19 regulations, the size and footprint of the conference has been reduced massively, with numbers of participants, events, locations, and delegation sizes cut by two thirds.

In one important way, however, the MSC 2022 will be just like its predecessors: It will be attended by many of the world’s key decision-makers, including more than 30 Heads of State and Government, 100 ministers and the heads of many of the most important international organisations such as the UN, NATO, and the EU. The conference will be opened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The German government delegation will be led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The United States will again be represented by a particularly prominent delegation encompassing both the administration and congress.

Even though coping with the current pandemic situation must be at the forefront of all considerations, the need to return to regular meetings and dialogue in the field of foreign and security policy is clear for all to see. The risk of escalation and irreparable damage to the rules-based international order is real and the number of interconnecting crises growing. The Munich Security Conference 2022 is thus coming at an important time.

Taking place in its traditional venue, the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, the MSC will provide a platform to address this tide of mutually reinforcing crises. Designed as a working conference, the MSC will be host to a large number of official bilateral and multilateral meetings in addition to its own formats. Amongst the topics to be discussed in the main program are global challenges such as the pandemic and climate crises, the protection of democracy, the regulation of technology as well as regional challenges such as revitalizing the transatlantic alliance, the growing tensions in Eastern Europe, and the situation in some of the world’s most dire conflict zones. The last day of the conference is dedicated to the European Union and how it can (and must) contribute to addressing all these challenges.    

The MSC 2022 will assemble many of the world’s key decisionmakers. In addition to the official delegations, the MSC has also invited a small number of key figures from civil society, such as the heads of important non-governmental organisations and think tanks as well as thought leaders from academia, the media, and business to add their perspectives to the discussions.

The MSC will take place under pandemic conditions. In order to keep all guests and partners as well as the public as safe as possible, the MSC has worked with all relevant authorities to devise a detailed health and safety concept that exceeds all legal requirements. Access to the event is based on comprehensive vaccination requirements, daily testing, and a strict mask mandate. The MSC is cooperating with EcoCare as exclusive health & safety partner to implement these measures.

This year’s Munich Security Report (MSR) will be launched at the Bundespressekonferenz on February 14 at 10 a.m. It will lay the ground for the discussion at the MSC. The event will be held in German and will be streamed live on our website as well as on our Twitter and YouTube accounts. The report is once again built around the Munich Security Index, a joint project with Kekst CNC which offers a comprehensive analysis of risk perceptions in all G7 and BRICS countries. The report and accompanying materials will be available for download on the website from February 14.

Due to the strict hygiene requirements, there will not be a dedicated press centre this year. To ensure live coverage of the event, the host broadcaster (Bayerischer Rundfunk) and a number of media partners will report from the conference venue. In addition, the MSC has created a digital conferencing platform which allows for virtual access to the conference and its participants. Media representatives can access the platform to follow most aspects of the conference live, gain exclusive access to video and image material, arrange interviews, and participate in digital press briefings. Registration is possible via the MSC website until February 16.

For updates and insights, follow @MunSecConf on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. To join the debates online, use the hashtag #MSC2022 and tag us @MunSeConf. In addition to the program on the MSC Conferencing Platform and website, selected panels and press conferences will be broadcast on the MSC’s channels on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.