Pakistan Mission to United Nations

Response of Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech (18 June 2019)

Let me begin by thanking you Mr. Secretary General for this much needed initiative to work on a UN Strategy and Plan of Action to address hate speech.

My delegation also commends the work undertaken by the Special Advisor for the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng.

Mr. Secretary General,

For much too long, an absolutist notion of freedom of expression has enabled hate speech to be mainstreamed and to be used as a means if not a pretext for vile expressions to prosper.

Words, after all, don’t just have consequences. Words can kill.

Yet, in many parts of the world and in my own region, we are witnessing the use of hate speech to secure narrow political and electoral gains.

An inevitable consequence is to fan the flames of bigotry, intolerance, anti-Muslim hatred and xenophobia.

My Prime Minister, Imran Khan has recently again called for urgent action to counter Islamophobia, which is today the most prevalent expression of racism and hatred against ‘the other’.

We hope that, through the launch of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, we will be able to address the complex question of how to respond to intolerant, inflammatory and prejudiced narratives that are stoking racial and religious fears, and consequent hostility. As you said, follow up will be critical.

Let me underscore four specific points in this regard:

• One, government interventions are required to fight the phenomenon of hate speech. National legislation may be needed to curb this.
• Two, as the Secretary-General has pointed out, the misuse of digital technology poses new and unprecedented challenges. Social media platforms should not become conduits for incitement to violence. It is time that we evolve ways to ensure that information technology companies are held accountable for the content that incites violence and weaponizes individuals. Just as tech companies have set ground rules that deter use of these platforms by terrorists, corporate responsibility should extend to ensure that harmful and hate-filled messages are not disseminated on social media platforms.
• Three, We need to evolve a more focused strategy to deal with the various expressions of Islamophobia.
• Four, to tackle hate speech, a ‘whole of government’ and a ‘whole of society’ approach is needed. In this regard, we request the Secretary General to engage with a wide range of actors, including governments, civil society and social media companies to take action and stop social media users being funneled into online sources of radicalization.

Mr. Secretary General,

We are fully committed to support the UN’s strategy on hate speech. This is a moment for all of us to come together to reverse the tide of hate and bigotry that threatens to undermine social solidarity and peaceful co-existence.

I thank you.