Closing remarks by the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, at the Protection of Civilians Week side-event “Addressing the Impact of Mis-/Disinformation and Hate Speech on Civilians: Evolving Policies and Practices from Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Actors”, na German House, New York - May 23rd, 2024

Dear Colleagues, dear friends,

It is my privilege to close this timely meeting on a subject of utmost importance for the United Nations and everything they – and we all - stand for.

Mis- and disinformation and hate speech have always existed. The advent of social media platforms, which perfectly illustrate the aphorism “the medium is the message”, led to the proliferation of actors spreading them at an unprecedented scale, speed and range.

They mobilize basic emotions: by exploiting anxieties, frustration and fear, they aim to rally adherence, passionate rather than rational, to the agenda they are meant to promote.

Mis- and disinformation and hate speech also test the boundaries of the freedom of expression. We must strike a delicate balance between the need to safeguard the fundamental right to freely express opinions, even if they are wrong or contrary to cherished values and virtues, and the imperative of countering malicious and criminal falsehoods and half-truths. This is especially true when their damaging potential is amplified by armed conflicts and humanitarian crises.

It is the Karl Popper’s “paradox of tolerance” conundrum.  There is a limit to what we can tolerate for the sake of tolerance.

This is also a reality that we must cope with in our national contexts: the target of mis- and disinformation and hate speech is trust. Without trust the social fabric is torn, the rules and codes underlying peaceful communities and lives break down. Even mere “coexistence”, this poorest of societal forms of living, is not possible anymore.

But we must be realistic. It is not feasible to eliminate harmful information and hate speech altogether. However, this conclusion does not exonerate us from the obligation to limit their reach and mitigate their effects. That is what we are doing now.

Last year we had a rich exchange here at the German House. Member States, UN agencies and civil society organizations shared experiences, expressed doubts and discussed the challenges they face in that defiant  area.

Today’s debate builds on last year’s and show us that there is hope – some hope. We can be proud, but not satisfied, for having rolled up our sleeves to keep up action against mis- and disinformation and hate speech.

We heard from the DPO, the UNHCR, the Office of the Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide and the Red Cross about the initiatives they have been taking to prevent mis- and disinformation and hate speech from worsening the situation of civilians living under volatile circumstances. CIVIC provided invaluable insight by sharing with us findings of their revealing research.

This fight has become part of the vocabulary of peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance. There is still a lot to discover about how mis- and disinformation and hate speech operate and cause harm, but we are certainly more aware of their origins and consequences than we were before. We are more prepared to rise to this challenge. We must build on that accomplishment.

I thank my fellow co-hosts, our moderator and our speakers for helping us all to better understand what is at stake and how we can take action against mis- and disinformation and hate speech.

I also thank all the in-person and online participants for their interest and engagement and the German Mission and all its staff for hosting us and actively promoting this event. I hope it will bring us together many more times as we face the unprecedented challenge of modern dis- and misinformation and hate speech. Thank you all.