A/67/326 the media, on the Internet and other electronic communications networks and in society at large. It has also expressed concern at the dissemination of racist propaganda on the Internet in a number of recent concluding observations issued after consideration of regular reports submitted by States parties, in which it states that such dissemination falls within the scope of prohibitions under article 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. 8 At its eighty-first session, held in Geneva from 6 to 31 August 2012, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination organized a thematic discussion on racist hate speech which also touched upon the issue of the Internet. 32. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has played a key role in the international debate on racism and the Internet. In 1997, OHCHR organized a seminar on the role of the Internet to find ways and means to ensure its responsible use in the light of the provisions of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (see E/CN.4/1998/77/Add.2). Pursuant to resolution 1999/78 of the Commission on Human Rights, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights undertook research and consultations to explore the use of the Internet for purposes of incitement to racial hatred, racist propaganda and xenophobia, and to study ways of promoting international cooperation in this area. The resulting study described how individuals and groups with racist beliefs and agendas had availed themselves of this rich communication resource to establish and strengthen ties among themselves and make their racist materials, in increasing volume and with increasing sophistication, available online to Internet users (see A/CONF.189/PC.2/12). In 2011, OHCHR organized a series of expert workshops for Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Latin America and Caribbean region on the prohibition of incitement to national, racial or religious hatred, as reflected in international human rights law. The objectives of these workshops were to gain a better understanding of legislative patterns, judicial practices and different types of policies in countries of the various regions of the world, with regard to the prohibition of incitement to national, racial, or religious hatred while ensuring full respect for freedom of expression, as outlined in articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; to arrive at a comprehensive assessment of the state of implementation of this prohibition of incitement in conformity with international human rights law; and to identify possible actions at all levels. At the regional consultations the participants discussed strategic responses to hate speech, which in addition to legal measures should include, inter alia, systematic monitoring and data gathering to facilitate early warning; self-regulation by the media; awareness-raising campaigns by Governments; the training of law enforcement officers and judges; and the promotion of tolerance through education. OHCHR will convene a final expert meeting, to be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco, on 4 and 5 October 2012, to develop a comparative analysis of the findings of the four workshops, to identify possible actions at all levels and to reflect on the best ways and means of sharing experiences. 33. The Intergovernmental Working Group on the effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action held a high-level seminar on racism and the Internet in 2006. During the discussion, it was underlined that a combination __________________ 8 12-46982 CERD/C/64/CO/2, para. 19; CERD/C/ITA/CO/16-18, para. 17; CERD/C/63/CO/5, para. 14; and CERD/C/LUX/CO/13, para. 14. 11