Stoltenberg and Schmid to Lead Munich Security Conference
Munich, September 23, 2026 – Jens Stoltenberg and Helga Maria Schmid have been unanimously elected to jointly lead the Munich Security Conference (MSC) gGmbH as co-chairs. They will take over from Wolfgang Ischinger, who has shaped the conference for nearly two decades. Both will serve in an honorary capacity, assuming their duties in good time before the 63rd Munich Security Conference in February 2027.
Experienced Diplomats at the Helm
Jens Stoltenberg currently serves as Norway’s Minister of Finance. His distinguished career includes roles as NATO Secretary General, Norwegian Prime Minister, and UN Special Envoy for Climate Change. Helga Maria Schmid is a seasoned diplomat, currently serving as Ambassador for Global Affairs. She has held prominent positions as Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the European External Action Service. Additionally, she is President of the Board of Directors of the European Institute of Peace and Deputy President of the MSC Foundation Council.
Nikolaus von Bomhard, President of the Foundation Council, stated, “With Jens Stoltenberg and Helga Maria Schmid, two of the world’s most experienced diplomats are taking the lead of the Munich Security Conference.”
About the Munich Security Conference
The Munich Security Conference is an international forum where politicians, military leaders, business representatives, non-governmental organizations, and experts informally discuss security policy issues. The conference focuses on current topics in foreign, security, and defense policy. Its origins trace back to the International Wehrkunde-Begegnung, founded in 1963 by Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist, a resistance fighter from the July 20, 1944 plot.
Structure and Funding
The MSC’s structure combines a gGmbH (non-profit limited liability company) and a foundation. Under Wolfgang Ischinger, the MSC was converted into a gGmbH in 2011. In 2018, he established the Munich Security Conference Foundation under civil law to ensure its long-term political and financial independence. Schmid and Stoltenberg will be appointed to the gGmbH board by the Foundation Council. Benedikt Franke serves as the Chairman of the Foundation Board and also as Deputy Chairman of the gGmbH.
The foundation’s assets primarily originated from Ischinger’s contribution of his shares in the MSC gGmbH to the foundation. Subsequent endowments came from sources such as the German federal government, the Free State of Bavaria, the Robert Bosch Foundation, and EnBW. The four-member Foundation Board is led by Benedikt Franke, and there is an eleven-member Foundation Council chaired by Nikolaus von Bomhard. Additional foundation bodies include the Advisory Council and a Board of Trustees.
Financial Support
The Munich Security Conference receives annual support from numerous partners and sponsors. State supporters include the Federal Foreign Office. Academic partners such as the Bundeswehr University Munich, institutional partners like the Körber Foundation and the German Council on Foreign Relations, and partners from the business sector also contribute. In the 2024/25 fiscal year, the MSC generated approximately 30 million Euros from supporter contributions. Additionally, it received nearly two million Euros in state funding, with about half coming from the Federal Ministry of Defence.
Source: die-stiftung.de
