On 25 May 2023, the Permanent Missions of Brazil, Germany, and Ghana to the United Nations, the United Nations Department of Peace Operations, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Stimson Center, and Center for Civilians in Conflict convened an expert-level dialogue on the impact of misinformation and disinformation on civilians, featuring perspectives from peacekeeping and humanitarian practitioners. This workshop was organized in a hybrid format as part of “PoC Week” on the margins of the annual UN Security Council Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict.
This event intends to inform emerging thought and practice on how to better protect civilians and increase their resiliency to online mis- and disinformation and hate speech. Continued dialogue and collaboration between peacekeeping, humanitarians, researchers, and affected communities are essential to effectively understanding and tackling these phenomena. This discussion brought these expert communities together to exchange experiences, with the shared goal of preventing mis- and disinformation and hate speech both online and offline.
Read the PoC Side Event Concept Note.
Opening Remarks
H.E. Ambassador Antje Leendertse, Permanent Representative of Germany to the United Nations
H.E. Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations
Panel Discussion
Ms. Lauren Spink, Senior Advisor on Research, Center for Civilians in Conflict
Ms. Naomi Miyashita, Senior Programme Officer on Mis-/Disinformation, United Nations Department of Peace Operations
Ms. Gisella Lomax, Senior Advisor on Information Integrity (Mis-/Disinformation and Hate Speech), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Ms. Mevan Babakar, Misinformation expert and former refugee
Mr. Philippe Stoll, Senior Techplomacy Delegate, International Committee of the Red Cross
Moderator
Ms. Lisa Sharland, Senior Fellow and Director of the Protecting Civilians and Human Security Program, Stimson Center
Closing Remarks
H.E. Ambassador Harold Adlai Agyeman, Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations
Photo caption: Khassim Diagne (right), Deputy Special Representative for Protection and Operations in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), speaks to Radio Okapi during a visit to Tchabi, following killings in a camp for internally displaced persons. Credit: UN Photo/Michael Ali.