15 February 2025 Speech by Federal Minister Svenja Schulze at the Munich Security Conference, event to strengthen multilateralism

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Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you very much for joining us. It is really a pleasure to have you here around the table.

I think many of you have the same feeling as I have. Every day now, we see that multilateral agreements and institutions are really under pressure. We see it here at the MSC. We see it in the newspapers. We see it every day when we start our work.

The multilateral system as a whole seems to be drifting apart. Different countries, big and small, are challenging the international rules-based order. And in many countries, here around the table and in many countries around the world, there are nationalist voices that question the value of international cooperation.

That is something that is very concerning. Because the value and the benefits of multilateralism are evident.

For example, climate protection. We all know how important the Paris Agreement is. What it means for the international community that all nations have come together and agreed to a binding agreement. This is more important now than ever. Last year was the warmest year on record. And I see during my travels to the countries of the Global South what that means every day. What climate change means to them. So we need to work together on that.

Another example is global health. We see what the pandemic has cost, was the risks are. Multilateral institutions and funds have played a key role in fighting infectious diseases such as AIDS, malaria or polio. We were so successful before COVID. More than one billion children have received important vaccines, helping to halve child mortality since the year 2000.

There are a lot of examples like these, where cooperation was successful. And we all know that the global challenges cannot be solved by one country alone. Climate change, infectious diseases – they do not stop at national borders. It is obvious that we need to work together.
We need confidence-building instead of bloc-building or bullying. And we need common rules that everyone adheres to.

We all see the pressure on the multilateral system. We all see how difficult it is nowadays to find joint solutions to global challenges. But that must not stop us.

Yes, that is a crisis. Yes, it is not easy to work together in these times. But every crisis holds the chance of change for the better. And we as an international community must seize that opportunity. It is not a big opportunity, but it is an opportunity. So let us use that.

Therefore, we have asked you to come together here to strengthen the United Nations Development System. I thank everybody in the room and beyond for supporting the Declaration of Intent that we have put forward.

The United Nations Development System can help solve the many challenges that humankind and the planet are facing. But some governments claim that the UN Development System is biased, ineffective and inefficient.

And when they ask what the United Nations brings to the table, I always say something that I have learned from Achim Steiner. Because the answer is simple: without the UN, there would be no table. No table to gather around and jointly work on compromises. No table with a seat for every country.

Therefore, with the Declaration of Intent, we are renewing our support for the UN Development System. We are advocating for the famous “One UN” and will push for better coordination amongst the UN agencies at the global, regional and country levels. We want to encourage more collaboration with civil society, with multilateral development banks and with the private sector. And we are emphasising the importance of timely, more predictable and adequate provision of financing.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In a world that is shaped by “multi-polarisation”, it is more important than ever to strengthen international cooperation and international institutions so as to achieve stability, security and sustainable development. I thank you very much for sending this message very loud and very clear today at the MSC.