UN teams in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia join forces to say #NoToHate

Hate speech incites violence and has devastating effects on communities. Its scale and impact are nowadays amplified by new technologies and social media to the point that online hate speech has become one of the most frequent methods for spreading divisive rhetoric and violent ideologies.

Alice Nderitu, the Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide tells about the real world examples of crimes committed as a result of hate speech, and how engaging local communities holds the key to preventing future incidents.

The United Nations has a long history of mobilizing the world against hatred of all kinds to defend human rights and advance the rule of law. The impact of hate speech cuts across numerous existing United Nations areas of focus, from human rights protection and prevention of atrocity crimes to sustaining peace and achieving gender equality and supporting children and youth.

To support the larger UN efforts, our UN Country Teams in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Serbia stepped up to say #NoToHate and remind the world that fighting hate speech is the responsibility of all of us.

Read the powerful statements by our Resident Coordinators, and find a recap of concrete steps taken to counter incitement to violence below: 

• Building immunity against the virus of hate, an Op-Ed by Peter Lundberg, UN Resident Coordinator in Montenegro

• Francoise Jacob, UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia: We can all take action and say #NoToHate

• #NoToHate: Human Rights Institutions and the UN in Bosnia and Herzegovina, led by Resident Coordinator Ingrid Macdonald, pledge to counter hate speech in Bosnia and Herzegovina

• More information about the #NoToHate Campaign is available on the UN website