Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down as New Zealand’s Prime Minister early this year, will begin an unpaid role this month combating online extremism.
New Zealand Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins, who succeeded Ardern, announced on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 that he has appointed the former Prime Minister as Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call.
Hipkins disclosed that Jacinda Ardern would begin the part-time role this month, right after she leaves Parliament and that she had declined to accept any pay. He added that the role would be reviewed at the end of the year.
Although Ardern stepped down as Prime Minister in January, Ardern remained a lawmaker until April to avoid triggering a special election ahead of the nation’s general elections in October. She is due to deliver her final valedictory speech to Parliament on Wednesday, April 5, 2023.
“Terrorist and violent extremist content online is a global issue, but for many in New Zealand, it is also very personal. The March 15 terror attacks on Christchurch masjidain were a defining moment for our country and Jacinda Ardern’s leadership and the Christchurch Call is part of our response to those attacks.”
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins
Hipkins was referring the March 15, 2019 terrorist attack, where Brenton Tarrant, an Australian white supremacist, killed 51 people and injured 40 more at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in the city of Christchurch. The gunman live streamed the slaughter for 17 minutes on Facebook before the video was taken down.
“Jacinda Ardern’s commitment to stopping violent extremist content like we saw that day is key to why she should carry on this work. Her relationships with leaders and technology companies and her drive for change will help increase the pace and ambition of the work we are doing through the Christchurch Call.”
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins
Ardern launched the Christchurch Call with French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019, two months after the incident.
Christchurch Call’s goal is to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. More than 50 countries have since signed up to the Christchurch Call, including the United States, Britain, Germany and South Korea. Tech companies to sign up include Facebook parent company Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, YouTube, Zoom and Twitter.
The group says it has had success developing new online safety systems and is studying the implications of fast-rising technologies such as artificial intelligence.
“The Christchurch Call is a foreign policy priority for the government and Jacinda Ardern is uniquely placed to keep pushing forward with the goal of eliminating violent extremist content online,” Hipkins said.
Jacinda Ardern will begin her duties on April 17, 2023 and will report directly to the Prime Minister, Chris Hipkins.
Ardern Joins Board Of Trustees For The Earthshot Prize
Also, Ardern announced that she was joining the board of trustees for The Earthshot Prize, an environmental charity started by Britain’s Prince William in 2020.
Each year, the charity gives five winners 1 million pounds ($1.24 million) each to help them scale-up environmental solutions.
Prince William said it was an honor to have Ardern join the team.
“Four years ago, before The Earthshot Prize even had a name, Jacinda was one of the first people I spoke to, and her encouragement and advice was crucial to the Prize’s early success,” William noted in a statement.
“I am hugely grateful to her for joining us as she takes the next steps in her career,” he added.
In a statement, Ardern remarked that she believed Earthshot had the power to “encourage and spread not only the innovation we desperately need, but also optimism.”
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