8 April 2020, 15:00-17:00
Right On
Geneva Internet Platform
Content challenges such as fake news, disinformation campaigns, and online hate speech are increasingly common these days. These challenges are far from recent developments; the outbreak of the coronavirus has only accelerated this ‘infodemic’, while the growth in online acts of hate speech – in particular towards Asian people – have contributed to the ‘coronaracism’ phenomenon.
In order to curb down the spread of false information, xenophobia, and online intolerance, governments worldwide have or are taking steps to enact legislation which sanctions such conduct. The private sector, led by tech giants Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Apple, has also taken the initiative to help fight some of the most pervasive challenges of the digital era.
Our Wednesday webchat ‘Right On’ will discuss these prevailing issues and how they affect us – particularly during a crisis, as well as what lessons we can draw from our experience in attempting to effectively address fake news and online hate speech.
To join the discussion, you need to register here.
‘Right On’ is a new digital initiative – co-organized by the Geneva Academy, the Geneva Human Rights Platform, the Geneva Internet Platform, the DiploFoundation, the Universal Right Group, the Human Rights Centre at the University of Essex, as well as the Permanent Missions of Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands to the United Nations in Geneva – that will keep the human rights dialogue going during these COVID-19 times.
Every Wednesday at 15:00, experts and practitioners will discuss key human rights issues related to the current health crisis.
In this first event of the ‘Right On’ digital initiative, panelists discussed online hatespeech and fakenews, notably in the context of the current global crisis.

News
Canva
Our new Working Paper by Professor Olivier de Frouville, based on his keynote speech at the Geneva Academy 2021 Graduation Ceremony, discusses the need for – and existing premises – a Global Transitional Justice Process.
News
Geneva Academy
In 2021, the Geneva Human Rights Platform developed and launched a new online tool for all UN treaty body members to interact online as a community of practice, consult each other, collaborate on tasks, connect to share news and information, and contribute material to a resource library
Short Course
UN Photo
This short course, which can be followed in Geneva or online, analyses the main international and regional norms governing the international protection of refugees. It notably examines the sources of international refugee law, including the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and their interaction with human rights law and international humanitarian law.
Short Course
ICRC
This short course, which can be followed in Geneva or online, will provide participants with an introduction to substantive human rights law. It will start with an introduction to the nature and sources of international human rights law and its place in the international legal system. The course will then provide a presentation of the main principles applicable to substantive rights (jurisdiction, obligation and limitations).
Project
Gorodenkoff/Adobe
This project will facilitate a multistakeholder consultative process to identify knowledge gaps, generate new evidence and co-design evidence-based tools to support regulatory and policy responses to human rights challenges linked to digital technologies.
Project
UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré
Publication