About the Foundation
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 Statute the Foundation has its seat and office in the Dag Hammarskjöld Center in Geijersgården at Övre Slottsgatan in Uppsala.
The activities of the Foundation are carried out by a Secretariat headed by an Executive Director who is responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring the activities decided by the Board.
The Foundation primarily finances its activities with organisational support from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Our History
On September 18, 1961, Dag Hammarskjöld and everyone on board were killed in a plane crash during its approach to the Ndola airport on mission to mediate in the Congo crisis. In the days after the news reached Stockholm, the Swedish Parliament and government convened to recognise Dag Hammarskjöld for his work in the United Nations and as a national icon in Sweden.
On 22 September, the Prime Minister and the President signed a decision to start a collection of funds to honour Dag Hammarskjöld’s memory and work began to establish a Foundation. This decision was announced on the Swedish public service television company (SVT) by the Prime Minister, Tage Erlander, on the same day and can be seen in the clip below:
Our Statute
The Statute of the newly established Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation was adopted on March 2, 1962 (later revised 8 November 1968). After the adoptation of the Statute, the national fundraising continued and work began on designing the activities. The first Board meeting took place on 21 May 1962. SVT reported from the meeting, see below:
The UN Resolution
On October 23 1962, 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 programmes, Sustaining Peace, UN Financing and UN Leadership, described in our Strategic Framework 2022-2025. The Foundation also work in promoting the legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld, done through the annual Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture and more.