UN Special Adviser of the Secretary on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Nderitu warned on Friday that hate speech continues to significantly threaten global peace and security. It also frequently targets the most vulnerable in society.

In a briefing to the UN Security Council, Nderitu said that as well as inciting violence, hate speech also perpetuates discrimination, stigma, dehumanization and marginalization. She stated, “Violence does not start when physical attacks are launched. Violence often starts with words. Words of hatred spread intolerance, divide societies, promote and endorse discrimination and incite violence.”

Nderitu emphasized that, in ongoing crises and conflicts, hate speech often entrenches divisions and threatens civilian safety, especially since social media “is allowing hate speech to be employed by anyone, reaching quicker distant audiences, and hence increasing the potential for offline harm.” Nderitu also said that minorities, such as women, tend to be targeted.

Her speech came as the UN adopted Resolution 2686, in which the Council urged UN Member States to reduce conflict settings by condemning and preventing racism, hate speech, xenophobia, gender discrimination, extremism and violence. United Kingdom’s ambassador James Kariuki highlighted that this was the first time the Council “directly addressed the discrimination and persecution faced by a range of minority groups in conflict settings.”

The UN launched its Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech in 2019, recognizing “that over the past 75 years, hate speech has been a precursor to atrocity crimes[.]” Nderitu stated that this strategy “is being employed across the UN system, especially in the field, to support national actors, including [m]ember [s]tates, who have the primary responsibility in addressing hate speech.” She also said, “Tackling hate speech is complex and requires dedicated attention and support.”