The 3rd International Day for Countering Hate Speech will focus on the continued importance of investing in the power and voice of youth to counter hate speech.
The meaningful and effective engagement of youth plays a key role in tackling hate speech. Nowadays, there are 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 years, accounting for 16 percent of the global population. Young people can be both targets and disseminators of hate speech, and as peers, they exert most influence on one another. They have an important role as actors for change, to recognize, raise awareness, speak out against and counter hateful narratives, and there are multiple examples and good practices of how they engage in this regard.
Engaging youth leaders and investing in their efforts to counter hate speech is the focus of the 3rd International Day for Countering Hate Speech, which also marks five years since the launch of the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.
The United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Morocco to the United Nations is organizing a high-level event on 18 June 2024, at the ECOSOC Chamber, starting at 11a.m. EST. The President of United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Dennis Francis, will open the event that will include the participation of the UN Youth Office, UNDP, and other relevant UN entities.
The high-level event aims to highlight some of the ongoing initiatives by or with youth and explore in detail the power that youth have in countering hateful narratives, both online and offline, and in addressing their root causes and impacts on society.
UN Staff are welcome to join the event at ECOSOC Chamber on Tuesday, 18 June; 11 a.m. EST, . In addition, the event will be streamed live on UN Web TV. Follow @UNOSAPG on X/Twitter for dedicated messaging on social media.
