Combating Hate and Intolerance Through Social Media

Image (top right) by Naymuzzaman Prince

The Resiliency Initiative portal empowers local communities in the Asia-Pacific with digital tools to combat hate, violence, and conflict within and beyond their networks. Launched in April 2021, this resource portal provides free access to tools and community networks to navigate the online space and use social media responsibly and effectively.  

Technology has made it easy to amplify information and news. But when words without evidence go unchallenged, misinformation can escalate existing tensions or create new divisions along religious, ethnic, or gender lines. This problem has never been more pressing than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when intolerance and polarizing views have divided communities.

The broader Resiliency Initiative, a partnership between The Asia Foundation and Facebook,  works at the local level to build resilient communities across the Asia-Pacific region. In 2020, the Resiliency Initiative provided social media training to over 60 local CSOs and grassroots organizations in the Asia-Pacific region in rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project is designed to promote tolerance, strengthen interfaith and interethnic understanding, and counter violent extremism using online tools and community networks.

Images by Jilson Tiu

We know that local leaders and communities across the Asia-Pacific region are working hard every day to fight the prejudice, discrimination, and hate that so often lead to inequality, injustice, and violence. As community leaders, you know the local context best—the people, the history, and the tensions. Through the lens of tolerance, this site gives you access to tools to navigate the online space, counter misinformation, and promote understanding within your community and beyond.

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