Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer
Munich Young Leaders 2024
From 15 to 18 February 2024, the 15th cohort of Munich Young Leaders participated in the Munich Security Conference (MSC).
During the 60th MSC, the group consisting of young experts from politics, media, civil society, the private sector and think tanks from over 15 countries (including Ethiopia, Brazil, Türkiye, Japan and many more) met with high-ranking decision-makers in the sphere of foreign and security policy.
The Participants
Before joining the Foreign Relations Committee in the United States Senate, Maggie Dougherty worked as Senior Policy Advisor to Nikki Haley, former US Ambassador to the United Nations. Her work focuses on international organizations, democracy, refugees, global criminal justice and human rights.
In her eyes, the biggest challenge in international relations today is the rise of authoritarianism, because autocratic leaders are using technology to actively undermine open, democratic societies. In addition to governments, media, and civil societies, she sees possible solutions in Young Leaders: they can form networks to share best practices to combat threats to democracy. Also, Young Leaders can support democratic grassroots movements around the world.
Maggie Dougherty is most looking forward to hearing the other Munich Young Leaders’ perspectives on the challenges of our time, as they all bring unique insights from their varied experiences.
As Project Manager at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in the Northeast Asia region office, Qiyang Niu manages and designs discussions aimed at reducing tensions and mitigating risks in major China-related conflict issues. He is also currently pursuing a PhD at Tsinghua University in Beijing, where he works as Fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy, focusing on arms control and non-proliferation issues.
Qiyang Niu sees the biggest challenge in today’s international relations in the escalating intensity of major power rivalry, which not only has a direct impact on the parties involved, but also exerts a pervasive influence on the course of global politics. Constructive dialogue is urgently needed to address this issue – not only among nations, but also among individuals.
He is looking forward to forging new friendships at the Munich Young Leaders, as he is certain that these connections will pave the way for further opportunities and collaborations on international security issues.
Gustavo Orozco is not only Security Strategy Advisor to the Mayor of Cali in Colombia, but also the founder of Objetivo Cero, a citizens’ group dedicated to political control and mobilization against crime. As an expert on citizen security and counterterrorism, he is a constant contributor to national media outlets and has been invited by the UN as the only Latin American to speak at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the UN’s central body for drug policy.
He sees the issue of borders as the biggest current challenge for international relations. Migration has become a contentious matter between and within states, threatening coexistence, regional stability and even national security. He considers the demand to consequently close borders as populist and unrealizable and finds shunning migration to please public opinion dishonest. The Global South, meanwhile, must work to stop the loss of its local talent.
As a Munich Young Leader, Gustavo Orozco is particularly excited to learn more about security challenges in other corners of the world and exchanging best practices and ideas with the other participants in the program.
Program at the 60th Munich Security Conference
In 2024, the current group of Munich Young Leaders (MYL) had the chance to participate in the “anniversary edition” – the 60th MSC. With the beginning of the first conference day, they were received by Conference Chairman Christoph Heusgen, who stood ready to give insights into proceedings, challenges and goals of this year’s conference. After this, the MYL met with Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, for a wide-ranging discussion on the challenges of democratic systems, regional security issues in West Africa, and climate change. This session was followed by a talk with Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks of Germany, where the group inquired about the state of the German “Zeitenwende”, the war in Ukraine as well as green energy transition. On the same day, the MYL also met with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, to discuss the “super election year” of 2024, consequences of emerging technologies such as AI and other imponderables of our time.
What is the agency of small states in the international system? How to build trust in governments? And what does good leadership look like today? On the second conference day, those and further questions were the topics of discussion with Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence of the Republic of Singapore. Good leadership as well as growing societal divisions were also key topics in the following conversation with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita, and Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. For the last part of the MYL program, the group spoke about the current situation in the Middle East with Rym Momtaz, Alumna of the program, journalist and Research Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
MYL getting to know each other at their Welcome Dinner Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL with Christoph Heusgen, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL Netsanet Alemu asking a question on Water Security Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL with Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL Sevgil Musaeieva asking a question on Ukraine Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL with Wolfgang Schmidt, Head of the Federal Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Tasks of the Federal Republic of Germany Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL Daisuke Kawai asking a question on Economic Security Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister for External Affairs of the Republic of India Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL Hanna Notte asking a question on Nuclear Proliferation Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL with Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence of the Republic of Singapore Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL with Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL Sophie Guelff asking a question on European Partnerships Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL getting together with alumni of the program Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL with alumna Rym Momtaz, Journalist and Research Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL Emma Louise Powell on an MSC panel on the future of Geopolitics Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer 
MYL looking back at the conference weekend Photo: Körber-Stiftung/Saurer
Previous cohorts at MSC
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 Eng 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.
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 Eng 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.
