Iran to chair UNHCR Social Forum, US exasperated
Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Office in Geneva Ali Bahreini has been appointed as the rotating president of the 2023 Social Forum of the Human Rights Council slated for November.
The news broke out on Thursday. This breakthrough would be a first for an Islamic Republic official.
The Social Forum of the Human Rights Council is to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 2-3 with the aim of preparing the ground for member states and participating representatives to exchange views about the role of science, innovation, and technology in promoting human rights, particularly in the era after the coronavirus pandemic.
The news angered the United States, which showed a strong reaction.
Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson of the US State Department described Iran’s presiding over the social forum of the United Nations Human Rights Council as “deeply troubling.”
The American official added that the US has not taken part in the sessions of the group and it does not intend to attend them this year.