The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has called for stronger early warning and response mechanisms to identify harmful narratives and prevent them from escalating into conflict in South Sudan.
Dr. Ligane Massamba Sene, UNDP Senior Economic Governance Advisor, made the remarks on Tuesday during a three-day workshop in Juba to establish a national multi-agency coordination platform to address hate speech and disinformation.
“Harmful narratives can provide warning signs of rising tensions. When they signal an organized area and address it carefully, they create an opportunity for timely engagement before tensions escalate,” he said. “Prevention therefore requires attention to the information being circulated and to prevent these mistrusts and divisions that allow harmful narratives to gain traction.”
He said hate speech and disinformation were closely linked to peacebuilding challenges in South Sudan, where narratives promoting exclusion and spreading false information could weaken reconciliation efforts and increase tensions between communities.
The UNDP official stressed that no single institution could effectively address the challenge, calling for cooperation among government institutions, civil society organizations, media professionals, community and religious leaders, women’s and youth organizations, and relevant security and justice actors.
“Its value relies on its ability to translate information into practical action, identifying emerging risks, verifying information, agreeing on appropriate responses and follow-up on their effectiveness,” he said.
Massamba said possible responses could include credible public communication, fact-checking, community dialogue, mediation and referrals to relevant institutions when harmful narratives are linked to violence.
He also emphasized the importance of strengthening national ownership and institutional capacity to ensure that prevention efforts respond to South Sudan’s local realities.
The UNDP official called for stronger connections between the proposed national platform and existing regional early warning mechanisms to improve information sharing and responses to threats that cross national borders.
He further urged stakeholders to ensure that women, young people and marginalized communities participate meaningfully in shaping the platform’s priorities and responses. Their involvement, he said, could help identify risks that might otherwise be overlooked and ensure that interventions reflect the experiences of affected communities.
According to Massamba, the success of the initiative would depend on sustained cooperation, timely responses, stronger institutional capacity and transparency with the communities being served.
For his party, Riek Kok, Director General for Multilateral Affairs at the foreign ministry, called for a coordinated national effort to combat hate speech and disinformation, saying the responsibility should not be left to individual institutions.
“Combating hate speech is not the responsibility of one person or a national institution alone, but it is our responsibility as a nation,” he said.
He warned that false information and harmful narratives could incite hostility, deepen social divisions and undermine public confidence in government institutions.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation recognizes that countering hate speech and disinformation is not solely a domestic responsibility,” he stated. “It also requires international cooperation, constructive engagement and the exchange of best practices.”
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