Widespread Reactions to the Human Rights Council's Social Forum Meeting Chaired by the Islamic Republic

The United Nations Human Rights Council's Social Forum, chaired by Ali Bahraini, the permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran, commenced in Geneva amid a boycott from representatives of several countries, individuals, and human rights organizations, who deemed the Islamic Republic's presidency over the forum a violation of United Nations principles. Michelle Taylor, the permanent representative of the United States to the Human Rights Council, described the appointment of an official from the Islamic Republic to chair the Social Forum as 'absurd' and 'unacceptable.' She emphasized that the United States opposed the establishment of the Social Forum in 2015, asserting it would have limited utility while incurring additional costs. Taylor added, 'We firmly refuse to sit, talk, or participate in any discussions on human rights chaired by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we are deeply troubled by the regime's ongoing repression, including through the use of technology, which is the main subject of the forum.' The topic of this forum is 'The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation in Promoting Human Rights, Especially in the Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic.' The U.S. representative stated that despite not participating in the Social Forum, the U.S. would collaborate with its partners in the Human Rights Council to hold the Iranian government accountable 'where it matters.' The 'British Committee for the Freedom of Iran' stated in a statement that the Islamic Republic's presidency of the Social Forum undermines the credibility of the United Nations. The statement noted that the Islamic Republic's presidency over the forum is an insult to the victims of state terrorism and the brave people of Iran who continue to protest and strive for real democratic change and their fundamental rights. The committee urged the British government not to participate in this meeting and to boycott the event, highlighting that the Islamic Republic has brought destruction, death, misery, and chaos to its citizens, the people of the Middle East, and the world over the past four decades. Several civil activists and representatives of member states of the Human Rights Council also emphasized in a letter to Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, that the religious dictatorship ruling Iran is one of the world's greatest human rights violators. They called for accountability of senior officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ebrahim Raisi, for human rights violations, including the massacre of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. The letter stated that allowing this 'notorious regime' to chair a respected UN meeting is 'a dagger to the heart of human rights' and jeopardizes regional and global peace, with the appointment of 'such a regime's representative' as the chair of the Social Human Rights Council being perceived by the Iranian government as a green light for further torture and killings. The account 'Israel in Persian' on the platform 'X' reacted to the Islamic Republic's presidency of the UN Social Forum, stating: 'Every second spent in the Human Rights Council under the chairmanship of the representative of the criminal Islamic Republic is an insult to tens of thousands of Iranians, Israelis, and other innocents from around the world who are victims of this regime and its terrorist proxy groups.' Narges Mohammadi, a political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, also described the Islamic Republic's presidency of the UN Social Forum as 'ambiguous and disappointing' in a letter to the UN Secretary-General. Following the appointment of the Islamic Republic's representative as chair of the Social Forum, the Israeli ambassador to the UN in Geneva wrote a letter of protest to the chair of the Human Rights Council, who responded. The appointment of the Islamic Republic's permanent representative at the UN in Geneva as chair of the two-day Social Forum, taking place on November 2 and 3, has triggered reactions from civil society organizations and human rights organizations. Civil organizations and some prominent figures, including Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate, have severely criticized the Human Rights Council in their statements and letters, demanding a reconsideration of this decision. Were these reactions heard within the UN system? What were the outcomes of the follow-ups? In response to this appointment, various letters were sent to most member states of the Human Rights Council and the UN by human rights organizations, expressing 'regret' and 'condemnation' of this action while demanding a reconsideration of this decision. Among these, the only UN member country that engaged in correspondence on this issue and called for the letters to be made public was Israel. However, Israel is currently not a member of the UN Human Rights Council. The Human Rights Council has 47 members, with seats determined by a five-regional division and elected by the UN General Assembly for three-year terms. The letter from Israel to the Human Rights Council chair was sent by the Israeli ambassador and permanent representative in Geneva on May 11, expressing 'disappointment and concern' over this appointment and calling for a reconsideration of this decision. In the letter, 'Mirav Eilon Shahar' to Vatslav Balek, the chair of the Human Rights Council, the appointment of 'a representative from a country that widely restricts freedom of expression and access to information' and spreads 'conspiracy theories regarding [the pandemic] COVID-19' as the chair of a forum that aims to discuss the role of 'science, technology' in promoting human rights, including in the post-COVID recovery period, was declared 'concerning.' In 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 presidency of the Human Rights Council's Social Forum 'an insult' to the thousands of victims who have been 'tortured,' 'beaten,' and 'murdered' by the Iranian government. The Human Rights Council chair 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 failed to take the opportunity to nominate candidates for the chairmanship. He stated that he only presented the sole available candidate after the legal deadline. Balek cited paragraph 5 of resolution 50/22, which specifies how the chair of the Social Forum should be appointed, emphasizing that the chair must select one from the 'list of nominated candidates' based on 'regional rotation.' The regional rotation in this case means that the chair 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. The Human Rights Council chair explains in this letter regarding the process followed for the appointment of the Islamic Republic's representative that on April 6, he sent a letter to the coordinators of the five groups inviting them to nominate their preferred candidate. In his letter to the coordinators, he announced April 30 as the final deadline for nominating candidates for the chair of the Social Forum. He continues in his letter that on April 27, through the Philippine delegation, which coordinates the 'Asia-Pacific' group, the representative of the Islamic Republic was introduced as the proposed candidate for this group. The current chair of the Human Rights Council emphasizes that on May 3, after the April 30 deadline, he wrote to the coordinators of all regional groups, stating that only one candidate had been nominated for this position. Balek concludes his letter, which is in response to the Israeli ambassador's letter, by stating 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 appears that reconsideration of this appointment is currently impossible. An appointment and a wave of reactions The chair of the UN Human Rights Council, Vatslav Balek, announced in a letter on Wednesday, May 10, that the two-day Social Forum of this council will be chaired by Ali Bahraini in November of this year. In his note, the chair of the Human Rights Council stated that the main topics of discussion at the Social Forum will be 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 chair of the Social Forum in this council has triggered numerous reactions. The deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State described the appointment of the Islamic Republic's ambassador as a 'deeply concerning' matter 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 UN Human Rights Council's Social Forum. According to Vedant Patel, the appointment of an ambassador from a 'flagrant and persistent human rights violator' as the chair of such a group undermines its limited utility. He noted the initial U.S. opposition to the establishment of the UN Human Rights Council's Social Forum in 2015 due to its limited utility and unnecessary additional costs, stating, 'The U.S. has not participated in previous meetings of this forum and does not intend to participate in the upcoming meeting this year either.' Several members of non-governmental organizations present at the Human Rights Council meeting walked out in protest against the speech of Hossein Amirabdollahian. Previously, the 'Impact Iran' coalition, consisting of 12 international human rights organizations, expressed its deep concern and regret over the appointment of 'Ali Bahraini,' the permanent representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, as chair of the 2023 Social Forum. This coalition reminded that given the Islamic Republic's track record on human rights, this appointment affects the integrity of the forum and the UN human rights system. According to this group, the appointment of Bahraini is an astonishing 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 on the UN and its member states not to allow the Islamic Republic to mock the UN Social Forum and undermine the credibility of this institution.