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Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond (July 2024)

Publication Date:

12/08/2024

Content Type:

Event Reports

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digital literacyEuropeGlobal Crises Local ImpactsNorth Americaonline threatsracial hateTransatlantic Dialogue Initiative

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Event Details

Description: In December 2023, given the range of threats facing cities in Europe and North America as a result of global crises – from COVID-19 and migration to the war in Ukraine, climate change and most immediately, the Israel-Gaza crisis – Strong Cities launched a webinar series inviting mayors and other city officials, as well as experts from counter-hate research and other organisations, to discuss what cities are facing and how local leaders can most effectively manage inter-communal tensions resulting from these crises. This is the eighth in the series of monthly webinars focused on the threats cities are facing from online harms and the approaches they can take to address them.

Where & When: 26 July 2024, virtual 

Cities Represented

• Amsterdam (the Netherlands) 
• Edmonton (Canada) 

Key Takeaways

• Online harms carry serious offline consequences in cities. Online hate speech, extremism and disinformation have been linked with offline manifestations of hate and violence across a diversity of cities in Europe and North America. The online and offline spheres form a single ecosystem in which ideas and incidents in one inspire and give shape to the other.  
• There is a gendered element to online hate and abuse, and women of colour are most at risk. Online threats, harassment, trolling and cyberbullying disproportionately target and impact minority communities and women of colour are consistently most at risk. This trend can be seen across Europe and North America in the targeting of local and other female politicians with serious consequences for female representation and political influence, as it impacts many women’s decisions to run for office or pursue contentious issues.  
• Cities benefit from a comprehensive approach to addressing online harms. Whether the strategy is developed nationally or locally, it needs to provide a cohesive response that mobilises a wide range of actors, including local governments and elected local leaders, to pursue and prevent a myriad of threats.  
• Advancing technology offers cities numerous opportunities and poses a range of challenges. In such an environment, scaling existing digital literacy and digital citizenship training for different actors – including youth and older residents – will be crucial to maintaining digital resilience.  
• Strong Cities and ISD offer a range of training and support that can strengthen a city’s capacity to identify and address online harms. This includes programmes in digital literacy and citizenship for residents of all ages and training for local officials on strategic communications, threat identification and analysis and digital technologies. ISD also conducts social media monitoring to identify online harms and can provide bespoke briefings and support to develop flagging, reporting and support systems for local officials and other constituencies targeted online by hate and abuse, as well as information and cyber security systems, fit for city purpose. 

Next Steps

The next webinar in the Global Cries-Local Impacts series is scheduled for 25 September 2024 on the following topic: Navigating Tensions between Migrants, Displaced Persons & Host Communities: City-Led Strategies for Addressing Flashpoints & Promoting Social Cohesion.  

Additional Resources

• Global Crises, Local Impacts Initiative webpage, Strong Cities Network (undated) 
• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Key Findings & Recommendations to Date, Strong Cities Network (April 2024) 
• A Guide for City-Led Response, Strong Cities Network (updated May 2024) 
• A Guide for Cities: Preventing Hate, Extremism & Polarisation, Strong Cities Network (updated May 2024) 
• A Guide for Mayors: Preventing and Responding to Hate, Extremism and Polarisation, Strong Cities Network (updated May 2024) 
• Resources for Cities: Addressing Hate & Extremism, Strong Cities Network (updated May 2024) 
• Navigating Local Impacts of Global Crises: Ten Considerations for Mayors and Cities – Lessons from the Israel-Gaza Crisis, Strong Cities Network (December 2023) 

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