On October 4 during the general debate entitled “Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance: follow-up to and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action” held in the course of the 51st Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Armenia delivered the Joint Statement on digital technologies and hate speech.

This initiative of Armenia was co-sponsored by 38 States from all UN regional groups.

The Statement underscores that while digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, present increasing opportunities and benefits, however their design, development, deployment and misuse might also entail risks to fundamental rights, democracy and the rule of law. A deep concern was expressed on the increase in online hate speech and harassment.

The co-sponsors of the Joint Statement emphasized the need for fundamental preservation, protection and promotion of the right to freedom of opinion and expression in the digital age. It was underlined that several social media platforms attempted to counter the challenges of hate speech and hate crimes incited by state and non-state actors.

The full version of the Joint Statement and the list of co-sponsors are available at the following links: https://bit.ly/3M3dvvB,