We congratulate Martin Kobler on being awarded the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal of Honor 2025. Until 2019, he worked as a diplomat in the Foreign Service. Kobler has been a member of the PRIF Board of Trustees since 2020. With this medal, the German Society for the United Nations (UNA-Germany) honors Martin Kobler's commitment to the United Nations (UN). For more than three decades in the Foreign Service, Martin Kobler has continuously promoted peace and advanced the principles of the UN: among other accomplishments, he headed the world's largest UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the UN's political missions in Iraq and Libya, and served as Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the UN mission in Afghanistan. Most recently, Kobler served as German Ambassador to Pakistan, where stood out as one of the best-known diplomats with more than 160,000 followers on Twitter. Even after the end of his diplomatic career, Martin Kobler remains dedicated to conflict resolution and international cooperation – today, he is part of the initiative ‘Diplomats without Borders’. In October, he also published his book ‘Weltenbeben’ (‘Worldquake’), in which he examines Europe's role in an era in which the law of the supposedly “stronger” powers seems to apply once again. According to Kobler, Europe should remain true to its values and work together with the countries of the Global South to create a just world and a sustainable planet.
Background: The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal of Honor
The Dag Hammarskjöld Medal of Honor is named after the former UN Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dag Hammarskjöld. During his time in office from 1953 to 1961, he opened up new scope for action and opportunities for the UN Secretary-General through what he called “preventive diplomacy.” Since 1977, UNA-Germany has awarded the prize to personalities who promote the principles of the UN and peace through innovative ideas and personal commitment in the cultural, scientific, journalistic, or political fields. Previous winners include former German Federal President Horst Köhler, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and development economist Raùl Prebisch. This year's award ceremony takes place on November 14, 2025, in Mainz. In addition to Martin Kobler, Swedish diplomat Karin Landgren will also be awarded the medal.