On the 1st of October, Nationality for All co-sponsored the 2026 UNHCR Global NGO Consultations for a side event unpacking how anti-Rohingya narratives are spreading in Malaysia’s digital spaces and how to counter them. This conversation is a response to hate speech in Malaysia, bringing together Rohingya voices and human rights, statelessness and information integrity experts.
During the event we asked a few questions such as:
– Why do harmful narratives take hold and what public fears and values do they exploit?
– What role do digital platforms and business models play in amplifying hate?
– How can community-led leadership reshape the narrative from the inside out?
– What concrete commitments are needed from states, civil society and platforms?
The session was opened by an opening poetry reading by Mayyu Ali, Rohingya-Canadian poet and author of Exodus, The White Elephant, and Eradication. The session was moderated by Dr. Rafia Noor, Healthcare Professional and Country Coordinator, Rohingya Maiyafuìnor Collaborative Network, and chaired by Nur Sadek, Activist and Executive Director, Rohingya Rights Response, Gisella Lomax, Senior Advisor on Information Integrity, UNHCR, and Amal de Chickera, Co-Director, Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion.
The event was organized and supported by Rohingya Rights Response, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network, Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI), Nationality For All, Rohingya Maiyafuìnor Collaborative Network, RYSN, Statelessness and Dignified Citizenship Coalition Asia-Pacific, Global Movement Against Statelessness, Imkaan and UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency.
