MISIONI I PËRHERSHËM I REPUBLIKËS SË SHQIPËRISË GJENEVË PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA GENEVA The 13th Session of the United Nations Forum on Minority Issues Geneva, 19-20 November 2020 Intervention of the Republic of Albania 20 November 2020 Madame Chair, Albania is committed to protecting and promoting all human rights in accordance with international obligations. Diversity is an integral part and a source of enrichment in our society. At the national level, Albania has considerably improved the legal and political framework for the protection of minorities by adopting in October 2017 a specific law on minorities, based on international standards and followed by a comprehensive consultation process with relevant actors including minorities and civil society. We welcome the Forum whose topic this year is an analysis of practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives to combat hate speech against minorities in social media. You have rightly pointed out that the world is facing a worrying surge in xenophobia, racism and intolerance, including a rise in anti-Semitism, on the basis of ethnicity and religion. Observing the phenomenon will not be enough, we need action. From our perspective, there is a need to react, including by drafting binding legislation, even if the task seems delicate, because we must guarantee respect for the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Hate speech often creates a climate of intolerance and hostility and can contribute to the exclusion of minorities, combating such speech could prevent a rise in extremist ideologies, which exploit and use social media and other forms of communication as platforms for sectarianism, the history of which has shown us that the consequences can be serious. In Albania, traditionally there is no problem of real understanding between the different groups of the Albanian population. Unusually for the region, hate speech - at least in its most serious form - was once rare. However, incidents of hate speech in the media can have a negative impact on public discourse in general. The Criminal Code of Albania stipulates as a criminal offense “incitement to hatred or to conflicts for reasons of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation…”. The recent amendments to the law “for the protection against discrimination”, adopted in October 2020, include several provisions relating to forms of discrimination and more particularly to “hate speech”. “The Alliance Against Hate”, constitutes a common approach in the fight against hate speech and the promotion of diversity in Albania. Page 1 /2