The two workshops organized on 14 and 19 March in Baghdad were a part of preparatory activities leading up to the official launch of the “Social Media 4 Peace” project, which is implemented by UNESCO and supported by the European Union Foreign Policy Instrument (FPI). One of the cornerstones of the project is to establish a multistakeholder cooperation mechanism at the national level aimed at pooling local expertise and jointly working towards context-driven and human rights-based governance systems of harmful content on digital platforms.
Building effective solutions to local challenges of harmful content online, in particular hate speech and disinformation, requires collective expertise and collaboration among local actors. These workshops marked an important first step in opening a space for dialogue and fostering such cooperation.
Dhea SubheeProject Officer at the UNESCO Iraq Office
The discussions focused on identifying interests and potential pathways for long-term cooperation, as well as the gaps and needs for strengthening local capacities to engage with social media platforms on content moderation policies. Digital content creators and influencers attending the workshops highlighted the need for training on identifying and responding to hate speech, as well as understanding the international frameworks and standards governing online content.
The representatives of civil society stressed the importance of transparent and inclusive selection processes to ensure that cooperation is built on fair ground and enables balanced and effective representation within the project.
The gathering was also attended by representative of the Human Rights Commission who expressed their full support for the project’s various components, recognizing it as a cornerstone for promoting peace narratives and addressing challenges of online content in Iraq.
As the project moves forward, UNESCO will continue building the capacities of local actors to tackle challenges of online harmful content together through evidence-based and human rights approach. For this reason, the project will conduct a comprehensive research at the national level to map out the root-causes, scale and impact of harmful content online. It will also assess the effectiveness of the existing tools, including legal, regulatory and self-regulatory frameworks, policies, initiatives, and tech-solutions, creating a basis for informed local actions.