Geneva, 27 May 2025 – The Geneva Centre is proud to announce that its first joint event with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will take place on 17 June 2025 at the margins of the 59th regular session of the Human Rights Council.
Held on the eve of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech, this side event will explore challenges and approaches to countering hate speech at the intersection of religion and gender. By focusing on the intersectionality of religion and gender, the event aims to strengthen efforts to address hate speech while ensuring that gender perspectives, particularly those of women and girls, remain at the forefront.
Aligned with OHCHR’s ‘Faith for Rights’ framework, this side event will provide a platform to bring to light the disproportionate impact of hate speech on women and girls; foster dialogue on effective responses to combat religious discrimination and violence against women within diverse cultural and religious contexts; and showcase best practices and initiatives to promote intercultural understanding, gender equality, and interfaith dialogue in the fight against hate speech.
Co-chaired by Dr Michael Wiener, Human Rights Officer at OHCHR, and Dr Umesh Palwankar, Executive Director of the Geneva Centre, the side event will feature a panel discussion with prominent speakers such as H.E. Ms Marie-Thérèse Pictet-Althann (Sovereign Order of Malta), Ms Adriana Quiñones (UN Women), and Dr Saba Haddad (Baha’i International Community).
Conceived in a very dynamic format, the panel discussion will be followed by an interactive debate, allowing participants to engage directly with experts and practitioners.
Read the concept note here.
Save the Date!
Date & Time: 17 June 2025, 2:00-3:00 PM
Location: Room XVIII, Palais des Nations, UN Geneva
Stay tuned; further information and details to follow!