“Responsible communication is no longer optional —
it is essential”

Moderated by Julie Fidalgo, the event brought together nearly 300 participants from across South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Bhutan. Participants included diplomats, parliamentarians, former ministers, academics, media professionals, and civil society leaders, all of whom underscored the critical importance of responsible communication as a key pathway toward stability, peace, and sustainable prosperity in the region.

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Discussions emphasized that, in an era of rapid information flow, misinformation, hate speech, and extremist narratives constitute growing cross-border challenges requiring coordinated, ethical, and strategic communication responses. Speakers highlighted the shared responsibility of institutions, media, academia, civil society, and digital platforms in promoting accurate, inclusive, and responsible narratives.

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The roundtable also marked the official launch of the ICCEHS South Asia Working Group, a major step toward strengthening regional cooperation and advancing ICCEHS’s global mission. Participants welcomed the initiative and highlighted ICCEHS’s growing role as an international leader in promoting responsible and ethical communication as a core element of conflict prevention and social cohesion.

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Dr. Nidal Shoukeir, Executive Board Director of ICCEHS, opened the event by officially launching the South Asia Working Group. He emphasized that the region “is one of extraordinary cultural richness, historical depth, and strategic importance,” while noting that “it is also a region where political tensions, identity narratives, crises, and security challenges frequently intersect. In such an environment, communication does not merely describe reality — it actively shapes it.”

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Dr. Shoukeir further stated that “our objective is not to impose narratives, nor to limit freedom of expression,” adding that “our ambition is to strengthen professional standards, ethical frameworks, and strategic awareness, ensuring that freedom of expression is exercised with responsibility, accuracy, and respect for human dignity.”

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H.E. Dr. Muhammad Shahid Khan, World Chairman of the International Human Rights Commission, stressed the global importance of the region, stating: “A prosperous South Asia is a guarantee for a prosperous and developed world. These eight countries represent more than three billion people, out of a global population of 8.2 billion. This alone shows how vital this region is.” He added that raising levels of tolerance, mutual acceptance, and shared prosperity grounded in common humanity is an urgent priority.

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H.E. Hemraj Bhandari, Member of the Constitutional Assembly of Nepal, warned that “misinformation, digital hatred, and social division are increasingly encouraging instability and conflict.” He affirmed that “responsible communication is not merely an option, but a moral and human necessity,” describing it as “the foundation of peace, coexistence, shared welfare, and science-based global interest.”

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Mrs. Ma’ali Hazaz, Regional Advisor for South Asia at UNESCO’s New Delhi Cluster Office, emphasized that “access to timely, verified, and pluralistic information is not merely a convenience. It is actually a public good. It is a cornerstone of democracy.” She added that responsible communication fosters dialogue by “enabling intercultural exchanges and bridging divides,” noting that UNESCO’s frameworks promote mutual understanding and social cohesion, particularly in post-conflict contexts.

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Hon. Gennaro Migliore, Advisory Board Director of ICCEHS, stressed the need for preventive approaches, stating: “If we want to prevent conflict, we must intervene upstream. We must work to prevent, to detoxify public discourse, to understand the roots of radicalization, and to actively counter narratives that legitimize hatred and exclusion.” He further called for the international community to “urgently promote a shared code of conduct for social media platforms grounded in transparency, accountability, and respect for human dignity.”

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Brig. Prof. Jeewan Rajpurohit, former UN Peacekeeping Commander in Cambodia, delivered a strong human-centered message, saying: “Let our words heal and not harm. Let them unite and not divide. Let them enlighten and not inflame.” He stressed that leaders must “create models, programs, and journalism that are responsible,” adding: “In the age of hate speech, we need to choose responsible communication and embrace our shared humanity.”

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Dr. Tehmina Ranjha, National Security Futurist, highlighted the transnational nature of the challenge, noting: “Hate speech in South Asia is a challenge that surpasses borders. It affects our politics, our societies, our inter-community relations, and ultimately, our shared future.” She added: “With informed policy, responsible communication, digital education, and courageous leadership, we can reduce the influence of toxic narratives and build resilient societies.”

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Dr. Uday Pratap Singh, ICCEHS Advisor for South Asia, emphasized the ethical dimension of communication, stating that “extremism and hate speech thrive where words are weaponized and ethics abandoned.” He recalled that “conflict begins in the mind before it reaches the battlefield,” stressing that restoring responsibility in communication is essential so that “narratives stabilize rather than inflame, and speech becomes an instrument of peace rather than provocation.”

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Ms. Charani L. Charithma Patabendige, Attorney-at-Law, underlined the importance of integrity in communication, saying: “Responsible communication should be truthful and have integrity—doing the right thing even when nobody is watching.” She noted that communication is “a double-edged sword,” capable of enabling peace or fueling extremism, terrorism, and violence if misused.

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Mr. Hamza Boltaev, Head of the Centre for Afghanistan–South Asia Studies at IAIS, observed that “we are living in an age where war is increasingly regarded as a normality, while cooperation is often perceived as naivety.” He warned that trust-building is being sidelined in bilateral and multilateral relations and called for renewed emphasis on dialogue and cooperation.

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Ms. Devika Malik, International Expert on Platform Governance and former Lead on Countering Hate Speech and Extremism at Meta (South Asia), stressed: “This is not simply a content or narrative problem. This is a systems problem.” She explained that platforms are “no longer neutral intermediaries,” and that their design choices determine “what speech is amplified, which narratives travel farther, and whose voices are heard or silenced.” She called for upstream, design-oriented governance rather than reactive moderation.

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Ms. Shrinkhala Thapa, Humanitarian and Development Expert, emphasized contextual sensitivity, stating: “Responsible communication begins with deep respect for diversity and context.” She noted that “South Asia cannot be captured through a single narrative,” given its vast linguistic, cultural, and social diversity.