The UN has unveiled a new initiative to shield victims of terrorist attacks from online harm and re-traumatization, drawing on harrowing accounts from survivors, including those at the Nova Music Festival in Israel and a FIFA World Cup final viewing party in Uganda.

Launched on the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, the initiative comes with a stark reminder: terrorism kills and maims thousands annually, and online harm is a universal complaint among survivors. Saynab Warsame, a survivor from Somalia, put it succinctly: 'In today's digital world, memories are fragile. With fake videos and information, the truth can easily be lost or changed.'

The initiative, led by the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (established by the UN Counter-Terrorism Office last year), aims to counter this digital erosion of truth. Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh was among the 250+ hostages taken at the Nova Music Festival and killed after 328 days in Gaza, told the event, 'Tragically, I am not unique.' She invoked Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud's 94-year-old debate on human nature, noting that 'civilization has to decide whether to rise to the challenge to continually contain our natural tendencies towards war.'

Hassan Ndugwa, a survivor of the 2010 Uganda World Cup finals attack that killed over 70 people, turned his trauma into action. Co-founding the Uganda Muslim Youth Development Forum, he has reached thousands of youth with job skills programs, offering 'alternatives to youth' who now 'see a bright future.' He stresses the importance of survivor voices and remembrance in healing.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed this, saying, 'This year's theme, Healing through memory, reminds us that remembrance is a pathway to recovery and renewal.' He warned against exploiting victims' stories to sow hate, especially on digital platforms, and urged, 'Instead of letting terror divide us, we can and must stay united.' Because, as always, the choice is ours.