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This excerpt is taken from SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's
August 30, 2006, proposal to the United Nations, "Fulfilling
the Mission: Empowering the UN to live up to the world's
expectations." The full text can be found
here.
Dag Hammarskjöld's Commitment to Dialogue
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[©Seikyo
Shimbun] |
As we strive to envision the direction the UN should take in
the 21st century, I believe there is much we can learn from
the life and example of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second
Secretary-General of the organization. His achievements
shine in the annals of UN history, and his moral force and
integrity as the "conscience of the United Nations" command
wide respect to this day.
Dag Hammarskjöld was a statesman and economist born in
Sweden just over a century ago. In the midst of the mounting
tensions of the Cold War, Hammarskjöld took the lead in
expanding the UN's responsibilities beyond a passive role of
merely responding to crises, to a more proactive role in the
promotion of peace in the world.
His talents were particularly visible in his efforts to
resolve the Suez Crisis, as well as conflicts in Lebanon,
Laos and elsewhere. His active pursuit of "quiet diplomacy,"
as he personally led missions to different regions in order
to mediate conflicts, remains as his enduring legacy.
There were voices critical of this style of proactive
diplomacy on the part of the UN and its Secretary-General.
Hammarskjöld's actions were denounced, for example, by
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who demanded his
resignation. Hammarskjöld refused to succumb to this
pressure and continued to promote UN leadership for the
resolution of international crises.
Hammarskjöld expressed his unwavering resolve in his book
Markings published after his death: "'The Uncarved
Block'--remain at the Center, which is yours and that of all
humanity. For those goals which it gives to your life, do
the utmost which, at each moment, is possible for you. Also,
act without thinking of the consequences, or seeking
anything for yourself."
Driven by a sense of moral, even religious, mission, he
continued to strive until the last moment of his life to
empower the UN to respond to the world's expectations.
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In September 1961, en route to a meeting with President
Moise Tshombe of Katanga in an effort to resolve the Congo
Crisis, Hammarskjöld's plane crashed in Northern Rhodesia
(now Zambia), causing his death. He was 56. For his
outstanding achievements, Hammarskjöld was posthumously
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1961.
At the time of his death, Hammarskjöld was engaged not only
in attempting to resolve the conflict in the Congo, but in
another important task. Hammarskjöld had profound respect
for the "philosopher of dialogue," Martin Buber (1878-1965),
and was planning to translate his classic work I and Thou
into Swedish.
Their friendship began in 1952, a year before Hammarskjöld
became Secretary-General. As their exchanges and mutual
respect deepened, a strong desire arose in Hammarskjöld to
translate Buber's works. When he shared that wish with the
philosopher, Buber suggested he translate I and Thou.
This exchange took place just a few weeks before
Hammarskjöld's fatal mission to the Congo.
Hammarskjöld immediately contacted a publisher in Sweden and
wrote a letter to Buber telling him agreement had been
obtained. As he left New York for the Congo, he had with him
the German-language edition of I and Thou personally
given to him by the author. He found the time amidst his
demanding schedule, in flight and during his short stay in
Leopoldville (now Kinshasa), to work on the translation of
Buber's book. Later, after the plane crash, the first 12
pages of the Secretary-General's manuscript translation were
found among his personal effects.
Buber received Hammarskjöld's final letter just one hour
after he heard the news of the plane crash on the radio.
Buber deeply lamented the death of this man of passion and
goodwill who had given everything, including his life, for
his mission.
Heart-to-Heart
Hammarskjöld shared a deep conviction with Buber, which he
fervently wished to convey through the translation of
Buber's work. This was the firm belief that no matter how
dire and challenging the situation may be, humans must
engage in sincere dialogue with others; that through this
kind of genuine and sincere dialogue it is always possible
to bridge the gaps of distrust that divide the world.
One well-known episode illustrates how Hammarskjöld put this
conviction into practice.
In 1955, in an attempt to secure the release of American
prisoners of war captured during the Korean War,
Hammarskjöld flew to China--then without a seat at the
UN--and tried to meet with Premier Zhou Enlai.
People around him strongly advised him against the visit.
Face-to-face with Zhou, without an official entourage and
unable to use his own interpreter, Hammarskjöld stated the
following during one of their private sessions:
". . .[I]t does not mean that I appeal to you or that I ask
you for their release. It means that-inspired also by my
faith in your wisdom and in your wish to promote peace--I
have considered it my duty as forcefully as I can, and with
deep conviction, to draw attention to the vital importance
of their fate to the cause of peace. . . . Their fate may
well decide the direction in which we will all be moving in
the near future--towards peace, or away from peace. . . . [A]gainst
all odds, [this case] has brought me around the world in
order to put before you, in great frankness and trusting
that we see eye to eye on the desperate need to avoid adding
to existing frictions, my deep concern both as
Secretary-General and as a man."
I recall my own encounter with Premier Zhou Enlai in
December 1974, a year before his death. Several years
earlier, in September 1968, at a time when there were no
official diplomatic relations between China and Japan as no
formal peace had been concluded between them, I had called
for the normalization of relations and urged that China be
represented in the UN. Zhou Enlai was aware of my efforts,
and despite ill health, insisted on meeting with me at his
hospital in Beijing. With intense passion, Premier Zhou
shared his thoughts with me. "In this critical period in the
history of the world, all nations must stand as equals and
help each other." He expressed his strong desire for
enduring friendship between China and Japan.
Based on this personal experience, I can easily imagine the
kind of intent dialogue, the earnest soul-to-soul exchange,
that unfolded between Zhou and Hammarskjöld. The meeting
created a bond of trust between the two men which later led
to the release of the 11 American airmen.
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[Courtesy Ystads Kommun] |
Whether it be intergovernmental relations or relations
between the UN and member states, the most essential element
is always encounter and dialogue between individual human
beings.
No matter how impossible a deadlock may seem, a breakthrough
can always be found if we meet face-to-face and engage in
genuine dialogue: I believe this was the conviction that
motivated Hammarskjöld throughout his extensive travels as
Secretary-General, meeting with and mediating between the
parties to conflicts.
Hammarskjöld's passionate and relentless efforts to advance
the peace process in the world embody the principles that
should guide the UN in fulfilling its mission to build a new
human civilization imbued with the spirit of dialogue. His
legacy is one that must be passed on to the people of the
21st century.
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