Education as a Tool for Prevention: Addressing and Countering Hate Speech (Expert Meeting: 13-18 May 2020)

Addressing and countering hate speech is a multi-layered endeavour, which includes tackling its root causes and drivers, preventing it from translating into violence and dealing with its wider societal consequences.

Within the framework of the Education 2030 Agenda, and more specifically target 4.7 of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), as well as the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech – which places specific emphasis on the role of education as a tool for addressing hate speech – UNESCO and the United Nations Office on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect (OSAPG) convened a series of virtual meetings of experts from 13 to 18 May 2020. This report highlights some of the key discussion areas and unpacks the role of education as a preventive tool. It argues that strengthening educational responses to build the resilience of learners to exclusionary rhetoric and hate speech is paramount for sustainable development and peace for all.