Humanists International has welcomed the publication of the Glion Recommendations on Implementing the Rabat Plan of Action in the Digital Age, which set out how States, technology companies and other stakeholders should respond to online incitement to hatred and violence while protecting the right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).
The Recommendations were developed by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, ARTICLE 19 and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), following an expert workshop in Glion, Switzerland, in April 2026. Humanists International took part in the workshop and made a written submission on the draft text in August.
The Rabat Plan of Action, adopted in 2012, guides States on their obligation under Article 20(2) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to prohibit advocacy of hatred that amounts to incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, without restricting legitimate expression. Its six-part threshold test is now widely used by courts, regulators and companies. The Glion Recommendations apply that framework to an online increasingly world shaped by social media and artificial intelligence.
In its submission, Humanists International urged the drafters to restate the Rabat Plan of Action’s call for their repeal, pointing to the particular dangers such laws pose online, where an accusation of blasphemy can cross borders and lead to violence within hours.
The final text recommends that States review their legislation, “including by repealing laws that prohibit blasphemy”. It also recognizes that criminal law provisions, including anti-blasphemy laws, have been abused to suppress dissent and disfavored voices.
Several other points raised by Humanists International are reflected in the final text. The Recommendations recognize that online connectivity has opened space for religious or belief groups, “including those who are questioning, leaving or have left a religion”. They note that women and girls who leave or criticize religion may be disproportionately exposed to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. And they call on faith-based actors to refrain from incitement in sermons, rulings and other communications shared online, and to speak out against such speech when it targets religious or belief minorities, dissenting believers, converts, apostates and the non-religious.
On technology, the Recommendations call on companies that use automated tools for content moderation to give users accessible and effective ways to have decisions reviewed by a human, to put forward their point of view and to contest the decision. They also call on States to protect anonymity and end-to-end encryption and to refrain from imposing internet shutdowns.
Leon Langdon, Senior Advocacy Officer at Humanists International, said:
“When the Rabat Plan of Action was adopted in 2012, the online world looked very different. The Glion Recommendations recognize how far things have moved since then, and show how Rabat’s principles should be adapted to a changing world. We are especially glad that they say plainly that blasphemy laws should be repealed, and that they name apostates and the non-religious among those who need protection from incitement. But guidance only matters if it is used. The task now is to bridge the gap between these recommendations and what States and companies actually do. Humanists International is proud to disseminate and champion them, with our members and at the UN.”
The Recommendations have been issued as the first document of the 64th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
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