About the lecture
The annual Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture, jointly hosted by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and Uppsala University, is given in memory of Dag Hammarskjöld. It recognises individuals who exhibit the values that inspired him personally and as Secretary-General: compassion, humanism, and commitment to international solidarity and cooperation.
The event will take place in the Uppsala University Grand Auditorium (Aula Magna) on 16 September 2024, 17:00-19:00. Dr Peter Wallensteen, Senior Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University will moderate the panel discussion. The lecture is public and requires no registration and the doors to the lecture will open at 16:30.
This year, two lectures will be conducted on the same day, as the 2023 lecture was postponed due to logistical considerations. Further details about the lecturers and medalists are provided below:
Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture 2023
Photo: Intellectual Property Office of Singapore.
‘Reaching shore: Multilateralism and the Value of International Law’
Rena Lee is Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law and the Chief Executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. Rena joined the Singapore public service in 1992 and has served in several roles, including with the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She specializes in the practice of public international law, covering diverse areas including law of the sea, environmental and climate change law, and humanitarian and human rights law.
Rena Lee was most recently Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues and Special Envoy of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. In this capacity, Rena Lee was elected President of the BBNJ Intergovernmental Conference in 2018 and served until the successful conclusion of the negotiations in 2023. Rena Lee was also a member of the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority between 2017 and 2022.
In March 2023, after nearly two decades of efforts, UN member states reached a significant milestone, as they finally agreed on a treaty to safeguard the high seas and deep seabed. Following days of exhaustive round-the-clock negotiations, conference president Rena Lee made the historic announcement in room 2 of the UN headquarters. The Treaty is regarded as crucial for conserving 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
Dag Hammarskjöld Lecture 2024
Photo: Beate Simarud, Norwegian Refugee Council.
‘The Lesson from Hammarskjöld for Conflict Resolution Today’
Jan Egeland is the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council since 2013, overseeing humanitarian response in 40 countries affected by both new and protracted crises. He also held the role of Eminent Person for The Grand Bargain Initiative, advocating for its commitments to better serve people in need from June 2021 to June 2023.
In 2021, Jan Egeland was appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as chair of the Independent Senior Advisory Panel on Humanitarian Deconfliction in the Syrian Arab Republic.
Jan Egeland’s extensive career in international affairs includes serving as Special Advisor to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, European Director at Human Rights Watch, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
He played a crucial role in reforming the global humanitarian response system and organising response to crises such as the Asian Tsunami and conflicts in Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lebanon.
In 2010, Jan Egeland published ‘A billion lives: An Eyewitness Report from the Frontline of Humanity’, providing insight into his broad experiences in the field of international humanitarian field.
The lecture is open for the public and requires no pre-registration.