that discriminate against populations based on their identity, can be both a precursor and a trigger of atrocity crimes, in particular genocide. We know this from history, we saw it in the Holocaust, and in the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica, where hate speech and the dehumanization of ‘the other’ was present during, after and long before violence broke out and such crimes were committed. More recent examples of hate speech and discrimination based on identity having contributed to large scale violence include in Myanmar, years of hatred and exclusionary rhetoric against the Rohingya both online and offline, together with discriminatory practices, leading to a climate in which mass violence against this population occurred. The Fact-Finding Mission set up by the Human Rights Council has documented some of these instances. In Ethiopia, rampant hate speech is contributing to divide communities along ethnic lines, with a negative impact on trust building and leading to the loss of lives. Inflammatory statements used by top political leaders and associated armed groups with dehumanizing language like “cancer”, “devil” and “weed” to refer to the Tigray conflict have been widely propagated online. Violent extremist groups have used social media platforms to recruit, disseminate hateful narratives, and incite violence. In Iraq and Syria, for example, ISIL used social media platforms to spread their exclusionary ideology and incitement to violence, including against the Yazidi. Ladies and gentlemen, Despite the concerning trends we are witnessing around the world, let us all remember that atrocity crimes are not inevitable. We can prevent them. They remain a reality in our world today because we continue to fail to learn from past mistakes and take the necessary action to address the risks of these crimes in our communities and societies. To be effective in preventing atrocity crimes we must do more to root out hatred and discrimination against populations based on their identity. At the United Nations we have developed a global Strategy and Plan of Action for tackling the growing trends of hate speech I mentioned, including its driver and root causes. My Office is the systemwide focal point for this Strategy and is working with several partners in all regions for its implementation. The Secretary-General has also issued his Call to Action for Human Rights, which includes protecting -3-