Which Swedish diplomat served as the second Secretary-General of the United Nations (1953–1961), posthumously receiving the Nobel Peace Prize after dying in an airplane crash in Northern Rhodesia while on a peace mission to the Congo?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. Dag Hammarskjöld

  1. Step 1: Regarded by many historians as the most effective Secretary-General in UN history, he strengthened the executive diplomacy and moral independence of the office.
  2. Step 2: Dag Hammarskjöld pioneered UN peacekeeping deployments during the 1956 Suez Crisis; he perished on September 18, 1961, when his DC-6 aircraft crashed near Ndola, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize later that year.
Answer
Dag Hammarskjöld
Why not the others: 'Trygve Lie' Trygve Lie of Norway was the first Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 1946 until his resignation in 1952; 'U Thant' U Thant of Burma (Myanmar) served as the third Secretary-General (1961–1971), successfully facilitating dialogue during the Cuban Missile Crisis; 'Kurt Waldheim' Kurt Waldheim of Austria served as the fourth Secretary-General (1972–1981) before later serving as President of Austria.

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