Supported by the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), the initiative is jointly implemented by UNESCO, UN Women and UNDP, in partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Over the next 3 years, the initiative will support the monitoring and analysis of online hate speech and divisive narratives, strengthen media self-regulation, and fact-checking mechanisms. It will also develop tools for identifying harmful content in local languages, provide training for young journalists on emerging technologies and AI-based tools, and support activities that promote positive narratives, media and information literacy, and responsible public communication. Particular attention will be given to supporting women journalists, women human rights defenders, and women in public life through initiatives focused on digital security, resilience, peer learning and networking.
The conference was opened by Edin Forto, Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Arnhild Spence, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ambassador Luigi Soreca, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative.
“Institutions have a key responsibility to create the framework for combating hate speech and protecting the public space. But lasting change does not come through regulations alone. It comes when institutions work together with the people who connect communities every day. Among young people, artists, musicians, and creatives, we see some of the best examples of cooperation and joint creation, regardless of where they come from. These individuals demonstrate that Bosnia and Herzegovina can be a space for dialogue rather than division,” Minister Forto said.
“Hate speech and divisive narratives undermine trust between communities, hamper reconciliation, and weaken the foundations of sustainable peace. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, this is particularly evident in narratives that deny suffering, relativise genocide and other court-established atrocity crimes, or glorify convicted war criminals. Such narratives harm the dignity of victims and survivors, deepen divisions and, when amplified by disinformation and rapidly evolving digital platforms, weaken trust in institutions and democratic resilience,” United Nations Resident Coordinator Spence stated.
“This is why, with support from the United Nations Secretary-General’s Peacebuilding Fund, this partnership will promote more reliable information for citizens, safer conditions for journalists and media professionals, greater participation of women and young people in public life, and a more respectful, fact-based public discourse. These are not limits on democracy; they are conditions that allow democracy, trust, and sustainable peace,” Spence added.
Ambassador Luigi Soreca stressed that hate speech, whether online or offline, fuels division, undermines reconciliation, and threatens democratic values. He noted that addressing hate speech is also important for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s progress on its path towards the European Union and underscored the responsibility of political and social leaders to promote responsible public discourse through their own example. He reaffirmed the European Union’s commitment to supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina in tackling hate speech through funding, expertise, and dialogue.
read more: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/new-initiative-launched-counter-hate-speech-and-divisive-narratives-bosnia-and-herzegovina?hub=701
