Publications & Resources

The Genocide Convention was the first human rights treaty adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1948, it codified for the first time the crime of genocide and signified the international community’s commitment to ‘never again’ after the atrocities committed during the Second World War. Its adoption marked a crucial step towards the development of international human rights and international criminal law as we know it today.

The Plan of Action for Women in Communities was drafted from women’s perspectives which contributed to mainstreaming women’s voices and experiences in its entirety. Its goal is to ensure that women contribute more systematically and significantly, to countering hate speech and preventing incitement to violence that could lead to genocide and related atrocity crimes.

Launched by the UN Secretary-General on 9 December 2022, the Plan of Action includes recommendations that are organized according to thematic focus: Speak, Promote, Organize, Recognize/Reward/Report, and Train (SPORT) in order to levarage efforts on countering hate speech through and with the sport community.

The guide sets up main recommendations identified through three years of engagement and dialogue with experts on the topic of countering and addressing online hate speech, and is a result of a cooperation between the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the ESRC Human Rights, Big Data and Technology Project at the University of Essex. Launched on 5 July 2023.

Compilation of statements as delivered at the United Nations event marking 9 December 2022 International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, and focused on the launch of the Game Plan, the Plan of Action for countering hate speech through sport.

Hate speech is spreading faster and further than ever before as a result of social media user growth and the rise of populism. Education can play a central role in countering hateful narratives and the emergence of group-targeted violence.

Hate speech has been known to stigmatize, marginalize, enable discrimination as well as incite hate crimes and large-scale violence. Genocide and Holocaust denial is often tied to hate speech, specifically when the aim is to target individuals or groups based on specific identity factors.

All of us have a responsibility to ask ourselves what we can do to protect populations from the most serious international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. These crimes continue to be perpetrated in many places across the world...

The question is sometimes asked as to whether specific events, past or present, can be referred to as “genocide.” It is important to adhere to the correct usage of the term, for several reasons...

Incitement to violence that targets communities or individuals based on their identity can contribute to enabling or preparing atrocity crimes and is both a warning sign and early indicator of the risk of those crimes. Monitoring, preventing and countering incitement to violence can contribute to prevention efforts.

The UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech sets out strategic guidance for the UN system to address hate speech at the national and global level. It also includes ways the UN Secretariat can support the work of the Resident Coordinators in addressing and countering hate speech. Its objectives are twofold: first, to enhance UN efforts to address root causes and drivers of hate speech; and second, to enable effective UN responses to the impact of hate speech on societies.

The Detailed Guidance provides recommendations on how to implement the 13 commitments set out in the UN Strategy as well as options for action that the United Nations can take in field contexts, building on existing tools and programmes, as well as good practices from within the United Nations system and other partners.

The guidance note follows the Secretary-General’s global appeal to address and counter hate speech on 8 May 2020 and builds on the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. It provides recommendations to Member States, civil society, media and other relevant stakeholders for addressing and countering COVID-19-related hate speech.

In partnership with The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa (ROMENA)