The Munich Security Conference

NWI at MSC 2024.

ABOUT MSC 

The Munich Security Conference (MSC) is the world’s leading forum for debating pressing international security concerns. The annual meeting brings together over 450 senior decision-makers and thought leaders from around the world, including heads of state, ministers, and high-ranking representatives of international organizations, industry, media, academia, and civil society.

MSC's objective is, purportedly, to build trust among nations and facilitate a peaceful resolution of conflicts by sustaining a continuous, curated, and informal dialogue within the international security community. It is the world’s leading forum for debating international security policy.

2025 was the 61st annual MSC and it took place soon after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the return of the former US president Trump to the White House, and the announcement of a long-awaited ceasefire in Gaza. At the same time, a brutal war continued to rage in Ukraine, and violence and conflict were on the rise in South Sudan and the DRC. Support for Syria, ensuring a lasting ceasefire in the Middle East, and initiating peace negotiations in Ukraine were expected to be heavily discussed topics.

NWI AT MSC 

Nobel Peace laureates Oleksandra Matviichuk (Ukraine) and Tawakkol Karman (Yemen) led NWI’s participation at the MSC 2025.  

Despite its stated mission to achieve lasting peace, the MSC is a male-dominated, highly militarized space in which more, not less, militarization is typically achieved. It is also a closed space, with little to no participation of civil society. Nobel Peace Prize laureates were among the rare invitees, giving us an opportunity to raise women's voices, and highlight that peace and security are achieved not with weapons, but with respect for human rights, dignity, and the climate. The forum also presented an opportunity to forge strategic partnerships for women in peace and security spaces.

KEY MESSAGES 

Through a variety of engagements in the main conference, side events and meetings, NWI highlighted and advocated for the following: 

• Meaningful inclusion of women in the interim government and rebuilding plans in Syria. 

• Ensuring that women are included in peace negotiations in Ukraine, and that human experiences and concerns, including in occupied territories, are central to discussions. 

• Centering women’s needs and voices in Occupied Palestinian Territories. 

• Ensuring a full and lasting release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, and other political prisoners, in Iran.  

NWI PARTICIPANTS 

Oleksandra Matviichuk, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (Ukraine)  

Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize laureate (Yemen)   

Maria Butler, Executive Director, NWI  

Dildar Kaya, Advocacy Coordinator, NWI 

Outcomes of the MSC

• Matviichuk: An empire always wants to expand. DW. 05 February 2025.
• Oleksandra Matviichuk: Justice is possible, even though delayed in time. Munich Security Conference. 15 February 2025.
• Breaking the Echo Chamber: Voices for Human-Centered Security at the Munich Security Conference