A/HRC/RES/49/9 prejudice against ethnic, religious or racial groups, or condone or justify violence against them, Deeply concerned that misuse of new technologies, in particular social media platforms, can amplify hate speech and contribute to national, ethnical, racial or religious polarization, Deeply concerned also that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic perpetuates and exacerbates existing inequalities, and that those most at risk are persons in vulnerable and marginalized situations, Recognizing efforts and measures concerning the response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the Secretary-General’s appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in situations of armed conflicts, and expressing concern that the call for a general and immediate cessation of hostilities was not fully heeded, Recognizing that gender plays a role in the planning and commission of genocide and the distinct ways it can be planned and perpetrated against women, men, girls and boys, including through acts of sexual and gender-based violence, and the importance that gender analysis has for prevention and accountability measures, Strongly condemning violence against women and girls, such as murder, rape, including systematic rape, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy and enforced sterilization, and calling for effective measures of accountability and redress where those acts amount to violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, Strongly condemning also the forcible transfer of children of one national, ethnic, racial or religious group to another group with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such, Recalling the launch of the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech as an effective tool to fight incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, Recalling also the Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes, Emphasizing that the presence of an organized, knowledgeable, strong and representative civil society and free, diverse and independent media able to operate freely would significantly reduce the risk of genocide, Noting with concern that attempts to deny or to justify the crime of genocide as defined in the Convention and established as such under international law may risk undermining the fight against impunity, reconciliation and efforts to prevent genocide, Expressing deep concern that justification, biased accounts or denial of past instances of genocide may increase the risk of reoccurrence of violence, Acknowledging the necessity to protect the cultural heritage of persons belonging to minorities from intentional destruction aimed at erasing evidence of their presence as a key factor for preservation of their identity, Recognizing the importance of fact-based casualty recording initiatives led by State authorities, independent civil society or internationally mandated organizations, and the contribution they can make to the effectiveness of early warning mechanisms, ensuring accountability, truth, justice, reparation, guarantees of non-recurrence and the preservation of historic memory, and combating genocide denial and other forms of hate speech, Reaffirming that all peoples contribute to the diversity and richness of civilizations and cultures, which constitute the common heritage of humankind, Emphasizing that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law, Underlining the fact that, when designing and implementing strategies, policies and measures to address gross human rights violations and serious violations of international humanitarian law, the specific context of each situation must be taken into account with a view to preventing the recurrence of crises and future violations, 3