San Jose, September 27 (EFE). – The Government of Costa Rica reported this Wednesday that it will work together with the United Nations on a strategy against hate speech and discrimination, which will establish responsibilities, areas of action and solutions to be led by the State and public institutions.
In a joint statement from the Presidential House and the United Nations, they stated that the aim of the program will be to contribute comprehensively to the consolidation of the democratic welfare state and Costa Rican law as a mechanism to ensure justice, equality and peace.
“By starting this process to create a national strategy, we are taking a step in the right direction and as a United Nations we reaffirm our commitment to the Government of Costa Rica and Costa Ricans to build a more inclusive society. more egalitarian and more respectful of diversity and the rights of all people. A Costa Rica where no one is left behind,” emphasized United Nations Resident Coordinator Allegra Baiocchi.
The aim of the initiative is to create a framework for joint action and alliances with key sectors and to lay the foundation for a national policy against hate speech and discrimination with long-term impact. The process will be led by a multidisciplinary team of experts with experience in this topic from the United Nations and the Government of Costa Rica and the strategy is expected to be ready before the end of 2023.
“We must not allow expressions of hatred, violence and discrimination to become normal in public and digital spaces. Today we recognize that decisive action is required from the State, but also from all societal actors, to address this major challenge through the creation of this agreement and national strategy,” said the Minister of Communications and Liaison, Jorge Rodríguez.
The United Nations emphasized that Costa Rica is an international leader in investigating and combating hate speech and that, with the support of the organization, it has been studying and taking action on this issue since 2018.
The latest United Nations report on hate speech shows a continued rise in hate speech in recent years and calls for strong action to stem the tide of hate and discrimination. EFE
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