In Response to the Israeli Ambassador's Letter; Human Rights Council President Defends the Appointment of the Islamic Republic's Representative as Chair of the Social Forum

Following the appointment of the Islamic Republic's representative as the Chair of the Social Forum of the Human Rights Council, the Israeli ambassador in Geneva wrote a letter to the President of the Human Rights Council in protest of this matter, to which the President responded. The appointment of the Islamic Republic's permanent representative at the UN in Geneva as the Chair of the two-day Social Forum, scheduled for November 2 and 3, 2023, has drawn reactions from civil society organizations and human rights groups. Civil society organizations and some prominent figures, including Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, have issued statements and letters severely criticizing the Human Rights Council and calling for a reconsideration of this decision. Were these reactions heard within the UN system? What was the outcome of the follow-ups? In response to this appointment, various letters were sent to most member countries of the Human Rights Council and the UN by human rights organizations, expressing "regret" and "condemning" this action while demanding a reconsideration of this decision. Among these, the only UN member country that engaged in correspondence on this matter and called for the public disclosure of this correspondence was Israel. However, Israel is currently not a member of the UN Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Council has 47 members, whose seats are determined in a five-regional division and elected by the UN General Assembly for three-year terms. The letter from Israel to the President of the Human Rights Council The Israeli ambassador and permanent representative in Geneva sent a letter to the President of the Human Rights Council on May 11, expressing "disappointment and concern" over this appointment and calling for a reconsideration of this decision. In the letter from "Miraf Eilon Shahar" to Vaclav Balek, the current President of the Human Rights Council, the appointment of "a representative from a country that widely restricts freedom of expression and access to information" and has disseminated "conspiracy theories regarding [the COVID-19] pandemic" as the head of a forum that aims to discuss the role of "science, technology" in promoting human rights, particularly in the post-COVID recovery space, was declared "concerning." In a part of the letter, the Israeli ambassador emphasized that Iranian officials have not only failed to promote "social cohesion and human rights" but have also violated and denied women's rights for decades, ignored the rights of minorities, "ruthlessly suppressed any opposition," and financially supported "terrorism," causing deaths worldwide. The Israeli permanent representative at the UN in Geneva deemed Iran's appointment as the chair of the Human Rights Council's Social Forum as an "insult" to the thousands of victims who have been "tortured," "beaten," and "killed" by the Iranian regime. The President of the Human Rights Council responded to the Israeli ambassador's letter the day after it was sent, explaining the process of this appointment and placing the responsibility on regional groups that did not take the opportunity to nominate a candidate for the chairmanship, stating that he had introduced the only available candidate after the legal deadline. Balek, citing paragraph 5 of resolution 50/22, which specifies how the chair of the Social Forum is appointed, emphasizes that the President of the Council must select one from the "list of nominated candidates" considering the "regional rotation." The regional rotation in this case means that the President of the Human Rights Council should strive to ensure that the chair of the forum does not come consecutively from one region and that responsibility rotates among other regions as well. In his letter, the President of the Human Rights Council explains that on April 6, he sent a letter to the coordinators of the five regional groups inviting them to introduce their preferred candidates to him. He had announced April 30 as the final deadline for introducing candidates for the chair of the Social Forum. Balek further states that on April 27, through the Philippine delegation, which coordinates the "Asia-Pacific" group, the Islamic Republic's representative was introduced as the proposed candidate for this group. The current President of the Human Rights Council emphasizes that he wrote to the coordinators of all regional groups on May 3, after the April 30 deadline, stating that only one candidate had been nominated for this position. In the conclusion of his letter, which was in response to the Israeli ambassador's letter, he noted that after going through all these processes, he announced the appointment of the Chair of the Social Forum to all delegations on May 10. Given this correspondence and the existing administrative processes within the UN, it seems that a reconsideration of this appointment is currently impossible. An appointment and a wave of reactions The President of the Human Rights Council, Vaclav Balek, announced in a letter on Wednesday, May 10, that the two-day session of the Social Forum of this Council will be chaired by Ali Bahraini. In his note, the President of the Human Rights Council stated that the topics to be discussed at the Social Forum will focus on the contribution of science, technology, and innovation to the advancement of human rights. The appointment of Ali Bahraini, the ambassador and permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, as the Chair of the Social Forum of this organization has sparked numerous reactions. The Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, in response to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding Washington's position on the Islamic Republic's appointment to chair the Social Forum of the UN Human Rights Council, called it "deeply concerning." According to Vedant Patel, the appointment of the Islamic Republic's ambassador as a representative of a "gross and persistent violator of human rights" as the head of such a group undermines its limited usefulness. He noted the U.S.'s initial opposition to the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council's Social Forum in 2015 due to its limited usefulness and unnecessary additional costs, stating: "The U.S. has not participated in previous sessions of this forum and does not intend to participate in the upcoming session this year either." The exit of several members of non-governmental organizations present at the Human Rights Council meeting in protest against the speech of Hossein Amirabdollahian. Previously, the "Impact Iran" coalition, consisting of 12 international human rights organizations, issued a statement expressing their deep concern and regret over the appointment of "Ali Bahraini," the permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, as the Chair of the 2023 Social Forum. This coalition noted that given the Islamic Republic's track record on human rights, this appointment undermines the integrity of the forum and the UN human rights system. According to this group, the appointment of Bahraini is a shocking insult to all victims whose fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of expression and assembly, have been violated by the Islamic Republic. These human rights organizations called for the UN and its member states not to allow the Islamic Republic to mock the UN Social Forum and tarnish the credibility of this institution. After the bloody suppression of protesters, the Islamic Republic's representative became the Chair of the Human Rights Council's Social Forum. The regret of 12 human rights organizations over the appointment of the Islamic Republic's ambassador as the Chair of the 2023 Social Forum. The U.S. described Iran's presidency of the UN Human Rights Council's Social Forum as "deeply concerning." Reactions to the appointment of Ali Bahraini as the Chair of the Human Rights Council's Social Forum: "Shameful."