UN Special Rapporteur for Cultural Rights: ’Global Avalanche of Hate’ Requires Human Rights Approach

In a report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, stated that “We face a global avalanche of hate in the form of rising fundamentalism and extremism around the world. This must be tackled with urgency, using a human rights approach. Culture and cultural rights are critical components of this response.”

Karima Bennoune UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
Karima Bennoune, United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, urges human rights approach to countering rising fundamentalism and extremism.
 

“The arts, education, science and culture are among the best ways to fight fundamentalism and extremism and to prevent or stop the human rights violations to which they give rise. They are not luxuries, but critical for promoting inclusion, making space for peaceful contestation and protecting youth from radicalization,” Ms. Bennoune emphasized.

The Special Rapporteur also expressed deep concern at the normalization of fundamentalist and extremist ideology and rhetoric in many political, cultural and media contexts, in diverse forms and in all regions of the world. The Church of Scientology International has published a work on media coverage of religious freedom and belief, available in print format or to download.

A summary of the Special Rapporteur’s report is available here.

The full text of Ms. Bennoune’s report is also available.

UN Special Rapporteur for Cultural Rights extremism human rights Karima Bennoune UN Human Rights Council
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