#Defyhatenow is pleased to announce its partnership with the European Union delegation to the Republic of South Sudan in its efforts to combat online hate speech and incitement to violence that has worsened conflicts in many countries across the African continent, and specifically in South Sudan.

The European Union (EU) has extended its financial support to sustain our South Sudan program for a period of eighteen months beginning September 2020 to June 2022. The program embodies #defyhatenow’s agenda of hate speech and misinformation mitigation, tackling incitement to violence, as well as the inclusion of data analysis projects, programs, and activities.

In line with its strategic agenda for 2019-2024 of promoting its values and interests on the world stage by partnering with Africa, the EU joins #Defyhatenow as a solid partner in promoting global peace, stability, democracy, and human rights through its delegation in South Sudan.

The EU is known for its firm and unwavering stance on issues of human rights, human dignity, and non-negotiable freedoms. These principles are founded on and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. #Defyhatenow South Sudan draws its guiding principles from these declarations and organizes all its projects, events, and programs based on the understanding that human rights and human dignity are a requirement for peaceful coexistence among communities.

This partnership is further in line with the global development goals of strengthening civil society organizations, human rights defenders, and democracy activists in their efforts to turn South Sudan and Africa into a bulwark of hope, peace, and stability for its current population and future generations.

#Defyhatenow runs, among other activities, programs and projects targeted at encouraging responsible and healthy social media use and constructive online conversations to encourage reconciliation and harmonious relations among South Sudanese communities and other African nations.

This collaboration with the EU delegation in South Sudan comes at a time when #Defyhatenow is seeking to crank up its efforts against misinformation, incitement to all forms of hate speech and violence, stifling of free expression, and limiting access to information from various persons, entities, or organizations in and out of South Sudan.

Since the laying of its foundations and moving forward, #Defyhatenow will be pleased to find other strategic partners in its quest for a peaceful and cohesive South Sudan and the rest of Africa. We believe that this is work in progress and a lot still needs to be done to bolster our current peacebuilding and community integration endeavours.