Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World
29. april 2026 15.00 - 16.30
The United Nations stands at a crossroad in a world where multilateralism is increasingly under pressure in international peacemaking efforts. At this seminar, the Burmese historian and diplomat, Thant Myint-U will present his much-acclaimed book Peacemaker: U Thant and the Forgotten Quest for a Just World (2025). The book examines the United Nations in the 1960s and its role in peace diplomacy – with clear implications for today’s challenges. Peacemaker was featured on The New Yorker’s list of Best Books of 2025.
The book focuses on the life and legacy of the author’s grandfather U Thant and his tenure as UN Secretary-General from 1961-1971. Thant became the UN’s first non-western Secretary-General following his predecessor’s untimely death and immediately faced a series of violent conflicts around the world that threatened international peace. He would play a particular indispensable role in the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. While peace diplomacy was very high on his agenda, he was also active in a range of other diplomatic fields from international law, international economy and the environment. This happened during a period when the international system transformed from a largely colonial one to a system featuring many decolonized states. The United Nations was at the center of these historic processes.
At the seminar, Thant Myint-U will present the book’s timely history and provide perspectives that brings the story up to the present-day with the challenges that the United Nations and the international community now faces. His lecture will be followed by a Q&A session.
A special thanks to the Hermod Lannung Foundation for their support of this project.
Registrations are handled by the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
Please follow this link to register: https://menneskeret.dk/arrangementer/peacemaker-u-thant-and-the-forgotten-quest-a-just-world
The book focuses on the life and legacy of the author’s grandfather U Thant and his tenure as UN Secretary-General from 1961-1971. Thant became the UN’s first non-western Secretary-General following his predecessor’s untimely death and immediately faced a series of violent conflicts around the world that threatened international peace. He would play a particular indispensable role in the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. While peace diplomacy was very high on his agenda, he was also active in a range of other diplomatic fields from international law, international economy and the environment. This happened during a period when the international system transformed from a largely colonial one to a system featuring many decolonized states. The United Nations was at the center of these historic processes.
At the seminar, Thant Myint-U will present the book’s timely history and provide perspectives that brings the story up to the present-day with the challenges that the United Nations and the international community now faces. His lecture will be followed by a Q&A session.
A special thanks to the Hermod Lannung Foundation for their support of this project.
Registrations are handled by the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
Please follow this link to register: https://menneskeret.dk/arrangementer/peacemaker-u-thant-and-the-forgotten-quest-a-just-world
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Arrangør:
The Danish Foreign Policy Society, Danish Institute for Human Rights
Tidspunkt
29. april 2026
15.00 - 16.30