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The increasing digitalisation of societies worldwide has led to unprecedented opportunities for the free flow of information. However, there are growing concerns about digital communication tools, especially social media platforms, and the increasing prevalence of harmful content and disinformation.

Funded by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO, the SocialMedia4Peace project seeks to enhance societal resilience to harmful online content, in particular targeting hate speech inciting violence while protecting freedom of expression and promoting peace through digital technologies.

UNESCO organised a hackathon titled "Innovate For Peace: No To Hate Speech”, last September, bringing together students, young journalists, and NGO activists from across Bosnia and Herzegovina to develop innovative digital solutions for recognising and combating hate speech in online spaces. 

Participants worked with mentors over the course of a month, developing skills and tools through workshops to identify and combat hate speech. The young innovators were divided into teams, and tasked with developing digital applications to combat hate speech. The top 3 teams were selected for the finals.

The final convened on 28 October, at the UN Building in Sarajevo, where the teams’ solutions were presented. The winning team, ZAADA, was recognised for developing the most innovative solution, an online tool for detecting disinformation, one of the root causes of hate speech online.

“This experience was truly valuable – giving us the chance to work with experienced mentors and develop a solution that could contribute to creating a safer digital space,” ZAADA, Winning team, UNESCO Hackathon.