Mr Chair, Mme Special Rapporteur,

The European Union attaches great importance to the freedom of opinion and expression. They are essential for the fulfillment and enjoyment of a wide range range of other human rights.

The European Union is deeply concerned by the widespread use of disinformation to undermine democratic ideals and to promote and enhance patriarchal and gender stereotypes as well as negative social norms, perceptions, customs and behaviours. It is used to silence women, discourage online political discourse and shape perceptions against gender equality and the active role of women.

The EU supports women’s equal, full, effective and meaningful participation, in all their diversity, including in all spheres of public and political life, as per the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024.

We share the concerns of the Special Rapporteur about the way in which disinformation, misinformation and hate speech rooted in gender stereotypes is used as a form of abuse and violence against women, and that this often has a severe impact on their human rights and fundamental freedoms and discourages political discourse in the digital space. We are particularly concerned that gender stereotypes have been invoked against feminist groups, human rights defenders, journalists and media professionals, sexualizing and attacking them as a way of discrediting their reporting and discouraging them from continuing their work.

The EU reaffirms its strong commitment to respect, protect and fulfil the full and equal enjoyment of human rights by LGBTI persons, their empowerment and full, equal and meaningful participation in all spheres of life, and expresses its concern about the alarming rates of violence, discrimination, and stigmatization against LGBTI persons worldwide through discriminatory laws, policies and practices, including the criminalisation of consenting same–sex relations.

The European Union has taken important steps to counter disinformation and tackling Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference. In 2018, the EU spearheaded the Code of Practice on disinformation, the first worldwide self-regulatory set of standards to fight disinformation. In 2022, the Digital Services Act was adopted. It provides a set of powerful tools that will also be used to tackle disinformation.

Special Rapporteur, in your report, you promote a gender-responsive approach to online threats.

How can we best shape effective and evidence-based policies to counter its consequences and set common standards in a way that allows to uphold the right of freedom of opinion and expression, as well as women’s human rights and access to civic space, in light of the evolution of digital technologies?

Thank you.