Washington: The United States finds it disappointing and “deeply troubling” that an Iranian representative has been appointed to chair the Social Forum of the UN Human Rights Council, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Thursday.
“This is obviously deeply troubling. The appointment of the Iranian Ambassador, the representative of an egregious, consistent human rights violator to chair such a group simply undermines its already limited usefulness,” Patel said during a press briefing. “We are disappointed that the president of the council made this decision and it is not appropriate for Iran to serve in a leadership position on a body that is supposed to be associated with the promotion and protection of human rights.”
Patel pointed out that the United States, which has not participated in the Social Forum in the past, opposed its creation in 2015, believing that it would have limited utility and add additional costs.
Earlier this week, Human Rights Council President Vaclav Balek announced his decision to appoint Ali Bahreini, ambassador of Iran to the UN office in Geneva, to chair the 2023 Social Forum scheduled to be held on November 2-3.
