Khalilur Rahman, president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 81st session, said restoring trust starts with how people speak to, and about, one another every day. He also warned that hate speech divides communities, dehumanises people, and fuels violence.
Khalilur, also the foreign minister of Bangladesh, made the remark at the Global Conference on Promoting Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance in Countering Hate Speech, held at UN Headquarters in New York on Thursday.
Highlighting the essential role of dialogue, education, and media literacy, Khalilur also underscored the need to use new technologies responsibly.
Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called for concerted action by governments, technology companies, and civil society to stamp out hate speech as its toxic message spreads rapidly across new online platforms.
Warning that hate speech poses a growing threat to peace and security while fueling division, violence, genocide, and other atrocity crimes, the UN chief emphasised that “its toxic message is spreading fast and striking deep.”
The secretary-general warned that the expanding reach of hate speech “is testing our shared humanity” by eroding trust, dividing communities, and dehumanising entire groups. He noted that hate speech is attacking and weakening capacity for acceptance, empathy, understanding, and respect for diversity.
He further pointed out that racism, misogyny, and xenophobia are being celebrated, while antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred, discrimination against minority Christian communities, and hatred of other religious and ethnic groups are being normalised.
Stating that the international community already knows how to stop the damage caused by hate speech, the UN Chief pointed to two key UN initiatives: the Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech and the Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites.
Emphasising that hate speech cannot be conquered in isolation, the Secretary-General stressed that governments, regional and multilateral organisations, the private sector, and civil society — including faith communities, academia, and the media – have a shared responsibility to help build peaceful, just, and inclusive societies.
Delivering an urgent message to the international community, he insisted that all stakeholders must work together to foster mutual understanding, end tragic cycles of fear, hatred, and violence, and build cohesive and stable societies envisioned in the UN Charter.
