On 1st of June, the United Nations University – Operating Unit on Policy-driven Electronic Governance (UNU‑EGOV) hosted a visit from a group representing the organisation Endless Words – Center for Inclusion, Communication and Media, which is currently implementing an international Erasmus+ project entitled “Democracy under Pressure: The Role of Nonviolent Communication”.
The visit took place within the framework of a training course focused on shaping democracy through nonviolent communication. It provided an opportunity to present UNU-EGOV’s mission and work, while also exploring the broader implications of digital technologies in the development of strong, empowered, and sustainable communities.
Given the training course’s emphasis on strengthening political literacy, critical thinking, and civic participation, the visit also fostered a discussion on these issues.
During the session, the UNU-EGOV's Lead Research Associate, Bushra Ebadi, engaged with participants on the role of storytelling in shaping narratives that support transformative change. The discussion addressed questions of authorship and representation, as well as strategies to challenge dominant narratives, which have historically contributed to exclusion, marginalisation, and injustice in areas such as security, development, and technology.
For the Researcher, concrete actions, such as centring justice, peace, equity, and anti-racism, supporting agency and incorporating different pedagogies and philosophies into the everyday language, are powerful tools to tackle disinformation and misinformation.
