Remarks by Ambassador Charlotte Kugelberg, Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations, at the Wreath Laying Ceremony Commemorating the 65th Anniversary of the Death of Former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, New York, 8 September 2026.
Secretary-General, thank you for bringing us together for a few moments of stillness.
I am inspired by the words by Dag Hammarskjöld at the entrance of the Meditation Room. I quote:
“We all have within us a centre of stillness surrounded by silence.”
Dag Hammarskjöld understood, better than most, the power of stillness.
Like Hammarskjöld, I am very fond of the Swedish mountains. It is humbling to see the vast, wild and timeless landscape.
Sitting in the Meditation Room, in the middle of New York City, it is possible to connect with the stillness that nature brings us.
Because, the world is not still.
The need for peace is still urgent.
We still do not know what happened on that night in Ndola.
And we still have a duty to act within the United Nations, in the spirit of Dag Hammarskjöld.
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For Hammarskjöld, to be still was not to stand still.
Instead, stillness was a way of moving forward with clarity and courage.
Hammarskjöld saw beauty in the world. In the mountains. In people. In the institutions we build together.
Yet, his optimism was not naïve. He knew how difficult the path to peace could be.
But Hammarskjöld believed we could always do better.
When the Suez crisis demanded a new response, he helped establish the foundations of what became UN peacekeeping. When the Congo crisis intensified, he adapted again.
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At the same time, for Hammarskjöld, the principles of the UN Charter formed the foundation –like the stone at the centre of the Meditation Room or a constitution in state governed by the rule of law:
firm and permanent in a world of constant change.
As he put it:
“The principles of the Charter are, by far, greater than the Organization in which they are embodied.”
Sixty-five years later, we face the same task: to lead with our principles in a changing world. And to continue to act - tirelessly – to prevent conflict and to build peace.
Mr. Secretary-General – thank you for building on Dag Hammarskjölds legacy, and being a principled voice for conflict prevention.
***
By creating the Meditation Room, Dag Hammarskjöld left a place for each generation to find its own clarity.
If you have a moment, please visit the Meditation Room.
And with the clarity that stillness brings, I encourage you to – like Dag Hammarskjöld – see the good, the beautiful and the meaningful in the world.
In the mountains, in the people, and in this institution that we build together.
Thank you.
