Hate speech on the rise Today is the first time we mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. The UN General Assembly designated 18 June as such, after Secretary-general António Guterres raised alarm about the “tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating, stigmatization and the use of derogatory, misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic or antisemitic language”, that has engulfed the world. We all witness how powerful the ‘tool’ of hate speech can be to incite discrimination, violence, deepen division and undermine social cohesion within or between societies. Hate speech usually is an expression of denial. Denial of respect, of inclusion, of diversity. It goes against the very essence of human rights. If left unchecked, it can fuel tensions, social unrest, even start violent conflicts which can lead to grave human rights violations. It is particularly the case when hate speech is instrumentalized by influential people in our societies. Political and religious leaders play a key role in mitigating hate in society, especially among their own constituencies. Leaders who embrace inclusion giving space to all, who truly respect diversity and value differences of opinion will see their societies thrive. But we all have a responsibility to refrain from hate to express oneself. It starts with me and you. We must individually and collectively speak out against hate. Online media - a megaphone for hate speech or free expression? The spread of hatred is sadly nothing new, here in Montenegro or elsewhere. The scale and impact  nowadays, especially with social media providing a global platform for spreading hate, is growing larger and faster than ever. Online hate speech is produced and distributed easily, at low cost, often anonymously, reaching global audiences in real time. This phenomenon is exposing the fragility of democracies worldwide. It has prompted calls for accountability of these platforms, for moderation and removal of offensive online content. This has raised debate about the boundaries between freedom of expression and censorship. But countering hate speech does not mean arbitrarily limiting freedom of expression. It means preventing hatred from escalating into something dangerous, particularly incitement to discrimination, hostility, and violence, which – as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights says - shall be prohibited in law. The United Nations calls for more speech - not less. Freedom of expression is the norm; limiting it is the exception. But speech must be respectful of the rights and dignity of all, women, men, children, persons with disabilities, elderly, ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, among others. I welcome that Montenegro has taken legal action in cases of incitement to discrimination and violence. Swift action is key in all cases to bring justice to victims and stem further harm in society. Hate speech and real harm The weaponization of the public discourse for political gain is also not new. History has shown that hate speech leads to atrocity crimes. The Holocaust did not start with the gas chambers, but with hate speech. These lessons place a heavy responsibility on us all to address hate speech and prevent future harm. Resilience to hatred The UN’s Global Strategy and Action Plan on Hate Speech, launched in 2019, calls for a comprehensive approach to tackle the phenomenon. It calls for monitoring and understanding the dynamics of hate speech, for early warning, for support to national legislation to address hate speech. Prevention is a must. There, education is key, for it has the power to transform society and is a tool to address root causes and drivers of hate speech. Through education, we can promote peaceful, inclusive, and just societies for all, in line with the vision of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Digital and media literacy education is essential for all, and especially young people, to engage with media and other sources of information, instill responsibility and critical thinking when using and analyzing it. Through critical thinking we will reject and build immunity against the virus of hate.  Countering hate speech, no doubt, requires a system-wide response. We need to mobilize societies, and work even across borders. As our UN Secretary-General said – “Hatred is a danger to everyone – and so fighting it must be a job for everyone.”  

Everybody knows somebody who shares misleading, emotionally charged, or questionable posts. What if that person was you and you didn’t know it? Verified is encouraging the world to pause before you post. Studies show that by pausing before you share, you allow time to think about the information – where it comes from, whether it’s true, when it was written and why you are sharing it. This means you are less likely to spread misinformation. People worldwide are helping spread our #PledgetoPause message across social media. By flooding timelines with this simple message, you can help people stop and think, and slow the spread of harmful misinformation. According to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study, seeing our Pause message on social media makes people significantly less likely to share misleading headlines. There is reliable information online about COVID-19, but many sources are deliberately misleading, and others bend the truth just to get our attention. When misinformation spreads it becomes hard to contain – and every false share can have damaging consequences. Post one of our share graphics on your timeline, get people’s attention, encourage them to pause before they post.   UNICEF Montenegro Q&As: Fact-checking COVID-19 information    

There is no longer any doubt that we have for decades been disturbing the ecological equilibrium of our planet and the time has now come to face these grim realities. Without any doubt, climate change is the greatest challenge humankind has ever faced. The science warns us that the climate crisis is now, and it is a “code red” for humanity. The just closed Climate Conference in Glasgow COP 26 coincided with an important milestone on Montenegro’s development path – its 30th anniversary of declaring itself as an ecologic state. Nothing speaks more about the strength of such commitment than Montenegro’s determination to embed it into the heart of its Constitution. When Montenegro chose to continue its development on a green path, 30 years ago, not many people had expected that, this green path would become the only way forward for all. Only 3 decades later, the alarm bells of climate urgency are deafening, with evidence impossible to ignore: temperatures are reaching new highs; biodiversity is reaching new lows; oceans are warming, acidifying, and choking with plastic waste. Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are strangling our planet and putting billions of people at immediate and long-term risk, with many of the changes becoming irreversible. Each year we see extreme weather and climate disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity. And this summer, here in Montenegro was no exception with record number of forest fires. The way out? Five years ago, the Paris Agreement paved for humankind a clear way out of this crisis, pointing that limiting the temperature rise under the 1.5°C in this century is key. Unfortunately, scientists also warn that we are already close to reaching that threshold, which would mean reaching point of no return. In order to prevent this from happening, the world needs to join forces around three critical aspects: First, Mitigation – keep the 1.5°C goal within reach, by securing greater ambition from national governments and more net-zero commitments. Secondly, Adaptation – to increase investment into adaptation from current 21% to at least 50% of the overall international climate finance. Thirdly, the Financing – to reach an agreement on a delivery plan for the $100 billion per year, to improve access to financing and to progress on carbon markets. The responsibility for this ambitious agenda lays with all of us, but primely with the national governments. It is the national leaders who bear responsibility for taking urgent steps to reduce emissions, mobilize funding, and boost resilience, and for delivering on the Paris Agreement. National governments can and should greatly rely on United Nations to be a solid partner, convener, and an honest broker, who facilitates multilateral dialogue for national leaders to deliver a successful climate response. This is exactly what the UN is already doing. We have convened world leaders, top experts and scientist, activists as well as corporate leaders to the Climate Conference in Glasgow, for all of them to join forces for climate action. It’s about making choices Montenegro’s commitment to climate action is unequivocal. It’s evident in its recent commitment to cut Green House Gas emissions by 35% by 2030, with evidence and data collection supported by UNDP. However, we believe, there is potential to significantly reduce emissions even further, in the sectors of energy, transportation, and industry in Montenegro. Montenegro, like many low Green House Emitting countries, have low contribution to the rising global temperatures. Despite that, it is, unfortunately, bound to face the consequences of climate change through its undesirable domino effect on human well-being, health, environment and economy. That is why we must turn our attention equally to adaptation and build a resilient future. UN’s extended arm to Montenegro Most of the action in climate response is to take place in the economic sectors and the experience tells us that climate-smart investments outweigh the upfront costs. Montenegro’s National Climate Adaptation Plan, supported by UNDP, with Global Climate Fund financing, is an opportunity to set the baseline for making smart adaptation investments. Another huge potential lies with young people. We know that young people in Montenegro have strong ambitions to do their part and such ambitions must be met by opportunities. Three out of four respondents are ready to change their living habits, including walk every day, reduce waste, recycle and rationalize further use of water and electricity. It is high time to build on these commitments and positive engagement by the youth. The United Nations in Montenegro also supports small and medium size enterprises, through UNOPS in cooperation with local authorities, this work ensures that neither side stay ignorant of environmental protection, helping them to understand that greening is not just about solar panels. But sustainable solutions in combatting climate change is also about investing in human health. As we have painfully learned from COVID crisis, we need to adapt to orient towards long-term, strategic investments in our futures. WHO tells us that strategic investments in integrated public health and primary health-care systems, as well as mature digital systems, are necessary to be able to deliver on the promise of safe, effective and equitable health services for a post-COVID-19 era. Recent analysis of climate risk from a child’s perspective shows that nearly every child in the world is at risk from at least one of climate and environmental hazards like flooding, cyclones, vector-borne diseases, lead pollution, heat waves and water scarcity. Air pollution is the biggest threat as one billion children are estimated to be highly exposed to exceedingly dangerous levels of air pollution. In the coming period, UNICEF will support Montenegro’s children and adolescents’ involvement on air pollution and other climate change issues in the country. But while we focus on the potential work that must be done within Montenegro, we must also be aware of what happens around ourselves. UNHCR warns us that the effects of climate change are increasing hardship on people who are already among the world’s most vulnerable, including refugees. Drought and extreme weather will certainly drive-up competition for dwindling resources on global scale and have tremendous impact on forced displacement, not only on global scale, but will certainly have strong implications for our region and for Montenegro as well. There’s no small contribution By now, all countries should have clearly realized that the old, carbon-burning model of development is a death sentence for their economies and our planet. We need decarbonization now, across every sector in every country. We need to shift subsidies from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and tax pollution much more. We need to put a real price on carbon, and channel that back towards resilient infrastructures and sustainable jobs. The United Nations was founded 76 years ago to build consensus for action against the greatest threats facing humanity. But we have never faced a crisis like this one – a truly existential crisis which, if not addressed properly, threatens the future of mankind. Like never before, the world needs solidarity and truly joint action to counter deafening alarm bells of climate urgency. And it needs it now. And why is contribution of a small country like Montenegro so important for the climate response? The answer is simple, because, more than ever, the world needs positive examples of true transformation which can make a real difference. As Montenegro is now planning for its rapid economic recovery and create new opportunities for its citizens, the country has exceptional potentials for building a greener future, with greener jobs and a greener economy, and I am convinced that Montenegro can and will become a role model to the rest of the world on its green path moving forward – it just need to grab this historical opportunity, now.     Author is the UN Resident Coordinator in Montenegro