Programme Director, Inger Lise Rettedal, and CEO and President of ONS, Leif Johan Sevland attended the high-level Munich Security Conference (MSC) last week on behalf of ONS. These are Rettedal's reflections:

MSC is the world's leading forum for debating international security policy. More than 900 decision-makers and thought-leaders from around the world came together in Munich to discuss and strengthen alliances. Kamala Harris, Olaf Scholz, Mia Mottley and the widow of Aleksej Navalnyj were amongst the esteemed speakers at the MSC event in Munich this year.

At MSC ONS partnered up with MSC on a roundtable about energy security on geopolitical ripple effects of the transition away from fossil fuels, well moderated by Jason Bordoff of Center on Global Energy Policy and Meghan O’Sullivan of Harvard University. Energy is a global security concern and therefore the ONS Foundation sees great value in being part of the discussions at MSC. Geopolitical tensions and rising uncertainty challenge energy security and energy supply worldwide, putting strain and urgency on the energy transition.

To ONS, the meeting place in Munich is a unique arena to connect with those shaping the debate on geopolitics, energy security and climate.

Highlights:

- To be in the conference hall when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine was on stage. Talk about being a part of history. He is an impressive person and communicator. This week it is two years since Russia invaded Ukraine. The message from Zelenskyy was clear; it does not end with Ukraine. We must not be naive.

- Panel discussion with amongst other Jens Stoltenberg of NATO and the bold Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas with moderator Christiane Amanpour of CNN.   Europe has delivered on resources for military and civil support, it is time for the US to take decisions and step up.

- Greatly impressive European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen debated with Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte, and Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, interviewed by Chair of Warsaw Security Forum. Von der Leyen stated that we are in a fight of democracies. And that she would appoint a Commissioner of Defence if she were to be re-elected. Today she announced that she will seek a second term as head of the European Union Commission.

- Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Wang Yi, attended the MSC Conference yet again. He advocated a continuous cooperating with Europe and warned the west of decoupling China. Understandable; trade is power and lays the foundation for growth. Trade is of key significance for China to restore and uphold their economic growth. One could be concerned with the real implications of their ‘no-limits friendship’ as of February 2022. All we know is that China is playing the long game.

- Breakfast meeting with Columbia center on International Affairs with Hillary Clinton and Nobel laureate Maria Ressa and Jason Bordoff. They discussed the universities’ role in the geopolitics of an election year. Clinton said there has been too much wishful thinking and lack of imagination. Ressa said that 2024 will be a tipping point year with regards to elections - for survival we should move out of the virtual world. Bordoff talked about energy in a larger context, that 80 per cent of the energy mix energy still are fossil fuel energy sources and how critical minerals can be the next large trade conflict.

We bring back valuable insight and connections tht will help shape the ONS Programme in August 2024. For more about the Conference and the different arenas, please take a look here.

‍