About us
The Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation
We are an independent, non-governmental and non-contributory foundation established by the Government of Sweden on the initiative of the Swedish Parliament. In accordance with its statutes the Foundation has its seat and office in the Dag Hammarskjöld Center in Geijersgården on Övre Slottsgatan in Uppsala.
The activities of the Foundation are carried out by a secretariat headed by an Executive Director. This person is responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring the activities decided by the Board.
The Foundation finances its activities through organisational support from the government via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Our History
On September 18, 1961, Dag Hammarskjöld and everyone on board were killed in a plane crash during the approach for a mediation meeting during the Congo crisis in Ndola, now Zambia. Immediately after the news reached Stockholm, the Swedish Parliament and government convened.
On 22 September, the Prime Minister and the President signed a decision on a collection to honor Hammarskjöld’s memory and work began on setting up a memorial fund. The statutes of the newly established Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation were adopted on March 2, 1962, the national fundraising continued and work began on designing the activities. On October 23, the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation was welcomed by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution A/RES/1757(XVII):
“The General Assembly,
/—/Notes with satisfaction the initiatives taken by Members of the United Nations in establishing and supporting the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation as a living memorial devoted primarily to furthering his efforts to promote the objectives of the United Nations.”
The Foundation’s charter was promulgated on 8 November 1968 and the organisation assumed its current form. Since then, the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation has served various purposes for the UN and for international development cooperation.
The Foundation today
Today, the legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld is more relevant than ever. The Foundation continues to provide information, facts, and opportunities for different actors to come together to bridge gaps, find solutions, and promote multilateral solutions.
We do this through our projects, Peace and Security, UN Financing and UN Leadership, described in our Strategic Framework 2022-2025.
Strategic Framework
Read our Strategic Framework
Annual Reports
Interested to learn more about the Foundation's work in previous years?
Read our Annual Reports
Statute
The Foundation's statute can be found here.
Read our statute here