Statement by Sweden on Agenda item 130: Investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld

Mr. President,

I am proud to introduce today, on behalf of all the co-sponsors, the draft resolution contained in document A/72/L.19 concerning the investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in the tragic death of Dag Hammarskjöld and the members of the party accompanying him.

We are grateful to all Delegations that have joined us in this endeavour and I would like to thank all co-sponsors for their support.

Mr. President,

Let me start by expressing my gratitude to Judge Othman and his team for their work on this matter and to all Member States that have collaborated with and contributed to the investigation.

Since 2015, first as chair of the Independent Panel of Experts and most recently as the Secretary-General’s Eminent Person, Judge Othman has overseen major progress in the investigation. We now have a unique opportunity to shed light on what happened in Ndola on the 17^th of September 1961.

Judge Othman concludes in his latest report that it is plausible that an external attack or threat was a cause of the crash. This conclusion alters the balance of probabilities, and thus additional follow-up is warranted.

Mr. President,

In light of this, and in firm support of the Secretary-General’s recommendations on the way forward, Sweden, together with partners, is introducing the draft resolution before you today.

The resolution has eight operational elements, the most important of which are contained in operational paragraphs one, four and five.

Operational paragraph one requeststhe Secretary-General to reappoint Judge Othman to continue his work. This extensive investigation benefits immensely from continuity, and we firmly believe that no one is better placed than Judge Othman to take this issue further forward.

Operational paragraph four requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the United Nations reviews its own specific records and archives for possible declassification of information relevant to the case.

We understand that work is already well under way regarding this matter and we thank the Secretary-General for his swift efforts in this regard.

Mr. President,

Judge Othman also notes that it is likely that important additional information, which has not yet been made available, does exist. Judge Othman thus concludes that the burden of proof has shifted to Member States to show that they have conducted a full review of records and archives in their custody or possession, including those that remain classified.

Therefore, operational paragraph five encourages all Member States that may hold relevant information to appoint, without any delay, an independent and high-ranking official to conduct a dedicated internal review of their intelligence, security and defence archives to determine whether relevant information exists.

We count on the full cooperation of all Member States in this regard. It is our shared responsibility to pursue the full truth in this matter.

Mr. President,

As the resolution contains a small programme budget implication, adoption will take place once the Fifth Committee has considered this matter later this month. In the meantime, the list of cosponsors will remain open, and we encourage all Member States to join us and our partners in this endeavor.

The United Nations and all its Member States must now do everything possible to ascertain what happened with flight SE-BDY. We owe it to the families of those who perished 56 years ago, many of which are watching this meeting from various parts of the world. We owe it to the United Nations as an organisation and to all in this august Assembly who strive to continue to work in Mr. Hammarskjöld’s spirit. As Secretary-General Guterres put it, Dag Hammarskjöld not only believed in the United Nations, he inspired so many others to believe in it, too.

I thank you, Mr. President.