TEHRAN -- Iran’s proposal to host the Mid-Conference meeting of the Asia and Oceania Regional Section of the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations) was voted down.

In a recently held session attended by the Asian and Oceanian officials of the IFLA, Iran’s proposal was rejected and Bangkok’s was selected instead, Iran National Library and Archive (INLA) deputy director Fariborz Khosravi told MNA.
He added that Iran, Kazakhstan and Thailand had all submitted proposals to play host to the program but ultimately Thailand was selected.
“The main reason for the selection of Thailand was its record of attracting a large number of participants in previous conferences. In addition, the book associations of the Southeast Asian countries are more active in the region. Also, Asian countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam encouraged and strongly supported Thailand’s proposition,” he explained.
The conference will be held on February 12 and 13 with members from 18 countries participating, including Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan and Iran.
The main objectives of the section are to initiate, promote and facilitate the development of library and information services within the five sub-regions of the continents of Asia and Oceania West Asia; namely South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania.