Trusteeship Chamber-UNHQ
I have the honor to deliver this statement on behalf of the following Member States that are part of the LGBTI Core Group, an informal cross-regional group established in 2008.
(The group is co-chaired by Argentina and The Netherlands, and includes Albania, Australia, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Timor Leste, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Uruguay, the European Union, as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the non-governmental organizations Human Rights Watch and Outright International.)
Your Excellency,
The LGBTI Core Group would like to thank the Permanent Mission of Morocco to the United Nations and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect for co-organizing this High-Level side event to mark the Second International Day on Countering Hate Speech.
Hate speech keeps rising and it is spreading globally. Often triggered by misinformation and disinformation, hate speech in all its forms and manifestations is proliferating, particularly in the digital context. We all are aware of its disastrous impacts on society, including exacerbated violence, exclusion, discrimination, and deepening inequalities. Likewise, we all know we must do our utmost efforts to prevent and end hate speech by promoting respect for diversity and inclusivity.
Your Excellency,
As our overarching goal is to work within the United Nations framework on ensuring universal respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, specifically LGBTI persons, the LGBTI Core Group wants to break the silence surrounding the suffering faced by LGBTI persons and to draw attention to the harsh reality they often face. Because of their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression or sex characteristic, LGBTI persons are frequently victims of hate speech.
Hate speech causes tremendous harm to LGBTI persons. Likewise, fear and intimidation resulting from it may prevent them from fully participating in their societies. Hate speech can also cause LGBTI persons to be often more exposed to additional stigma, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and violence; and ultimately can lead to hate crimes against them.
In the digital context, hate speech can take the form of images and hashtags that are widely spread online to attack and harass LGBTI persons. Cyberbullying is particularly dangerous for LGBTI youth with social media at times amplifying hate and dragging them into isolation, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Your Excellency,
As today we are showcasing and sharing good practices to tackle hate speech, the LGBTI Core Group would like to contribute by underscoring some actions directed to counter hate speech against LGBTI persons by addressing not only its impacts and effects but also its drivers and root causes.
In 2013, OHCHR launched the UN Free & Equal public information campaign that promotes equal rights and fair treatment of LGBTI persons by generating powerful videos, impactful graphics, and plain-language fact sheets that have reached hundreds of millions of people through social media. Since its launch, it has also supported national level campaigns and events in more than 45 countries around the world, including in partnership with many other UN agencies. Last year, 12 national campaigns were implemented in all regions of the world.
The UN Free & Equal campaign is a remarkable initiative that has contributed to tackling hate speech and its root causes at a global and national level. The LGBTI Core Group calls upon the UN system and agencies, Member States, regional organizations, civil society, and the private sector, including social media and technology companies, to scale up their policies and actions to address and counter hate speech, both online and offline, making sure that they also consider the unique needs and perspectives of LGBTI persons. The LGBTI Core Group firmly believes that by doing so, we will truly achieve our goal to ensure universal respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind.
I thank you.