Munich Security Conference:

2024 | February

The picture shows several people at a panel discussion. On the left of the picture is a woman who is talking. To the right are 2 women sitting on a grey fabric couch. Next to them, a man and another woman are sitting on individual grey fabric chairs. In the background are large windows with the design of the event on them.

How can strategic investments contribute to fostering peace?

The Munich Security Conference (MSC) once again served as a nexus of international diplomacy this February, hosting over 900 participants in what could be called diplomatic speed dating. Held at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof, the conference featured public panels and discussions focusing on the latest developments in foreign and security policy. Under the title “Unlocking Private Sector Investments in Peace,” Deike Potzel, Head of Department S for Crisis Prevention, Stabilization, Peacebuilding, and Humanitarian Assistance at the German Federal Foreign Office, engaged in discussions at the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt Pavilion on how peace can be fostered through strategic investments.

The discussion centred around Germany’s EUR 12 million startup funding for a novel private sector investment institution, aiming to generate positive externalities that promote peace in fragile settings.

Private and public investments have the potential to mitigate conflicts in crisis contexts. Well-conceived investments can stabilize post-conflict peace orders in fragile environments. The Investing for Peace Initiatives (I4P), spearheaded by the United Nations Peacebuilding and the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), aims to catalyse such peace-promoting investments.

In today’s global landscape, these discussions are more crucial than ever, emphasizing the need for actionable solutions.