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A bit of a photo cliche, but there you go. Couldn't leave Canyon lands without heading to Mesa Arch at sunrise - it's only a 10 minute walk from the car park, and is stunning in the early light. It's not the biggest or most dramatic of the stone arches, but the reflecting sunlight early in the morning makes it look like it's glowing red and orange. Photo credit: Robbie Shade via Flickr
Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights

Office of International Religious Freedom

Our Mission

The Office of International Religious Freedom has the mission of promoting religious freedom as a core objective of U.S. foreign policy. We monitor religious persecution and discrimination worldwide, recommend and implement policies in respective regions or countries, and develop programs to promote religious freedom.

Samuel Brownback 250 1

Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom

Samuel D. Brownback
January 19, 2021

@StateIRF Retweeted

@StateDept

RT @StateDept: Millions of Uyghurs and Muslim minorities in Xinjiang are living under constant surveillance, forced to hide their...
 
June 10, 2020

2019 Report on International Religious Freedom

Read the 2019 Report 2019 Report on International Religious Freedom  

Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom

 
May 22, 2019

Ambassador Brownback Delivers Remarks on Religious Freedom in Iran

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The Latest

June 10, 2020

Press Availability on the Release of the 2019 International Religious Freedom Report

The very existence of the International Religious Freedom Report is evidence of our resolve to defend human dignity. No other nation gathers such an enormous and comprehensive accounting of this fundamental human right.

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Key Topics

Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom

The Secretary of State hosts the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, an event that invites leaders from around the world to discuss the challenges facing religious freedom, identify means to address religious persecution and discrimination worldwide, and promote greater respect and preservation of religious liberty for all.

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Monitoring and Combatting Anti-Semitism

The Office of International Religious Freedom works with The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism to advance U.S. foreign policy on anti-Semitism, including the development and implementation of policies and projects to support efforts to combat anti-Semitism.

Learn More about Monitoring and Combatting Anti-Semitism Monitoring and Combatting Anti-Semitism

Legislation

The 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, passed unanimously by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, established the Office of International Religious Freedom at the Department of State.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Find out why the Department of State publishes the annual International Religious Freedom Report and designates Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs).

Learn More about IRF Report and Countries of Particular Concern Frequently Asked Questions

U.S. Department of State

The Lessons of 1989: Freedom and Our Future