February 9, 2026, Washington, D.C. – The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) helped lead the way last week in another successful International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit. Held in Washington, D.C., the IRF Summit is an annual gathering of religious freedom advocates who seek to “gain political support for the global religious freedom movement and embolden civil society, people of faith, and governments to take a stand for religious freedom.” RFI has been an active participant in the IRF Summit each year since its inception. In fact, RFI President Emeritus Tom Farr served as the lead author of the IRF Summit Charter. 

“We were delighted yet again this year to contribute to the annual IRF Summit, whose work remains urgent as the international religious freedom landscape continues to deteriorate,” said RFI President David Trimble. “The global challenges before us demand concerted efforts among faith communities, civil society groups, and government leaders, and RFI continues to be active in spaces that move such efforts forward.”  

RFI opened the IRF Summit for the fourth consecutive year with our University Partnership Program (UPP) on the afternoon of February 1st at Washington National Cathedral. Dr. Jim Bennett, Director of RFI’s National Center for Religious Freedom Education, launched the program by presenting students with a framework for applying the first principles of religious freedom in a variety of policy settings. Nearly 40 college students, graduate students, and young professionals from 12 different institutions gained a deeper understanding of religious freedom and learned about an array of collaborative efforts between public officials and civil society groups to advance this fundamental right amid enormous global threats.  

Following the UPP, RFI convened an evening reception at the Embassy of Hungary (Washington, D.C.) along with Pepperdine University and Hungary Helps Agency. The event honored Tristan Azbej, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade who is responsible for assisting persecuted Christians and overseeing the Hungary Helps Program. RFI President David Trimble presented the award. Hungary’s Ambassador to the United States, Szabolcs Takács, served as host of the event. ​​During the program, Trimble also presented awards to IRF Summit co-chairs, Katrina Lantos Swett, President of The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice, and Sam Brownback, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, for their visionary leadership in launching the IRF Summit and elevating the priority of religious freedom around the world.

On February 4th, as the IRF Summit was coming to a close, Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources at the U.S. Department of State, Michael J. Rigas, and Tristan Azbej signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize cooperation between the United States and Hungary in defending and serving Christians and other people of faith facing persecution, particularly in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. This agreement strongly reaffirms each country’s commitment to advancing religious freedom around the world, particularly among Christians, who continue to endure more incidents of violent persecution and repression than any other religious community. Trimble was invited to be a witness to this important MOU, and he pledged RFI’s full support for this agreement and the various forms of aid it will enable.  

The IRF Summit formally concluded on February 4th with Capitol Hill Advocacy Day, which began with a breakfast titled, “Defending Religious Freedom Around the World.” Trimble spoke during the event, commending Chairman Chris Smith’s critical work on the “Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act” that was signed into law in December 2018. During his remarks, Trimble compared provisions of that bill, which authorizes direct funding to faith-based organizations in contexts of persecution, with the exemplary work of the Hungary Helps Program under the leadership of Hungarian State Secretary Tristan Azbej. Members of Congress, administration officials, and other high-profile figures in the IRF space also offered remarks. 

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The Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) works to secure religious freedom for everyone, everywhere. RFI is a non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Washington, D.C.

Media Contact: Nathan Berkeley
media@religiousfreedominstitute.org
202-838-7734
www.RFI.org
@RFInstitute

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