Across several Arab States, societies are increasingly challenged by the spread of hate speech, misinformation and disinformation particularly through digital platforms and social media. This environment deepens polarization, undermines trust, and turns the digital space into an arena that can either fuel tensions or help ease them. In this context, media and communication are no longer neutral channels for transmitting information: they shape public awareness, influence social debates, and can either reinforce division or open pathways for dialogue and mutual understanding.

With the rapid evolution of digital content and the growing circulation of rumors and harmful narratives, the need for responsible media, strengthened fact-checking skills, and conflict-sensitive communication has become more urgent. This is why the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) works across the region with governments and local partners through a multi-layered approach that includes capacity development for journalists and young people, promoting media literacy, supporting community-led initiatives, and drawing on cultural and artistic tools to foster peaceful coexistence. These efforts span Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Morocco, and beyond, encouraging narratives grounded on truth rather than misinformation, and in social cohesion rather than in division. Strengthening media and youth-led fact-checking in Lebanon.

In Lebanon, where the media landscape intersects with sensitive political and social contexts, misinformation and hate speech circulate widely, making access to accurate information increasingly difficult. To respond to this challenge, UNDP has worked to foster safer and more inclusive media spaces through digital platforms and training programmes to promote responsible storytelling and strengthen fact-checking skills.

When 22-year-old media student, Zainab Noureddine from South Lebanon stepped into the UNDP’s youth to combat fake news and hate speech project, she was looking for direction and clarity to combat the country’s increasing division.

The Salam wa Kalam platform emerged as a digital media space dedicated to peace and development. Through the platform, young contributors were invited to produce and publish video reports and stories grounded in conflict-sensitive reporting, reflecting community experiences with empathy, accuracy, and depth. Among these contributors was Nour Marzouk, a young reporter who found within the platform an opportunity to document the stories of people working quietly to sustain social cohesion. As Nour reflects “ Contributing to Salam wa Kalam gave me the space to tell the stories that matter, the untold stories of people working every day for peace.”

Nour’s and Zeinab’s experience is part of a broader effort that began in 2020, through which UNDP trained more than 180 media students in fact-checking and countering hate speech.

“Before the training, I didn’t know how harmful one fake news could be. Now, I feel equipped to challenge misinformation and raise awareness in my community.” — Michel Daoud, Journalism Student

This process contributed to the emergence of Sawab, Lebanon’s first youth-led fact-checking initiative, which offers the public a reliable tool to distinguish between credible information and circulating rumors during moments of tension. “The training taught me to step back, double-check, separate emotions from facts, and see beyond my own biases.” Zainab explains.

Whilst strengthening youth role in questioning misinformation and fostering an information environment of accurate and well-researched news, UNDP has been expanding these efforts through training 60 journalists in conflict-sensitive reporting and combating hate speech through a training and working with the Ministry of Information on national awareness efforts to confront false news during crises, ensuring that these interventions reached both young contributors and professional newsrooms.

These experiences illustrate how a more mindful use of words and images can soften the impact of provocative content and reposition media as a space for deeper understanding and constructive public discussion. They highlight the growing role of youth-led initiatives within municipalities and local communities, where groups of young people promote fact-checking practices and encourage constructive communication away from polarization.

UNDP is grateful for the support from the German Government through KfW Development Bank , Agence France Presse (AFP) and national and international media institutions to continue working on these topics.

Somalia: Poetry as pathway to peace

Across the Horn of Africa, communities continue to draw on traditional creative practices to foster dialogue and promote peaceful coexistence. In Somalia, poetry holds a central place in daily life and social relations, in which the art of storytelling and poetry is a central part of the power to heal or divide. Oral history and spoken words carry significant weight, with the power to reassure, provoke reflection, or offer an alternative way of seeing one another across generations. Building on Somalia’s cultural foundation, UNDP works with the National Academy of Science, Culture and Literature to support young poets who use poetry as a tool for dialogue for peace and for presenting counter-narratives in moments of tension and conflict in the region. In one of her poems, poet Fartun Aamusane calls for peace and expresses the hope that people may regain their ability to come together, writing:

“Strengthening peace is a treasure to be cherished. Let each person rise with their ability, so none may be left behind”

In another example, poet Fatma Aweys uses her poem es her poem to highlight the risks of tribal division and urging reconciliation built on shared societal values:

“So let us cast away grudges, And embrace reconciliation, Honoring each other in peace. Somalis are one lineage, Our tongue is one language.”

These poetic works find their way to the public through community gatherings, social media, and local discussions. They allow younger generations to stay connected to a cultural tradition that encourages understanding and cohesion. According to members of the Somali Language Council, this renewed engagement with poetry revives a longstanding role in Somali society, where spoken word has long contributed to resolving disputes and strengthening community ties.

Shared direction across the Arab States

Although the approaches differ between Lebanon and Somalia, the direction is shared: using communication tools —whether digital media or poetry— to expand spaces for mutual understanding and bring perspectives closer together.

The two experiences show that when media and communication are used thoughtfully and responsibly, they can offer communities spaces to navigate information more responsibly and move away from tension and polarization. In a time when information spreads quickly.

and distinguishing fact from misinformation has become increasingly difficult, investing in youth capacities, promoting media literacy, and strengthening platforms that offer balanced narratives are essential steps toward reducing hate speech and limiting the spread of false content.

Across the region, such efforts contribute to media environments that support more constructive dialogue and help individuals engage with societal issues in a more balanced and less confrontational way, ultimately strengthening the foundations for sustainable peacebuilding.