UNESCO supports the launch of a Coalition for Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Bosnia and Herzegovina to creating a free and healthy online environment for citizens

The coalition, founded as part of the UNESCO project Social Media 4 Peace, aims to encourage cooperation between civil society, state institutions, the academic community and experts, the social media and digital platforms to improve the curbing of harmful online content while promoting freedom of expression in Bosnia and Herzegovina..

“Today’s launch is a big achievement for the UNESCO EU-funded project “Social Media 4 Peace” and the results of tireless efforts of our partners and local stakeholders in Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish and pilot an innovative new national mechanism to improve content governance and create a free and healthy online environment for all citizens of the country”, said Siniša Šešum, Head of the UNESCO office in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“The Social Media 4 Peace project is also a concrete step in strengthening the global partnership between the European Union and UNESCO to strengthen the resilience of societies to potentially harmful content that spreads online, especially hate speech that incites violence and division," he added. "

"As one of the great challenges of our time, unverified information and hate speech are eroding our democracies and often pose a major threat to the enjoyment of human rights and reconciliation. Freedom of expression and media freedom are fundamental pillars of democratic societies, essential for the protection of human rights and the promotion of good governance. This is also among the key areas BiH needs to work on the EU path. Nonetheless, freedom of expression should not mean freedom to spread false information that can harm other people’s rights and that is misused to incite hatred, intolerance or violence. I am glad that the EU supported this Coalition and that civil society organisations are taking action on this", said Ambassador Sattler, adding that he is glad that the EU supported the Coalition and that civil society organizations are working on it.

Stela Vasić, Adviser at the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina reminding of the devastating effects of online hatred in the offline world, welcomed the establishment of such a coalition to trust and dialogue among the different stakeholders working on addressing the issue in the country.

17  civil society organizations, academic institutions, journalist associations, self-regulatory media bodies, media associations, activists, organizations for media and digital literacy, and human rights activists and experts committed to joining the Coalition.

Maida Muminović, the Executive Director of the Media Center, one of the organizations member of the coalition, reminded the audience that social media and digital platforms do not devote enough resources to the moderation of hate speech, nor do they pay adequate attention to the local context, culture, and languages ​​in BiH when moderating harmful content, leaving room for the negative consequences of such content.

"The coalition will be committed to advocating for a more adequate and transparent management of harmful content by social media companies, at the same time advocating for the protection of freedom of expression and the promotion of peace through digital technologies, especially social media," she pointed out.

Similar coalitions have been formed in other countries where the Social Media for Peace project is implemented - Indonesia, Kenya and Colombia. The project is implemented with the support of the European Union.