“In the footsteps of Dag Hammarskjöld”
On Tuesday, 18 September, 57 years passed since Dag Hammarskjöld and the 15 persons accompanying him tragically died in a plane crash in Ndola, Zambia.
To commemorate this and the legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld and his colleagues, the Foundation hosted and attended a number of commemorative events in Uppsala, New York and Ndola. Read more about the events here.
Uppsala
A commemorative event in Uppsala took place on Tuesday, 18 September at 16:00. This commemoration was a public event and we welcomed all who were interested in remembering the life and legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld.
After remarks from Henning Melber on Hammarskjöld’s work the group walked together to the Hammarskjöld family grave. A family member of one of the 15 who lost his life in the plane crash, laid the wreath on Dag Hammarskjöld’s memorial stone.
New York
In New York, Antonio Guterres and Swedish Ambassador Olof Skoog gave short remarks during the Dag Hammarskjöld commemoration event on 18 September at UN Headquarters. Foundation staff participated in the ceremony and moment of silence.
Lusaka and Ndola, Zambia
The Foundation also organised and attended a number of events in Zambia to focus on Dag Hammarsjöld’s legacy.
Photo by: Swedish Embassy in Zambia
Following the tradition from previous years, an official commemoration to honour the life and legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld was organised at the Memorial Crash Site in Ndola (pictured left).
There was also a number of events building on Hammarskjöld’s legacy as an international civil servant and to promote work with young people. The Foundation hosted a workshop on Youth, Peace and Security as well attended a school debate and community outreach programme arranged by the Swedish Embassy in Lusaka together with the United Nations Information Center (UNIC) and Dag Hammarskjöld Community Outreach Programme at Lubuto Library Partners – Ngwerere Basic School.
The Dag Hammarskjöld Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies (DHIPS) at the Copperbelt University in Kitwe organised a lecture series as part of the Dag Hammarskjöld commemoration week. Karin Abbor-Svensson from the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation spoke about Dag Hammarskjöld and the International Civil Servant.