Resolution 16/18 on tackling hate
In 2011, the UN Human Rights Council adopted Resolution 16/18 which provides an eight-point action plan to tackle hatred and foster greater inclusion, diversity and pluralism. ARTICLE 19 explores how States and other stakeholders should respond to rising levels of intolerance and hate in societies in all parts of the world.
People are coming together to speak out and organise against hate speech. They need support. UN commitments and international standards will mean little without action and people on the ground are demanding action. Resolution 16/18 provides a strong platform for coordinated local, national and global action to tackle hate and promote the rights of all and in today’s climate, action is more urgent than ever.
Video: Action on UN standards to tackle hate
Action on UN standards to tackle hate – English
ومضة تحسيسية من إعداد منظمة المادة 19 حول القرار رقم 18/16 – Arabic
Combatir el odio utilizando los estándares de la ONU – Spanish
Briefing: Action to promote inclusion, diversity and pluralism
This briefing explores how States should respond to rising intolerance and hate in all parts of the world, by promoting inclusion, diversity and pluralism.
Setting out human rights obligations to promote inclusion, diversity and pluralism, as well as the commitments in place to guide States, this briefing shows how States and other actors can effectively tackle hate while promoting and protecting the mutually reinforcing rights to freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, and equality. These UN standards and commitments provide a means to tackle the growing phenomena of hate and intolerance, both for governments and civil society.
Implementing these standards and engaging with relevant UN mechanisms is key to promoting inclusion, diversity and pluralism at the national and local levels.
‘Hate Speech’ Explained: A Toolkit
This toolkit provides a guide to identifying and countering ‘hate speech’, while protecting the rights to freedom of expression and equality.
It gives clear guidance on identifying “hate speech,” and how to respond to challenges ‘hate speech’ poses within a human rights framework, addressing three key questions:
- How do we identify ‘hate speech’ that can be restricted, and distinguish it from protected speech?
- What positive measures can States and others take to counter ‘hate speech’?
- Which types of ‘hate speech’ should be prohibited by States, and under which circumstances?
UN HRC Resolution 16/18 Implementation Assessment Framework
This UN HRC Resolution 16/18 Implementation Assessment Framework has the overarching goal of facilitating engagement with, and the implementation of, the 13 action items in Resolution 16/18. The framework provides a set of indicators and a scoring rubric for each of the 13 action items to aid assessment and evaluation of implementation.
This is the result of a collaboration between ARTICLE 19 and the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention (HRAP) Clinic.
Implementing UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18
These briefs aim to provide guidance for states, digital companies, and various stakeholders to advance implementation of Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 and related UN commitments aimed at tackling hate in the digital sphere and with a gender perspective.
ARTICLE 19 hopes that the recommendations outlined in these briefs can assist states in their identification of further positive examples of alternative policy measures in order to more effectively address the root causes of religious hatred and increase awareness among various stakeholders of the issues around religious hatred.
- Implementing UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 in the digital sphere:
- Implementing UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 with a gender perspective:
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