Role of States in Countering the Negative Impact of Disinformation on the Enjoyment and Realization of Human Rights

A/HRC/RES/62/9View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, published in 2026.

What other versions does this mandate have?

3 versions · 2022–2026

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2026	A/HRC/RES/62/9	Role of States in countering the negative impact of disinformation on the enjoyment and realization of human rights	2,476	77%Compare
2024	A/HRC/RES/55/10	Role of States in countering the negative impact of disinformation on the enjoyment and realization of human rights	2,045	56%Compare
2022	A/HRC/RES/49/21	Role of States in countering the negative impact of disinformation on the enjoyment and realization of human rights	1,546	–

What subjects does this mandate have?

6 subjects

Artificial Intelligence Disinformation Freedom of Expression Freedom of Information Human Rights International Obligations

What’s in this document?

14 operative paragraphs

Affirms that disinformation can negatively affect the enjoyment and realization of all human rights and that States play a central role in countering disinformation;

Calls upon States to ensure that their responses to the spread of disinformation comply with international human rights law and that their efforts to counter disinformation promote, protect and respect individuals’ freedom of expression and freedom to seek, receive and impart information, as well as other human rights;

Urges States to facilitate an environment supportive of countering disinformation through multidimensional and multi-stakeholder responses that are in compliance with international human rights law, including through enhanced cooperation with international organizations, civil society, the media, the private sector and other stakeholders;

Invites States to encourage business enterprises, including social media companies, to address disinformation while respecting human rights, including through the review of business models, in particular the role of algorithms and ranking systems in amplifying disinformation, enhancing transparency, enforcing all applicable legal protections for users and encouraging due diligence in line with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;

Calls upon all States to refrain from conducting or sponsoring disinformation campaigns domestically or transnationally for political or other purposes, and encourages them to condemn such acts;

Commits to the promotion of international cooperation to counter the negative impact of disinformation on the enjoyment and realization of human rights;

Invites States to improve access to diverse and verifiable sources of information, including through robust laws and policies that protect and enable access to information, transparency of governance and the promotion of independent, free, plural and diverse media, and to take measures to close digital divides, including the gender digital divide, and to ensure the safety of journalists and media workers online and offline;

Urges States, civil society, industry, international organizations, the media and other stakeholders to recognize the compounding risks that disinformation could introduce to electoral and other democratic processes and to work in a cross-sectoral manner to develop practical strategies, including through media and information literacy, to mitigate risks while ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights and freedoms;

Calls upon States to recognize and address the harm suffered by victims of disinformation, including journalists, human rights defenders, women and girls, minorities and persons in vulnerable situations, and to ensure access to protection, remedies, where applicable, and support;

Encourages States to develop and deploy effective, accessible, adaptable and internationally interoperable technical tools, standards or practices, including reliable content authentication and provenance mechanisms – such as watermarking or labelling, where technically feasible and appropriate, that enable users to identify information manipulation, distinguish or determine the origins of authentic digital content and artificial intelligence-generated or manipulated digital content – and to increase media and information literacy;

Calls upon all States and, where applicable, other stakeholders to refrain from or cease the use of artificial intelligence systems that are impossible to operate in compliance with international human rights law or that pose undue risks to the enjoyment of human rights, and reaffirms that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online, including throughout the life cycle of artificial intelligence systems;

Notes with appreciation the convening, on 12 June 2025, by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of an intersessional half-day expert workshop, open to the participation of States, members of civil society and the private sector, United Nations experts and all relevant stakeholders, to review the methods used to disseminate disinformation and to promote tools and approaches to counter these challenges while protecting and reinforcing human rights standards and the preparation by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights of a summary report on the expert workshop,⁵ submitted to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-first session;

⁵A/HRC/61/80.

Requests the Office of the High Commissioner, in consultation with relevant United Nations entities, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, technical experts, members of civil society and other stakeholders, to prepare a comprehensive study on the human rights implications of the use of artificial intelligence in the dissemination of disinformation, including challenges related to synthetic media, automated systems and coordinated digital campaigns, including in the context of foreign information manipulation and interference, as well as safeguards and human rights-based approaches aimed at enhancing transparency and information integrity, and to present the study to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-seventh session;

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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