A/HRC/RES/58/8 children and young persons and that enable their full, effective and meaningful participation in designing and implementing policies, programmes and initiatives, free from any form of discrimination, Encouraging States to further their efforts to develop and strengthen educational policies and initiatives that contribute to combating disinformation, misinformation, stigmatization, racism, xenophobia and related intolerance, hate speech and discrimination of any kind, exclusion, and violence, in particular through accessible digital, media and information literacy, to improve education for democracy in the emerging digital environment and to strengthen the resilience of societies against the negative impact of disinformation at all levels, Recalling that the exercise of human rights, including the freedom to seek, receive and impart information, and to participate in the conduct of government and public affairs, and providing science-based and evidence-based data and information to the public, are vital to transparent and inclusive democracies, Stressing that a democratic society depends on respect for human rights, including the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and that undue restrictions on the freedom to seek, receive and impart information undermine democracy and the rule of law by preventing efforts aimed at informing citizens, including during democratic processes and at all stages of elections, and holding public authorities accountable and exposing corruption, and stressing also the importance of promoting a safe and diverse information environment that produces accurate, trustworthy and reliable information, meaning that people can rely on the accuracy of the information they access while being exposed to a variety of ideas, Calling upon States to promote open, stable and secure access to the Internet for all and to encourage digital platforms to promote and secure access to free, independent and reliable information, Urging States, civil society, the private sector, international organizations, the media and other stakeholders to recognize the compounding risks that disinformation and online hate speech could introduce to electoral and broader democratic processes and to collaborate across sectors in developing practical strategies, including through media information, artificial intelligence and data literacy, to mitigate these risks, thereby ensuring informed participation in political and public affairs, while safeguarding the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Underlining that, while States have the primary responsibility for safeguarding and strengthening democracy and the rule of law, the United Nations has an important role in providing assistance and coordinating international efforts to support States, at their request, in their democratization processes, Recognizing the value of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law for exchange, dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation on the interrelationship between human rights, democracy and the rule of law, in accordance with the principles and purposes of the Charter, while acknowledging the importance of existing regional formats in the field of human rights, and underlining the relevance of continuing the debates in this framework, 1. Notes the rescheduling, to October 2025, of the fifth session of the Forum on Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, under the theme “Democracy and climate change: focusing on solutions”, owing to the liquidity crisis affecting the United Nations Secretariat; 2. Encourages States, with the cooperation of all stakeholders, to promote good governance at all levels and to develop effective, accountable and transparent democratic practices, processes and institutions and participatory and representative decision-making processes inclusive of all women, girls and persons in vulnerable situations, while also reaffirming their full commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 3. Decides that the theme of the sixth session of the Forum, to be held in 2026, will be “Education for civic participation: empowering future generations, fostering knowledge and critical thinking”; 4