OHCHR Senior Minority Fellow in Moldova I’m [?] an OHCHR Minority Fellow in Moldova. I want to highlight the need of ensuring a legal and policy framework to effectively combat hate speech in the Republic of Moldova, something that has been noted by the UN and the Council of Europe human right bodies since 2013. Despite the efforts of the national authorities, civil society and development partners, Moldova lacks policies and comprehensive legislation which criminalizes hate crimes and hate speech, in line with the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Therefore, the problem remains acute, especially in the context of the pandemic and recent presidential elections, which generated a wave of stigma, including certain minority groups by hate speech. Thus, recalling the SDG Recommendation, no: 35, from 2013, I recommend to the government: - - - To adopt comprehensive legislation and amendments to existing laws in line with Article 4 of the Convention and Article 20 of ICCPR, ensuring effective institutional mechanisms to sanction incitement to hatred; To ensure hate speech monitoring mechanisms and data collection; To develop a strategy on prevention and combating hate speech with global public participation including minorities, minority groups, that will be in line with international obligations and human rights standards; The policies should address root causes and drivers of hate speech and ensure cooperation with development partners, civil society and media for its effective implementation; Last but not least, to provide effective measures on implementation of SDG 4.7 in education and intense media and information literacy for all. Thank you Madame Chair!