Helga Maria Schmid

Helga Maria Schmid is a German diplomat who currently serves as Vice-President of the Munich Security Conference Foundation and President of the European Institute of Peace.

She served as Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from 2020 to 2024. Helga Maria Schmid studied literature, history, and politics in Munich and Paris and served in the German Foreign Ministry. Before taking up her role at the OSCE, she held several senior international diplomatic positions. As Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) from 2016 to 2020, she was closely involved in a number of major negotiation processes, including the talks on Iran’s nuclear programme that led to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Helga Maria Schmid is an avid reader, a curious traveller, and a tireless advocate for women’s full and equal role in all aspects of society.