Information pollution is affecting the citizens’ capacity to make informed decisions. The report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression identifies the correlation between information pollution and democratic backsliding around the world. Disinformation, misinformation, and mal-information together with the growth of hate speech and propaganda, especially online, are inciting social divisions and creating mistrust in public institutions. The report also states that information pollution (disinformation) “is not the cause but the consequence of societal crises and the breakdown of public trust in institutions”.

To raise awareness and understand information pollution as a global phenomenon, UNDP Oslo Governance Centre and Istanbul Regional Hub have, in a joint effort, finalized a report on regional mapping and analysis which will also inform coherent and effective responses by learning from best practices implemented by various actors. Additionally, with the recent developments in the region, naming the war in Ukraine, protests in Kazakhstan, elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where misinformation is highly prevalent, we see such phenomenon as one of the key factors impacting negatively the crisis.