Facebook and The Asia Foundation have partnered to launch The Resiliency Initiative website which provides civil society organizations (CSOs) in the Asia Pacific with the resources they need to create a positive narrative and combat hate and intolerance online.
The website has tools and guides to help utilize social media to build stronger communities. It includes case studies from CSOs across the region, including two from Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka’s ‘New Wave’ Murals and Resilience Through Dialogue: Building Shared Values in Sri Lanka.
Launched last year, The Resiliency Initiative aims to promote tolerance, strengthen interfaith and inter-ethnic understanding and counter violent extremism in the Asia Pacific. It delivers capacity-building programs for CSOs in the region, primarily focusing on areas or groups affected by violent conflict.
“When it comes to addressing hate, intolerance and extremism online, removing harmful content is just one part of the solution – it’s equally important to enable constructive dialogue and encourage counter speech. We are pleased to have launched The Resiliency Initiative in partnership with The Asia Foundation as one of our flagship programs to address hate and violent extremism,” said Dr. Nawab Osman, Head of Counterterrorism and Dangerous Organizations at Facebook in APAC.
“Violence and conflict present enormous challenges for society and can significantly hinder growth and development in the region. The Asia Foundation works with a diverse range of grassroots organizations aligned with policy-level actions and partnerships – which is why The Resiliency Initiative is so important,” said Dr. Adam Burke, Director of Conflict and Fragility at The Asia Foundation.
In 2020, 60 organizations from 10 countries attended virtual workshops as part of this initiative. The organizations that participated from Sri Lanka are Sri Lanka Unites, Women & Media Collective, Women in Need, Hashtag Generation, Grassrooted Trust, and Hithawathi.
For more information, see the Facebook newsroom post by Dr. Nawab Osman and Dr. Adam Burke.
