Delivered by Ambassador Mohamed Abushahab, Permanent Representative

Mr. Chair,

At the outset, I would like to thank the briefers for their valuable contributions.

We commend the Kingdom of Morocco and the Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect for organizing this important commemoration.

Hate speech, extremism and all forms of intolerance have been on the rise across the world.

The international community has recognized the gravity of these threats in several UN resolutions aimed at countering hate speech. This includes Resolution 2686 on ‘Tolerance, Peace and Security’, which recognized for the first time that hate speech, extremism and related forms of intolerance have a direct link to the outbreak, escalation and recurrence of conflict.

Last Friday marked a year since the adoption of Resolution 2686 and the Security Council was briefed on its implementation.

During the briefing, we heard that following the adoption of resolution 2686, various special political missions and peacekeeping operations have been monitoring hate speech. Many have taken actions to address such phenomenon around the world.

However, we must acknowledge that while significant strides have been made, much more remains to be done.

To this end, we must focus our efforts on the following three points:

First, we must continue to monitor and report on hate speech, extremism and all forms of intolerance, and adopt comprehensive preventive strategies that involve all aspects of society. Youth should be at the forefront of these efforts.

Second, we must invest in young people’s education. Fostering their engagement, and supporting their initiatives, we can harness their potential to build a more inclusive and tolerant world.

Lastly, we must address hate speech in a gender-responsive manner. It is therefore important that relevant national institutions put in place adequate mechanisms to better protect women and girls from these crimes. Thank you, Mr. Chair.