UNESCAP Side-event on Disinformation

  1. Home
  2. Digital Watch
  3. UNESCAP Side-event on Disinformation

Side-Event for the Asia Pacific Sustainable Development Forum 2021

Time: 16.15 – 18.00 hrs (Malaysian Time)

In recent times, online platforms have become spaces for disseminating information, building social narratives and expressing political opinions. These online spaces have also become rustable to the spread of conspiracy theories, hateful narratives and political polarization. As is apparent in South Asia and around the world, there are real world consequences to online discourses. Unsafe online spaces can severely damage SDG 3 (through medical disinformation), SDG4 (through projecting unscientific observations against scientific studies), SDG 5 (through online misogyny), SDG 10 &11 (through hate against minorities and migrants), SDG 13 (through climate disinformation) and SDG 16 (through social and political breakdown and by creating institutional mistrust).

To counter the effects of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech online, several international calls are now being made towards responsible governmental and non-governmental actions. Spurred by these calls to action, this session seeks to present a unique opportunity for business, governments and civil society stakeholders to engage in a dialogue. The session will explore how disinformation, misinformation and hate speech tend to stand in the way of the Sustainable Development Goals and how human rights standards provide both a framework for state and non-state actors in countering misinformation and hate speech online.

Key Questions for the Session:

Review the state of existing knowledge and evidence of disinformation, misinformation and hate speech online.
Reflect upon the policy development towards democratizing and making safe and inclusive online-spaces within the EU and UN.
Understand the landscape of issues around intolerance, hate and misinformation in South Asia and Pacific.
Frame initial recommendation towards countering disinformation, misinformation and hate speech online in South Asia and Pacific context.

Harriet Kingaby, Conscious Ad Network, Global
Osama Manzar, Digital Empowerment Foundation, India
Rita Jabri-Markwell, AMAN Foundation, Australia
Richard Wilson, Director, Stop Funding Hate, UK
Pratik Sinha, Alt News, India
Iman Atta, Faith Matters and Tell Mumma, Europe
Kiran Garimella, MIT, US[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Menu