A public awareness campaign, titled “UNDO Doesn’t Work in Real Life,” was launched yesterday to address the growing threat of harmful speech and misinformation, while fostering empathy, accountability, and responsible storytelling in Sri Lanka.

This joint campaign is a collaborative initiative by the United Nations in Sri Lanka together with the Ministry of Health and Mass Media, and is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNICEF in Sri Lanka, with support from the UN Sri Lanka SDG Fund.

Held in Colombo, the launch event saw the participation of Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni, Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media; Marc-André Franche, Resident Coordinator, United Nations in Sri Lanka; Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative, UNDP Sri Lanka; and Christian Skoog, Representative, UNICEF Sri Lanka, alongside senior ministry officials, journalists, civil society actors, and media professionals.

Commenting on the effects of dangerous speech, Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni, Deputy Minister of Health and Mass Media, noted, “The power to combat hate speech misinformation and disinformation does not lie only with the government, tech companies and journalists, it lies also with the people. Let us work together to strengthen the policies to combat online hate speech and misinformation.”

The centrepiece of the campaign is a series of short videos, developed using real-time data from Sri Lanka’s online and offline spaces. These stories reflect the very real consequences of dangerous speech on individuals and communities, particularly women, youth, and marginalized groups.

Marc-André Franche, the United Nations Resident Coordinator highlighted the UN Secretary General’s Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech which provides a clear framework to counter hate while upholding freedom of expression—a balance that is critical in a rapidly polarizing global and national media landscape in which greater responsibility is placed on governments, civil society, media and individual users to navigate online harm: “The rise in online harmful speech, particularly during politically sensitive periods, is a disturbing trend we must confront together”, stated Franche.

According to the UN Early Warning Brief (February 2025), 46% of online harmful speech still targets women, despite a 22% month-on-month drop in total harmful content. These trends reinforce the urgent need for public awareness, especially around the gendered impacts of disinformation and hate speech. “In the digital world, you can press ‘undo’ — but in real life, the damage caused by harmful speech is ingrained in someone’s hearts and minds, and often irreversible,” said Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka.

“We hope the media will carry this message forward to enhance awareness amongst the public on the unintended and intended consequences of harmful speech, and promote responsible dialogue towards social cohesion.” “As UNICEF we have taken several actions to empower communities and future generations. We are equipping young minds with skills to engage in safe internet use and nurture critical thinking skills to recognize, challenge, and reject false and harmful language before it takes root”, said Christian Skoog, UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka.

“In addition, UNICEF is working with grassroots organisations and religious leaders to actively prevent and counter hate speech and misinformation in their communities”, he added. The campaign which will run on mainstream media and digital outlets aims to spark national conversation, build digital literacy, and encourage responsible storytelling with media professionals playing a central role in carrying the message to the public.