The General Assembly convened today to pay tribute to King Harald V of Norway, who died on 26 August.
After observing a minute of silence in his memory, Assembly President Khalilur Rahman (Bangladesh) expressed condolences to Queen Sonja, King Haakon VIII and the entire royal family, as well as to the Government and people of Norway.
“The Charter of the United Nations begins with the words ‘We, the Peoples’, a reminder that this Organisation is ultimately about people,” he said, noting that the Charter calls on us to practise tolerance and to live together in peace.
“King Harald reigned in that spirit, with openness and a deep appreciation for humanity in all its diversity,” Mr. Rahman said. “King Harald reminds us that trust is not proclaimed; it is built, patiently, by seeing one another and working with each other”.
At a time of profound challenges and deepening divisions, King Harald’s example is a reminder that what binds people together outweighs what sets them apart, he said. His legacy will live on through the generations of Norwegians he served and inspired, and through the conviction that defined so much of his reign.
“Before he became King, [King Harald] was a child touched directly by war,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement read out by his Chef de Cabinet. At the age of three, he was forced to leave Norway, then under occupation, with his family and spent much of the Second World War in exile in the United States.
Those experiences gave him a “profound sense of empathy”, the Secretary-General said. As King, Harald championed the well-being of children and young people, inclusion and social cohesion, and the protection of the environment. During his reign, Norway also strengthened its role as a trusted humanitarian partner.
Recalling a 2018 meeting with the King at the Royal Palace in Oslo, the Secretary-General remembered “a man of quiet confidence, deep humanity and remarkable generosity of spirit”. The memory of Harald must inspire the international community to protect the most vulnerable.
Several delegates from around the world also offered tributes today, including Burundi’s speaker, on behalf of the African States, Myanmar’s delegate who spoke for the Asia-Pacific States and the representative of Guyana who spoke for the Latin American and Caribbean States. Australia’s speaker, who represented the Western European States and others, praised King Harald’s wisdom, charisma and grace, describing him as a “friend to the world”. The King represented Norway with distinction, she said, joining others in wishing King Haakon the best as he takes up his father’s legacy.
“Norwegians are filled with a deep sense of gratitude,” Norway’s representative said. “King Harald V struck a balance between being stately and down to earth,” she continued, describing him as caring, inclusive and generous. He cared deeply about children’s rights, as well as nature and the environment.
She recalled that the King spent five years of his early childhood as a refugee in the United States, at the invitation of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. “He was known to have played under the desk in the Oval Office,” she recalled.
Those early years abroad shaped a King who, throughout his life, looked both outward and inward, she observed, adding that the King became a strong advocate for international cooperation, dialogue and peaceful relations among nations. Through decades of State visits, international engagement and personal diplomacy, King Harald was a respected representative of Norway worldwide. Amid profound global change, King Harald consistently used his voice to promote tolerance, inclusion and respect for human dignity.
“The King is dead,” she said, adding: “Long live the King.”