News

A UNESCO Chair is launching an open access online course, Hate to Hope, to address messages of hate and intolerance.

The world is experiencing an unprecedented crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While initiatives and actions of solidarity and dialogue are numerous, messages of hate and intolerance are spreading. Fake news, misinformation and disinformation are being used to target people, communities, countries, and research institutions. While part of an established global trend, hate speech and violent extremist ideologies are currently on the rise.

To help address these issues, the UNESCO Chair on the Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism (Canada) is launching the free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) ‘From Hate to Hope: Building Understanding and Resilience’.

The MOOC starts on 4 May 2020 and will be available in English, French and Arabic. To register.

The 10-hour course is designed for a wide range of stakeholders and offers many perspectives on the theme including from global experts in violent extremism and hate speech and former violent extremists.

It explores the difference between hate speech and free speech, the dynamics of hate including ways in which people are manipulated to feel and express hatred, offers ways to build resilience to hate dialogue, and looks at how social media can be used to both traffic and challenge hateful messages, with concrete examples. Tangible solutions for prevention, resilience and advocacy, online and offline, are also presented.

More information

• UNESCO Chair on the Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism (Canada)
• UNESCO’s work and resources on the Prevention of Violent Extremism

URL:

https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-chair-launching-online-course-counter-rise-violent-extremism-and-hate-speech