Wreath-laying ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the death of Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld.
Secretary-General, Mr. President, dear friends and colleagues, thank you for being with us here today, for this annual commemoration of Dag Hammarskjöld’s death. I’d like to also thank the President of the General Assembly for hosting the informal Commemorative Meeting, that will follow this ceremony in the General Assembly, which is organised by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation together with Sweden and Tunisia.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the tragic crash in which Dag Hammarskjöld, the crew and other passengers accompanying him, died in Ndola, Zambia.
Dag Hammarskjöld served as the UN Secretary-General in a turbulent time, leading an organization that was challenged from various directions.
While the world today is different in many ways, we still face many threats to multilateralism, which makes Hammarskjöld’s defense of the UN Charter and his commitment to international cooperation especially relevant today.
Since we met at this time last year, the world has continued to face unprecedented crises. Today’s commemoration offers an opportunity to also pay tribute to all UN colleagues around the world, whose efforts and determination over the past year have shown the enduring relevance and strength of the United Nations as a force for peace, development and human rights.
The past year has also been a testament to how, in times of crises and when much is at stake, the commitment to our core values and principles becomes even more important.
A rules-based international order, together with respect for international humanitarian and human rights law, is fundamental for achieving peace and prosperity. Such an order will always have the United Nations at its core.
Dag Hammarskjöld worked tirelessly to defend the rules-based international order, and he strongly believed in international cooperation as the solution to our challenges.
And it is through international cooperation, with a stronger and more inclusive UN, we must face current and future challenges. Secretary-General, we look forward to the presentation tomorrow of your Common Agenda Report. The world now needs a roadmap for how we together can better tackle today’s and tomorrow’s challenges and we need to have the UN at its core.
Sweden continues to support the Independent Eminent Person in the UN-mandated investigation into the conditions and circumstances surrounding the fateful plane crash in Ndola that killed Dag Hammarskjöld, the crew and passengers.
We are grateful for the unanimous support expressed by the UN membership on several occasions. As the next report will be finalized in 2022, I would like to take the opportunity to humbly ask for the continued cooperation with the Independent Eminent Person by all states, and in particular those that may still possess information that will bring us closer to the truth.
Allow me also to thank the Independent Eminent Person Mohammed Chante Othman and his team for their tireless efforts towards this goal. Our efforts will continue for the sake of the United Nations, but foremost to those who lost their lives on that day 60 years ago, and to their families who are still left with unanswered questions.
Thank you very much.