International Day for Countering Hate Speech

  To observe the Day, the United Nations invites governments, international organizations, civil society groups, and individuals to hold events and initiatives to promote strategies to identify, address and counter hate speech .The President of the General Assembly convened an informal High-level Meeting to mark the commemoration of the first International Day to take place Monday, 20 June 2022, at 10 a.m. EDT at the General Assembly Hall in New York City. “ NO TO HATE SPEECH ” International Day for Countering Hate Speech 2022 .

The devastating effect of hatred is sadly nothing new. However, its scale and impact are now amplified by new communications technologies. Hate speech – including online – has become one of the most common ways of spreading divisive rhetoric on a global scale, threatening peace around the world.  As the world’s only truly universal global organization, the United Nations is the foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone. World history has shown us many times how hate rhetoric threatens democratic values, tolerance and social stability , and can lead to human tragedies, including genocide.   Hate speech and its consequences goes against fundamental United Nations values . It also undermines the United Nations Charter 's core principles and objectives, such as respect for human dignity, equality and peace . As advancing human rights and fighting hate are at the heart of the United Nations’s...

 Most online platforms and communities have rules to keep user discussions respectful and will let you easily report hate messages to administrators or moderators.

 Taking a public stand for, and extending solidarity to, people who are the targets of hate speech demonstrates that rejecting hate is the responsibility of every individual.

 You can undermine hateful content with positive messages that spread tolerance, equality and truth in defense of those being targeted by hate.

 You can help raise awareness of hate speech -- online or offline – simply by engaging with your family and friends in conversations about how hateful content can harm societies.

 Refrain from making any hateful comments yourself and/or relaying such content. Whether online or offline, we should all act responsibly to stop the spread of hate and misinformation.

 To detect false and biased information, including hate speech propaganda, be sure to check the content’s origin with the help of search engines , factchecking tools and other reliable sources.

Hate speech occurs in all societies, whether offline or online. It can sometimes be hard to assess when a comment is meant as hate speech – especially when expressed in the virtual world. It can also feel overwhelming to try to deal with obviously hateful content. However, there are many ways you can take a stand, even if you are not personally the victim of hate speech . And you can make a difference. Read more about the #NoToHate campaign by downloading our fact sheets . Use them to educate yourself, or in the classroom.

Since the spread of hateful rhetoric can be an early warning of violence – including atrocity crimes – limiting hate speech could contribute to mitigating its impact.  

To observe the Day, the United Nations invites governments, international organizations, civil society groups, and individuals to hold events and initiatives promoting strategies to identify, address and counter hate speech. This first UN system-wide initiative designed to tackle hate speech provides an essential framework for how the Organization can support and complement States' efforts. Whether as Member States the private sector, the media and internet corporations, faith leaders, educators, actors of civil society, those affected by hate speech, youth, or simply as an individual, we all have the moral duty of speaking out firmly against instances of hate speech and play a crucial role to in countering this scourge.

Hate speech spreads with unprecedented speed and reach through digital tools, notably social media platforms. UNESCO works to address online hate speech by equipping learners with digital citizenship skills , so people of all ages learn to navigate the internet safely and responsibly. Media and Information Literacy can strengthen the resilience of learners to hate speech and build their capacity to recognize and counter mis- and disinformation, violent extremist narratives and conspiracy theories. UNESCO advocates for increased transparency and accountability for digital platforms to counter online disinformation and speech that incite hatred and discrimination . This includes calling on social media companies to report on hate speech, how their algorithms may affect its spread, and the policies they apply to counter it. UNESCO has issued a set of 26 high-level principles to increase transparency among internet platform companies. UNESCO also supports the enabling of a free, dive...

  As online environments have become echo chambers for strengthening digital literacy as part of global citizenship education has become more important than ever. Addressing hateful rhetoric , whether online or in real life, comes easier when one is equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills to identify and counteract hate speech . The United Nations campaign #NoToHate offers insights on how to learn and share knowledge on issues related to tackling hate speech.   Hate speech and real harm.