The Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists was established as a not-for-profit organization more than 50 years ago by journalists at the United Nations as a living memorial to the legacy of peace, progress and justice of Dag Hammarskjöld, the second UN Secretary-General who was killed in a plane crash while on a peace mission to the Congo in 1961.

The Fund’s program for journalists seeks to advance a fuller understanding of UN deliberations to alleviate human suffering and promote peace; to support and encourage the journalism profession, and to inspire a strong and diverse community of journalists who will give voice to the challenges facing their countries.

Journalists are important partners in the United Nation efforts to foster a culture of peace and security, human rights and dignity, universal justice, social and economic development.  They are essential to raising public awareness of the key issues, documenting the facts, illustrating what is being done, and pointing to the successes and failures of international efforts.

Over the past five decades, the Fund has selected hundreds of journalists from the developing countries of Africa, Asia (including Pacific Island nations) and Latin America/the Caribbean to report from the UN during the opening months of the General Assembly (September-November).   The program offers an incomparable opportunity for promising journalists from developing countries to observe United Nations deliberations and to report on proceedings for news media in their home countries.  They also meet international experts and diplomats, interact with seasoned journalists, and make professional contacts that will serve them for years to come.  Many former program participants have achieved national and international success and acclaim.