Wreath-laying ceremony at the United Nations to commemorate the 61th anniversary of the death of Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, New York, 13 September 2022.
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I want to thank the Secretary-General for allowing me to say a few words today. I also want to thank the Deputy Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly for your presence, as well as you who are following this annual commemoration on-line.
We are gathered here to mark the 61st anniversary of the tragic plane crash in which Dag Hammarskjöld perished, together with his crew and the passengers accompanying him, in Ndola, today’s Zambia.
Dag Hammarskjöld was a fierce defender of the UN Charter. He, maybe more than anyone since, understood that without its Charter, the UN would not last long. Indeed, his view was in a way that the Charter stood above the UN itself. In his own words:
“The principles of the Charter are, by far, greater than the Organization, in which they are embodied, and the aims which they are to safeguard, are holier than the policies of any single nation or people.”
Earlier this year, a permanent member of the Security Council invaded its neighbour, Ukraine. A more blatant breach of the UN Charter is difficult to imagine. The consequences have been disastrous: millions of refugees, thousands of lives lost and homes destroyed; and a global food crisis. The list can be made longer.
I am not happy –that is the wrong word for this occasion –but proud that shortly after the invasion, a large majority of the UN member states stood against the Russian aggression and the contempt for the UN Charter it symbolizes. When the Security Council failed to respond appropriately, the General Assembly deplored in the strongest terms the Russian aggression and demanded the Russian Federation immediately end its invasion of Ukraine.
That is how we, the international community, can defend and uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. We must continue to do so, and we will. That is how we continue to honor the legacy of Dag Hammarskjöld. And that is how we, ultimately, defend the United Nations itself.
Today’s commemoration also offers an opportunity to pay tribute to all our UN colleagues around the world, whose efforts and determination the past difficult year have been extraordinary. Their achievements show the strength of the United Nations as a force for peace, development, gender equality and human rights. I especially think of those who – like Dag Hammarskjöld – paid the ultimate price while serving the United Nations.
Lastly, I want to express our support to the Independent Eminent Person in the UN-mandated investigation into the crash in Ndola that killed Dag Hammarskjöld, the crew and passengers.
We are grateful for the unanimous support to the investigation expressed by the UN membership on several occasions.
Allow me also to thank the independent eminent person Mohammed Chante Othman and his team for their tireless efforts towards finding out the truth. Our efforts will continue for the sake of the United Nations, of those who lost their lives on that day 61 years ago, and of their families.
Thank you.