Björn Holmberg’s most recent position is serving as the Deputy National Director and Director of the Department Programmes and Influencing at Plan International Sweden. Before this he was the Director of the International Secretariat of the Challenges Forum, hosted by the Folke Bernadotte Academy, the Swedish government agency for peace, security and development.
He was also the Head of the Center for Country Information and Analysis, Lifos, at the Swedish Migration Agency’s, Sida Country Director in Guatemala, and Head of the Division for Peace and Human Security at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. He holds a doctoral degree in Peace and Conflict studies from Uppsala University.
We invited him for a short interview on a recent visit to Geijersgården in Uppsala.
‘I think the legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld is really exiting, but also the importance of the multilateral institution of the UN in forwarding his legacy. The Foundation has an important role to support the UN to become more effective. To strengthen the UN’s impact on peace and security and development. This is a super interesting role in the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation’, said Björn Holmberg to why he wanted to take up this position.
As the Foundation already celebrated its 60th anniversary, we explored how the incoming Executive Director would like to see the legacy of Hammarskjöld look like 60 years from now? Björn Holmberg emphasises that Hammarskjöld upheld the ‘idea that the UN was there for all nations, not just the powerful ones’, which included to uphold international values, the human rights agenda and the UN Charter.
‘That’s what I would like to see. We are now in this situation where the multilateral system is under considerable stress. It’s very similar to the times in 1950s when Dag Hammarskjöld assumed his position. Then it was the first Cold War and less and less collaboration. There was a deadlock in the UN Security Council and still Dag Hammarskjöld found ways and solutions forward. For example, he was the first one to initiate a UN peacekeeping operation – the UN Emergency Force deployed in 1956 in the Sinai dessert’, he continued.
Another example listed by Björn Holmberg is that Hammarskjöld found solutions between the Member States in spite of severe difficulties. ‘I think that’s one of the most important things about his legacy. To, even during these troublesome times, find ways ahead for international peace and security – the best way for all nations and their citizens.’
Speaking from a peacebuilder’s perspective Björn Holmberg was keen to lift the issue about structural prevention of violent conflicts. ‘I think that is really important. If we promote the development agenda of reducing poverty and exclusion, and if we strengthen democracy in the world, we will also have more nations that invite all citizens independent of race, colour, gender and political creed.’
He said that it is ‘essential that the UN create a development and dialogue platform to address the causes of conflict that exist. But then also, even though I might be a former peace and conflict researcher to start with, I am also a development person. I see the importance of not just looking at peace and security issues in silos, nor human rights or gender equality – they are integrated in reality on the ground.’
Björn Holmberg said that he thinks that this is ‘the way the UN Country Teams should work. They ensure that you have a programmatic approach in close collaboration with the host government, and hopefully also an inclusive national ownership. To see how you can empower change in those countries, how the UN can be a catalyst, a platform for change. So, I bring ideas from being a former peace and conflict researcher, but I’m not stuck in my silo.’
Our conversation concluded probing a favourite peace word. Answering without hesitation he said ‘common ground’ was his favourite peace word(s).
‘Even though you can have disagreements, which is part of democracy, you can always find common ground. And I think a lot of us academics and intellectuals are too problem focused. We should be much more opportunity focused in areas where we can find common ground. To collaborate instead of just converging on different interest and conflict. We should not get stuck in the past – we should search for common ground to build a shared future.’