On 31 January, Federal President Gauck will open the 50th Munich Security Conference with a speech on Germany’s role in the world. The Munich Security Conference was established in 1963 under the name International Wehrkunde Encounter by Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin, a member of the resistance against the National Socialist regime.

In the early years, discussions focused on transatlantic relations and NATO. Since the end of the Cold War, a broader range of issues have been debated at the Conference: current conflicts such as the one in Syria, cyber security, the European Security and Defence Policy as well as energy and climate security. The Munich Security Conference is valued by many of its participants as a high level multilateral forum with a culture of open discussion.