UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL

intersessional meeting to mark the seventy-fifth anniversary

of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

and to discuss the role of social media

4 December 2023

EU Intervention

Mr President,

At the beginning of the WW2, Winston Churchill said: “we are in the presence of a crime without a name”. The name, “genocide”, was coined a few years later by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer of Jewish origins, who spearheaded efforts to adopt the Convention against Genocide, which eventually borne fruit in 1948.

Shockingly, 75 years after the adoption of the Convention the word “genocide” is not an artefact of the past and the risks of new genocides still persist. As the world is confronted by increasing violence and atrocities, we must redouble our efforts and actions together with national and international partners, including the civil society.

The crime of genocide never comes out of thin air, there are always warning signs before it happens. Early signs may manifest themselves in rising nationalism, hate speech, xenophobia or racism. Yet, they always have one element in common: dehumanization of the other. A proper identification of early signs and a prompt reaction to them is an important first step towards preventing genocide.

The spread of hatred and dehumanization have been increasingly taking place in the digital world. As noted in the Secretary General report on the impact of technological advances on prevention of genocide efforts and on risks of perpetration of genocide presented at the 53^rd session of HRC, new technologies may increase the risk of genocide, for example by spreading disinformation, hate speech and incitement to violence through the social media platforms.

States have the duty to prevent and punish the crime of genocide, they have to react firmly whenever warning signs appear. Yet, tech companies must step up their efforts in this regard too, as they have the responsibility to respect human rights and are indispensable in creating a safe, rights-based digital space. They have the responsibility to implement human rights due diligence across all of their business activities and to review business models that risk incentivizing divisive, misleading, hateful and violent content. At the same time, efforts to fight hate speech cannot justify undue restrictions on the right to freedom of expression. Such restrictions would be counterproductive and could facilitate the commission of genocide.

Mr President,

The Secretary General rightly pointed out that “prevention of genocide requires constant vigilance and action”.  This refers to states, companies, international community. All of us.