#NoToHate – UNIC Beirut and OHCHR joint plan to combat hate speech in Lebanon & Arab region

To mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech on June 18, the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Beirut and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for the Middle East and North Africa (OHCHR) joined forces in developing a communication plan aimed at raising awareness on hate speech and promoting effective countermeasures.

The joint communication plan, having both national and regional aspects, included the creation of concise and impactful messages in English and Arabic that resonate with the target audience on different platforms, in addition to powerful visuals that capture their attention in a cluttered online landscape.

These ranged from a GIF post breaking down the main steps to effectively address hate speech and encouraging the active participation of online users, posts defining it, others outlining its targets and generic ones.

To amplify the reach and impact of this plan, OHCHR and UNIC engaged influential personalities. This allowed to leverage their credibility and influence to promote the messaging. Each personality promoted one step of the main steps to engage with hate speech. Their words were framed in quote cards and used them on UN social media platforms.

As part of the collaboration, UNIC and OHCHR are also developing a video on the effective steps to engage with hate speech by these influential personalities that will be released soon.