The Dag Hammarskjold Scholarship Fund was established to keep alive the memory and spirit of the second Secretary-General of the United Nations who was killed in an airplane crash on 17 September 1961 during a peace mission to the Congo.
The initiative for the Fund came from working journalists at the United Nations who had seen Hammarskjold close up as he steered the United Nations through the early and difficult years of the Cold War and decolonization.
Since Dag Hammarskjold died in an effort to help a newly independent African country maintain its independence, the correspondents thought it fitting to establish a program to help journalists from developing countries cover the work of the U.N. General Assembly.
The first fellowship was awarded in 1962 and, in the decades since, nearly 170 journalists from more than 70 developing countries have benefited from the program.
Donors include missions to the United Nations in New York, corporations, foundations, media organizations, and individuals.
The Directors of the Fund are working journalists accredited to the United Nations and their service is voluntary.
