According to a Saturday report by the IRNA, the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, chaired the meeting.
Bahreini stressed the importance of religions in promoting human rights, arguing that many human rights values are rooted in divine religions.
During the meeting, Khalil Hashemi, the ambassador and representative of Pakistan, referred to UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 and the measures of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to counter religious intolerance and called for discussions about the role of religions in promoting human rights in the Human Rights Council.
Representatives of different member and observer countries of the Human Rights Council, as well as representatives of different parts of the human rights mechanism, participated in the meeting.
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