On March 20, more than 110 lawmakers, congressional staffers, and religious freedom advocates gathered on Capitol Hill for the release of a new policy brief entitled: U.S. Foreign Policy And International Religious Freedom: Recommendations For The Trump Administration And U.S. Congress. 

A core group of Senators and Representatives gave their support for the recommendations which make the case that religious freedom is a critical component of foreign policy not only as a human rights issue, but also because of its implications for security and stability for the United States and across the globe. 

Senator Bob Corker, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, opened the event highlighting the need to prioritize religious freedom and to implement the legislation that exists, both in the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act and in the newly enacted Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act. 

Expressing his own concern for the issue, Senator Cory Gardner, said, “Religious freedom is not simply an academic policy concern, it is one that is deeply personal.” 

Reflecting a core premise of the policy brief, Representative Bill Flores made the case that “promoting religious freedom is critical for not only human rights, but for any hope for global peace.”

Representative Francis Rooney, who is a former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican, expressed from his experience as a diplomat the critical conviction that”you cannot advance religious freedom for one, without advancing religious freedom for all.”

In addition to the reflections given by members of Congress, a panel of seasoned religious freedom experts discussed the implications for the recommendations made by the policy brief. Former Congressman Frank Wolf, Former Canadian Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Andrew Bennet, and USCIRF Commissioner Kristina Arriaga joined the co-authors of the brief, RFI President Thomas Farr and Dennis Hoover, Vice President for Research and Publications at the Institute for Global Engagement. 

The discussion focused on the need to further prioritize religious freedom for all communities in American foreign policy, a process that will involve the work of civil society and lawmakers, and also to increase the skill with which that policy is implemented by American diplomats and the administration. 

Thomas Farr, President, Religious Freedom Institute

Dennis Hoover, Vice President for Research and Publications, Institute for Global Engagement

Senator Bob Corker, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Congressman Trent Franks, Co-Chairman, Congressional International Religious Freedom Caucus

Congressman Bill Flores, Member, House Energy and Commerce Committee

Senator Cory Gardner, Chairman, Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Congressman Francis Rooney, Member, House Foreign Affairs Committee

Frank Wolf, Former Congressman and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative

Kristina Arriaga de Bucholz, Commissioner at U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

Andrew Bennett, former Canadian Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, senior fellow at Cardus, Senior Research Fellow of the Religious Freedom Research Project at Georgetown University

Panelists discussed the next steps to be taken for strengthening religious freedom in the new administration. 

Panelists discussed the next steps to be taken for strengthening religious freedom in the new administration. 

Audience questions addressed the global scale of religious freedom violations and the need for fruitful global partnerships.

Audience questions addressed the global scale of religious freedom violations and the need for fruitful global partnerships.

Audience questions addressed the global scale of religious freedom violations and the need for fruitful global partnerships.

Audience questions addressed the global scale of religious freedom violations and the need for fruitful global partnerships.