Photo: ECLAC

On the fiftieth anniversary of Dag Hammarskjöld death, tragically killed in an airplane crash while carrying out peacekeeping duties in the Congo, the United Nations, Sweden and various international community stakeholders organized many events in his honour.

To follow-up the events organized in Chile, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Swedish Embassy recently presented a book that brings together the commemorative messages for Dag Hammarskjöld from figures in international relations, human rights and international law.

The book entitled Pionero de la paz. Homenaje a Dag Hammarskjöld (Peacemaker. Homage to Dag Hammarskjöld) includes articles from Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC Executive Secretary, and Eva Zetterberg, Swedish Ambassador in Chile, who have co-written the prologue and the final chapter. The publication also has contributions from Ove Bring, María Teresa Infante, Alberto van Klaveren, Walter Sánchez and José Zalaquett.

In the third chapter, Alicia Bárcena defines the renowned Swede as “a charismatic man, an idealist: pragmatic, tirelessly working to prevent war and protect the principles of the United Nations Charter – which was no mean feat in the polarized world of that time, when the Cold War was in force and the nuclear threat overshadowed day-to-day life”.

The Executive Secretary summarizes the contributions of Dag Hammarskjöld to the United Nations and his defence of regional organizations, including ECLAC, as having a central role in anticipating conflicts. She also shared the impact that his vision and career had for his successors as UN Secretary-General (Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon), and reiterated the relevance of his ideas and legacy for new generations asking What would Dag Hammarskjöld think of today's world?

Dag Hammarskjöld, who was a Swedish public official, renowned international civil servant and Secretary-General of the United Nations between 1953 and 1961, is remembered for his moral leadership and personal integrity, as well as for his innovative interpretation of the Charter of the United Nations to enable the creation of one of the Organization's most widely used instruments: peace operations.

While the circumstances surrounding Hammarskjöld's death remain the subject of doubt and speculation, his contribution to peace, international law and preventive diplomacy as described in this book is unquestionable.