Sulaimaniyah: A new initiative has been launched in Sulaimaniyah to establish the Civil Alliance for Social Communication in Iraq, aimed at tackling hate speech, harmful content, and digital violence. The move seeks to create a national framework to monitor such content, promote digital safety, support freedom of expression, and enhance social cohesion.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organized a field workshop attended by over 35 stakeholders, including civil society representatives, media outlets, content creators, influencers, and activists. This workshop is part of UNESCO’s “Social Communication for Peace” project, funded by the European Union, and represents the second phase in forming the Civil Alliance for Social Communication. Discussions focused on the organizational frameworks and operational mechanisms necessary for its establishment in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

With UNESCO’s backing, participants shared their visions concerning the alliance’s identity, goals, and objectives, aiming to unify roles and responsibilities. They delved into governance mechanisms, institutional work, and sustainability, and contributed to preparing a preliminary working paper for the alliance by reviewing documents from the first founding workshop in Baghdad.

The workshop’s program featured specialized training on governance principles, decision-making mechanisms, and responsibility distribution. It also covered the tasks members will undertake in tracking and reporting harmful content, analyzing hate narratives, and confronting digital violence. Participants addressed ways to combat abusive practices that jeopardize individual safety and social cohesion online.

The workshop concluded with most participants signing a letter of intent to establish the alliance, demonstrating a collective commitment to developing a specialized civil framework. This framework will monitor narratives on social media platforms, track harmful content, review digital platform policies, and advocate for transparent and equitable digital space management.

The creation of the Civil Alliance for Social Communication marks a crucial step in building a national network of civil actors, including journalists, media professionals, and digital activists across Iraq. This network will transform community monitoring into actionable knowledge and foster dialogue with digital platforms and relevant institutions. The effort aims to protect freedom of expression, reduce digital harms, and reinforce the values of peace, diversity, and social cohesion.