Munich Young Leaders 2023
Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer
Munich Young Leaders 2023
From 16 to 19 February 2023, the 14th cohort of Munich Young Leaders participated in the Munich Security Conference (MSC).
During the 59th MSC, the group consisting of young experts from politics, media, civil society, the private sector and think tanks from over 20 countries (including India, Libya, Malaysia, Poland, Rwanda and many more) met with high-ranking decision-makers in the sphere of foreign and security policy.
Participants 2023
Munich Young Leaders at the 2023 Munich Security Conference
After the pandemic-related restrictions of the last years, in this year, the MYL were once again able to participate in the MYL programme and further sessions and panels of the MSC to the usual extent.
A broad spectrum of several exclusive background discussions offered the group a platform for exchanging ideas and gaining important insights: With Nadia Murad, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2018 and founder of “Nadia’s Initiative”, the German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, his Singaporean counterpart Ng En Hen, the Foreign Minister of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and the Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, the MYL discussed a range of topics in foreign and security policy and beyond. Furthermore, the group met the Ukrainian activists, former MPs and alumnae of the MYL programme Hanna Hopko and Svitlana Zalishchuk, who shared insights regarding the role of civil society in times of war and discussed international perspectives on the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine with the current cohort.
MYL getting to know each other Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL speak with alumnae Hanna Hopko and Svitlana Zalishchuk Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL speak with Boris Pistorius, German Minister of Defence Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL speak with Nadia Murad Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL with Ng En Hen, Defence Minister of Singapore Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
Gabrielius Landsbergis, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL speak with US Senator Jeanne Shaheen Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL with Robert Dussey, Foreign Minister of the Togolese Republic, and Christoph Heusgen, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL looking back at the conference weekend Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer
Previous cohorts at MSC
The 13th cohort of Munich Young Leaders (MYL) was the first group to get to know each other in a digital kick-off session before the Munich Security Conference in September 2021.
After a short virtual get-together, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, drawing on her vast experience as former Nigerian Minister, former Vice President of the World Bank and co-founder of Transparency International, discussed the future of multilateralism with the MYL. The discussion revolved, among other things, around necessary reforms of the multilateral system and lessons learned – both positive and negative – from the fight against the global COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Ezekwesili stressed the importance of young, committed people and their visions in moving individual countries as well as the international dialogue forward.
The 58th Munich Security Conference took place from 18 to 20 February under the pandemic conditions prevailing at the time. This meant fewer guests, fewer media representatives and smaller delegations, as well as additional digital and participatory formats that complemented all traditional activities. This also resulted in an adapted programme for the MYL.
The programme featured exclusive background discussions with high-level conference participants. Among them were Ng En Hen, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Singapore, Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and Pekka Haavisto, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Finland.
The twelfth cohort of Munich Young Leaders came together at the 56th Munich Security Conference. On the agenda were meetings with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Foreign Minister of the Republic of India, Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, the German Minister of Defence, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Fu Ying, Vice Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China.
In February 2019, the eleventh cohort of Munich Young Leaders met with Kersti Kaljulaid, President of the Republic of Estonia, and Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States of America, Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and Rosemary DiCarlo, Undersecretary General for Political Affairs and Peace Operations at the United Nations, among others, at the Munich Security Conference.
For the tenth time, young foreign and security policy makers met at the Munich Security Conference from 15 to 18 February 2018. Among others, the MYL discussed with H. R. McMaster, National Security Advisor to the U.S. President, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Emirate of Qatar, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former NATO Secretary General and Tzipi Livni, former Deputy Prime Minister and former Foreign Minister of Israel.
The MYL were welcomed at the 53rd Munich Security Conference and had meetings with German Federal Minister of Defence, Ursula von der Leyen, Dr Fatou Bensouda, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Ine Eriksen Søreide, Minister of Defence of Norway, and Alexander Grushko, Ambassador of Russia to NATO.
