SIPRI had an active presence and co-hosted several events during the 2023 Munich Security Conference, 17–19 February.
On 18 February, SIPRI, the BMW Foundation and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) hosted a session on ‘Addressing the Food–Climate–Security Nexus’. The session looked at the increasing global security implications of food systems disruptions and considered how a solution-focused approach can enable a just transition for the most vulnerable. The discussion explored ways to strengthen resilience for the communities at the frontline of climate change, food insecurity and conflict; how we can create livelihoods that foster green and inclusive growth in the context of a just transition; and whether we should craft new organizations and/or transform existing ones to address these intersecting crises.
With implications of the war in Ukraine as one of the central themes of the conference, SIPRI and the International Crisis Group hosted a session titled ‘Food, Fuel and Fertilizer: Evaluating the Impact of the War in Ukraine on Conflict Risk’. The cascading effects of the war in Ukraine have not only detrimentally impacted food and nutrition security across the world, but they have also fueled instability in already insecure regions. The discussion focused on how the economic repercussions of the war in Ukraine can exacerbate conflict risks across the world and explored what steps must be taken to avoid a worsening global security outlook.
On 19 February, SIPRI and the Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) hosted the session ‘Europe’s New Mission(s): Updating EU Crisis Management’. The EU needs to be able to deploy and sustain crisis management missions—both military and civilian—if it wants to be a credible security provider. The Russia–Ukraine War has underlined the need to rethink, and maybe refocus, the EU’s ability to act, as it was also emphasized in the Strategic Compass. The EU Advisory Mission to Ukraine (EUAM)—which was strengthened and adapted after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022—as well as the new civilian EU Mission to Armenia (EUMA) could guide such rethinking. The event explored existing opportunities and much needed reforms with the aim of informing the current negotiations under the Swedish EU Presidency of the New Compact for Civilian CSDP.
SIPRI has produced a video series on perceptions of civilian crisis management and the efforts to strengthen the civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions of the European Union (EU). Watch the series here.
Throughout the conference, SIPRI’s delegation held several high-level bilateral discussions and spoke with Al Jazeera, Dagens Industri, Deutsche Welle, El Pais, Swiss Radio and Television, The Yomiuri Shimbun, among others.
Media contact
For information and interview requests contact SIPRI Media and Communications Officer Alexandra Manolache (alexandra.manolache@sipri.org, +46 766 286 133).