The General Assembly this Thursday held a commemorative event to mark the 60th anniversary of the death of former UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, where current chief António Guterres, noted that in his passing, the world had lost “a noble servant of peace, and the United Nations lost one of our greatest.”
A recap of Monday’s stories: New UN-Habitat campaign converts waste into wealth; refugee agency chief issues alert over 'dangerous nationalism', UN warns against Syrian civilian displacement; Guterres renews call for full disclosure by States over 1961 Hammarskjöld plane crash; First-ever conference on nuclear power and climate change.
Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday described his predecessor Dag Hammarskjöld as his “fundamental inspiration,” who should be regarded as the “central reference” point for the whole United Nations ideal today.
The members of the United Nations Security Council need to find a way to unite and punish anyone found to have used chemical weapons in Syria, in line with international law.
“If there is a conflict, leave it to Dag” became a popular phrase in the 1950s when the late Dag Hammarskjöld was Secretary-General of the UN.
Swedish historian and biographer Henrik Berggren, made the observation at UN Headquarters while discussing his recently published book on “the man and the diplomat”.
During his years as UN chief from 1953 to 1961, Mr Hammarskjöld or “Dag” guided the Organization through the world’s most complex emergencies.
Sweden should take a stand against negative and “nativist narratives”, when it comes to refugees, the UN Secretary-General urged on Wednesday.
But he also commended the European nation for taking in the most refugees, in proportion to its size.
Ban Ki-moon made the remarks at Uppsala University, during the Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture, delivered in memory of the life and work of the second Secretary-General of the UN.
