Geneva, 23 February 2026 — On the margins of the High-Level Segment of the 61st Session of the Human Rights Council (#HRC61), Rwanda hosted a Ministerial Side Event titled “Durban at 25: How Impunity for Hate Speech Fuels Cycles of Violence and Regional Instability.” The event, hosted by Honourable Olivier Jean-Patrick Nduhungirehe, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, took place at the Palais des Nations and marked 25 years since the adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA).

The side event brought together diplomats, legal experts, UN officials and practitioners to examine the links between hate speech, impunity and recurring cycles of violence.

Moderated by Dr. Bojana Coulibaly, the panel featured Dr. Michael Wiener, Human Rights Officer, Equality and Non-Discrimination Branch (OHCHR), who outlined global trends and prevention priorities; Ambassador James Waweru Ndiragu, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Effective Implementation of the DDPA, who highlighted implementation gaps; Ambassador Pierre Prosper Richard, former Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), who reflected on the evolution of the DDPA and the risks posed by digital platforms and AI; Me Florida Kabasinga, Legal Expert and former ICTR Prosecutor; Me Nteziryayo Innocent; Me Bernard Maingain; and Ms. Alice Nderitu Wairimu, former UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide.

In her intervention, Me Florida Kabasinga presented key findings of the LFM Report documenting patterns of incitement, anti-Tutsi rhetoric and collaboration between armed groups and elements of the DRC security forces. She cited findings referencing the continued activities of the FDLR, allegations of militia coordination, incitement to violence in public discourse and online platforms, and the targeting of Congolese Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities. Drawing from her experience at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, she stressed that hate speech is not abstract rhetoric but can constitute incitement under international law, and warned that impunity for such acts creates grave risks of atrocity crimes.

Honourable Dr. Emmanuel Ugarashebuja, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Rwanda, presented Rwanda’s legal framework addressing hate speech, incitement to discrimination and violence, and genocidal ideology, underscoring the importance of accountability and strengthened regional cooperation.

In his closing remarks, Minister Nduhungirehe stated: “Today's exchange has confirmed something we already know from history and from painful lived experience: hate speech is not just speech. When it goes unchallenged, when it is normalised, when it is politically instrumentalised, it becomes an enabling factor for violence.”

The event concluded with two forward-looking outcomes under the Durban+25 reflection process: the encouragement of an informal, cross-regional Group of Friends on Combating Hate Speech and Impunity to facilitate practical cooperation among Member States; and a call to strengthen and adapt prevention and early-warning mechanisms to address the evolving and transnational nature of incitement, particularly in digital spaces.

For more information and to watch the full recording of the event, visit:
www.youtube.com/watch