The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria cordially invites you to to the second webinar on Social Media 4 Peace (SM4P) project, an initiative of UNESCO, addresses these challenges by promoting resilience against online harms, supporting evidence-based policy engagement and encouraging coalition-building. Phase II focuses on capacity strengthening, research and policy influence, with emphasis on vulnerable and marginalised groups.
Webinar II Details
Date: 20 November 2025
Time: 11:00 - 12:00 (SAST)
Background and Context
Social media platforms have become central to public discourse, information sharing and civic engagement. They offer unprecedented opportunities for expression, education and mobilisation. However, these platforms also amplify harmful content, including disinformation, hate speech and gender-based online harassment. In South Africa, which faces persistent social, political, and economic inequalities, such online harms can exacerbate tensions, deepen mistrust and undermine democratic participation.
Disinformation campaigns and online hate speech often exploit existing fault lines, such as racial, political and socio-economic divisions, fueling xenophobia, election-related polarisation and social unrest. Women, youth, and marginalised communities are disproportionately affected, encountering harassment and silencing tactics that limit their participation in digital and public spaces. These dynamics reinforce existing inequalities, inhibit civic engagement and pose challenges for both state and civil society actors seeking to uphold democratic norms.
The challenge is compounded by low media and information literacy among certain groups, fragmented redress mechanisms and limited transparency in platform governance. Localised content moderation struggles to address South Africa’s linguistic and cultural diversity, while urban–rural digital divides create unequal access to support and recourse. These conditions highlight the urgent need for multi-stakeholder interventions that strengthen capacity, foster collaboration and ensure inclusive, rights-based approaches to digital governance.
The Social Media 4 Peace (SM4P) project, an initiative of UNESCO, addresses these challenges by promoting resilience against online harms, supporting evidence-based policy engagement and encouraging coalition-building. Phase II focuses on capacity strengthening, research and policy influence, with emphasis on vulnerable and marginalised groups.
The Centre for Human Rights (CHR), Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, is uniquely positioned to lead the content governance and digital rights component in South Africa. CHR has extensive experience in digital rights, human rights advocacy, curriculum development and multi-stakeholder facilitation. Its leadership ensures that webinars, symposia and subsequent academic outputs are anchored in rigorous research, practical knowledge and rights-based principles.
By hosting two webinars in November 2025, CHR aims to provide participants with the tools, knowledge and collaborative networks necessary to:
- Understand the dynamics of online harms and disinformation ecosystems.
- Engage effectively with platforms, policymakers and fellow civil society actors.
- Build advocacy strategies and coalitions that amplify marginalised voices.
- Contribute to academic and policy outputs that document lessons learned and influence governance frameworks in South Africa and the broader African context.
These webinars will strengthen participants’ capacities and contribute to building a coordinated civil society voice that advocates for greater transparency, accountability, and inclusivity in digital governance, aligning with SDG 16, SDG 5, SDG 10 and regional frameworks such as Agenda 2063 and the SADC Vision 2050.
Objectives
The webinars aim to:
- Build foundational understanding of content governance, online harms and human rights standards.
- Strengthen the capacity of civil society, academia, media practitioners, youth groups, and women’s organisations to respond to online harms.
- Promote multi-stakeholder dialogue on platform accountability and inclusive digital governance.
- Contribute to evidence-based policy engagement and coalition-building within the SM4P framework.
Participation
Each webinar will host a minimum of 50 participants, ensuring representation across gender, age, geography and sector. Participants will include civil society, academia, media, youth and women’s rights organisations and policymakers.
|
Time |
Session |
Description |
Facilitator(s) |
|
10:00–10:10 |
Welcome and Recap |
Brief review of Webinar 1 outcomes and objectives |
CHR Tendai Mbanje |
|
10:10–10:40 |
Session 1 – Building Coalitions and Advocacy Strategies |
Practical approaches to coalition-building, advocacy campaigns, and stakeholder engagement |
Africa Check |
|
10:40–11:10 |
Session 2 – From Evidence to Policy and Academic Impact |
Translating research, monitoring, and lived experience into recommendations and publications |
Dr Chuks Otioma (University of Glasglow- Confirmed) |
|
11:10–11:30 |
Interactive Discussion |
Participant reflections, collaborative problem-solving, and feedback |
All Facilitators |
|
11:30–12:00 |
Summary and Closing |
Key recommendations, next steps, and follow-up for SM4P Phase II |
CHR |
Alignment and Expected Impact
The webinars advance:
- SDG 16:Peace, justice, and strong institutions
- SDG 5:Gender equality
- SDG 10:Reduced inequalities
- Agenda 2063 Goals 11 and 13and SADC Vision 2050 on regional peace, human rights and democratic governance
By the end of November 2025:
- At least 100 participantswill have improved knowledge and tools to address online harms.
- Collaborative networks and draft recommendations will be established for platform and policy engagement.
- Insights will feed into academic outputs and upcoming symposia, ensuring sustained impact in South Africa and across the region.