Remarks by DCO Regional Director for Europe & Central Asia: Effective Action to Counter Hate Speech

Speech by DCO ECA Regional Director Gwi Yeop Son at High-level Event on 19 June 2023 entitled: "It begins with words and each of us: Effective Action to Counter Hate Speech - Showcasing champions and good practices on tackling hate speech from across the world”
 

Excellencies and distinguished panelists, ladies and gentlemen,

It is an honour to speak on behalf of the Resident Coordinator System and the Director of the Development Coordination Office, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco. 

Let me start by thanking and congratulating Special Advisor Alice Nderitu for her leadership. 

A recent survey of our UN teams’ work around the world showed that around 34 per cent are tackling hate speech— this also means tackling mis and disinformation, which is why the recent Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on Information Integrity is so vital and timely. Several of the examples of our Resident Coordinators and their offices’ work with UN Country teams and local partners reflect the support we have received from the office of our Special Advisor, working alongside several parts of the UN Secretariat and beyond. 

No one is born with hate. Hate is taught. What worries me most is that it’s been spreading at alarming rates as other panelists have highlighted. Amplified by social media’s algorithms and Artificial Intelligence, vitriolic messages with hatred and disinformation “spread like wildfire”, as the Secretary-General has often stated, undermining social cohesion and undermining urgent efforts to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals. From Papua New Guinea to Costa Rica, Kenya, and more, our Resident Coordinators are leading UN teams to boost partnerships that tackle a dangerous wave of hate, misogyny, xenophobia, racism, and intolerance – online and too often offline too.

Many UN Resident Coordinators and UN Teams on the ground have prioritized localized responses informed by the global UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, convening with local partners, including governments, private sector and civil society, taking concerted steps to tackle hate speech. 

In the region I serve as the Development Coordination Office’s Regional Director, our Resident Coordinators, leading UN Country teams on the ground, supported six countries’ National Action Plans on Hate, alongside authorities and civil society. These Action Plans, include internal monitoring and reporting on incidents and key trends, used in public advocacy.

Besides the action plans, our UN Country Teams have been actively countering hate speech and disinformation. They “de-bunk” disinformation by disseminating positive narratives on refugees, women entrepreneurs and Roma and Egyptian communities, for example, while also working with youth, parents and teachers. 

Focusing on youth is vital. The UN-backed “Youth 4 Inclusion Equality and Trust” regional initiative is flipping vitriolic narrative with positivity in the Western Balkans. It strengthens intercultural dialogue, inclusion, gender equality to create mutual understanding and trust.
 

To address the problem, you first need to map it. That's why the UN is investing so much in monitoring and collecting data. For instance: 

• Partnering with academia and the private sector, along with authorities, a UN Costa Rica study, led by our Resident Coordinator, showed that hate speech and discrimination grew by 71 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year. It also supported the first National Plan to Combat Hate speech in that region.
   
• In Sri Lanka, the Resident Coordinator Office partnered with civil society and Social Media Platforms to monitor online hate and build in-house capacity to follow online narratives using big data tools. 

There is no single way to counter hate speech – and the grassroots partnerships are absolutely pivotal. Given the scale and complexity of the challenge, we must further strengthen our efforts. 

We will need all hands-on deck to tackle hate speech. It’s an all of society effort and requires a UN-wide concerted action plan. The SG’s upcoming Code of Conduct on Information Integrity is timely and vital to help us all – including public, private partners –to combat hate speech. Together we can flip the narrative, inspire hope, solutions and foster a culture of peace, respect, and acceptance. 

Thank you.

Watch a recording of the full event here.