{"id":54548,"date":"2025-06-18T16:02:27","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T16:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/rwanda-urges-global-ai-regulation-to-combat-online-hate-speech\/"},"modified":"2025-06-20T12:27:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:27:29","slug":"rwanda-urges-global-ai-regulation-to-combat-online-hate-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-urges-global-ai-regulation-to-combat-online-hate-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda urges global AI regulation to combat online hate speech"},"content":{"rendered":"

The event, co-organized by the Kingdom of Morocco, the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and their partners, focused on the critical intersection of hate speech and artificial intelligence (AI) in the digital age.<\/p>\n

Amb. Ngoga began by expressing Rwanda\u2019s gratitude to the organizers for their leadership in addressing the global rise of hate speech, emphasizing the urgency of countering its spread in an era where AI amplifies its reach. <\/p>\n

\u201cRwanda strongly supports a coordinated global approach to regulating AI and digital platforms rooted in international human rights law,\u201d Ngoga stated, highlighting the need for ethical safeguards to protect vulnerable communities, as outlined in the Global Digital Compact.<\/p>\n

Drawing on Rwanda\u2019s painful history, Ngoga underscored the devastating consequences of unchecked hate speech, referencing the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. <\/p>\n

\u201cRadio broadcasts, newspapers, and state rhetoric dehumanized the Tutsi, paving the way for one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

This experience fuels Rwanda\u2019s deep conviction in the need for robust measures to combat hate speech and prevent its weaponization.<\/p>\n

Ngoga also paid tribute to Professor Gregory Stanton for his influential work in genocide studies, which has shaped post-genocide jurisdictions, including Rwanda\u2019s own legal efforts. <\/p>\n

Reflecting on his tenure as Rwanda\u2019s former Prosecutor General and his work with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Ngoga highlighted the landmark \u201cmedia trial\u201d of Ferdinand Nahimana, Hassan Ngeze, and Jean-Bosco Barayagwiza. <\/p>\n

This trial, he explained, set a critical judicial precedent in distinguishing between protected free speech and criminal hate speech. \u201cThe Tribunal for Rwanda resolved that problem,\u201d Ngoga said, urging tech companies and global actors to draw on this jurisprudence to address hate speech in the digital realm.<\/p>\n

The ambassador emphasized the evolving nature of hate speech, now accelerated by AI-generated content and algorithmic amplification. \u201cOnline hate spreads faster than truth, radicalizes communities, and undermines the foundations of peace we have worked hard to build,\u201d he warned, noting that behind every slur or viral image lie real consequences for real people.<\/p>\n

The event aligns with the UN\u2019s broader efforts to counter hate speech, as outlined in the 2019 UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech and the 2021 UN General Assembly resolution proclaiming June 18 as the International Day for Countering Hate Speech. The resolution calls for increased efforts to address discrimination, xenophobia, and hate speech in line with international human rights law.<\/p>\n

Echoing this sentiment, UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres remarked, \u201cToday, hate speech travels faster and farther than ever, amplified by Artificial Intelligence. Let\u2019s commit to using AI not as a tool of hate, but as a force for good. Let\u2019s stand united in the pursuit of peace, mutual respect, and understanding for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Amb.<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda\u2019s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Martin Ngoga, delivered a powerful address during a commemoration event in Geneva marking the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, ahead of its official observance on June 18. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2000089329,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-54548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000089329,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/79218.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/79218.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/79218.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/79218.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/79218.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/79218.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54548","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54548"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54548\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000089329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54548"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54548"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54548"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=54548"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=54548"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}