On February 5, 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched the International Religious Freedom Alliance (IRF Alliance), an Alliance of like-minded partners who treasure, and fight for, international religious freedom for every human being. The launch comes a few months after on July 18, 2019, at the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington DC, Secretary Pompeo announced new initiatives including the creation of the IRF Alliance. The Alliance is intended to bring together senior government representatives to discuss actions their nations can take together to promote respect for freedom of religion or belief and protect members of religious minority groups worldwide.
At the launch, Secretary Pompeo stressed the ever-growing need for such a combined effort listing some of the worst acts of violence based on religion or belief from recent years, including terrorists and violent extremists who target religious minorities, whether they are Yazidis in Iraq, Hindus in Pakistan, Christians in northeast Nigeria, or Muslims in Burma and the Chinese Communist Partys hostility to all faiths. Indeed, such acts of violence based on religion or belief are at increase and need urgent and comprehensive response to stop the atrocities, assist the victims and survivors, prosecute the perpetrators and protect the communities from re-occurrence of such acts of violence in the future.
Shoes of victims are kept as evidence as security personnel inspect the interior of St Sebastian's ... [+] Church in Negombo on April 22, 2019, a day after the church was hit in series of bomb blasts targeting churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, the worst violence to hit the island since its devastating civil war ended a decade ago. (Photo credit: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
26 countries joined the IRF Alliance, including, Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, The Gambia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Togo, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. The members of the IRF Alliance have pledged to uphold the Declaration of Principles, a constitution for the IRF Alliance solidifying their commitment to protect the right to freedom of religion or belief.
The Declaration of Principles incorporates several reactive and proactive measures that the members of the IRF Alliance are to adopt to promote and protect the rights to freedom of religion or belief for all. Furthermore, it incorporates a list of potential instruments of actions to aid their work, including regular monitoring, reporting, information-sharing and outreach to impacted individuals and faith communities, support for victims, such as through redress, resettlement, or other actions as appropriate, targeted sanctions against perpetrators, raining of law enforcement officials, building the capacity of national human rights institutions, and cooperating with civil society, investment in projects to protect space for civic engagement by assisting human rights defenders and victims of persecution, as well as to build societal resilience.
During the launch, Secretary Pompeo further announced that Poland will host the next Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Warsaw from July 14-16, 2020. The upcoming Ministerial will be organized in cooperation with the United States and will address several topics requiring urgent response including improving the lives of persecuted and discriminated communities, empowering individuals to affect change, and promoting inclusive dialogue to mobilize action and increase awareness regarding the scale of persecution against religion or belief worldwide.
The U.S. must be commended for the work it has carried out to lead the efforts to promote and protect the rights to freedom of religion or belief for all. The IRF Alliance is intended to provide a springboard towards action to address violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief globally. To be able to do so, the IRF Alliance must grow in numbers and in the common commitment. Other states must join and stand up for human rights of all people persecuted for their religion or belief.
Read more:
U.S. Launches The First-Ever International Religious Freedom Alliance - Forbes
- Opinion | U.S. religious freedom effort gets an unwelcome message in Saudi Arabia - The Washington Post - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Freedom Caucus urges GOP to reject government funding deal without border reforms - The Hill - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- The Equal Justice Initiative's soon to open Freedom Monument Sculpture Park - Montgomery Advertiser - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Freedom school district to go to referendum April 2 for capital improvements totaling $62.5 million - Post-Crescent - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Press freedom in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda: what journalists have to say about doing their jobs - The Conversation Indonesia - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- She bought an animal testing site and turned it into a rehab sanctuary - The Washington Post - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Young Americans for Freedom said UW-Madison's security fees were 'unprecedented.' Records show that's not the full ... - Daily Cardinal - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Responds to Outcome in Ohio GOP Senate Primary - Reproductive Freedom for All - Reproductive Freedom for All - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Biden Redefines Freedom and Democracy - AMAC Official Website - Join and Explore the Benefits - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Freedom snaps three-game streak of wins at home - MaxPreps - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- DePauw Faculty Talks Merit Pay, Academic Freedom, Donor Funds, and Event Planning at Monthly Meeting - The DePauw - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- SC governor: Proposed Medical Freedom Act could place innocent lives at risk - Live 5 News WCSC - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Li Yilei recaptures the freedom of childhood through sound - The FADER - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- The massive copper mine that could test the limits of religious freedom - Grist - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Netflix Is Rethinking Employee Freedom, a Core Tenet of Its Vaunted Culture - WSJ - The Wall Street Journal - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Freedom Caucus touts bill banning Ranked Choice Voting - Pelican Post - Online Newspaper - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Proposed TikTok ban is an affront to economic and personal freedom - The Hill - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Chase Freedom Encourages Cardmembers To Celebrate With Family, Given and Chosen, With Q2 2024 Quarterly ... - Yahoo Finance - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Baseball Game Recap: Freedom Patriots vs. East Bay Indians - MaxPreps - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- 'The veils and the women': Can we really advocate for freedom when we are banning them? - LSE Home - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Freedom wins going away against Brandon - MaxPreps - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Protect the founder of WikiLeaks for the future of press freedom - The Baylor Lariat - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Applauds Confirmation of Judge Nicole Berner to Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals - Reproductive Freedom for All - Reproductive Freedom for All - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Five Themes Discussed at Princeton's Workshop on Decentralized Social Media - Freedom to Tinker - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Meghan Markle Unveils New Brand on Poignant Date with Prince Harry - PEOPLE - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Freedom set to open the 2024 season against Torrey Pines (CA) - 69News WFMZ-TV - March 20th, 2024 [March 20th, 2024]
- Texas A&M Creating A Task Force To Work On Academic Freedom - Navasota News - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- H.S. BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Freedom teams advance to Christmas tournament title games - Morganton News Herald - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Gow cites freedom of expression in defending porn videos which led to his firing as UWL chancellor - WIZM NEWS - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Sound Of Freedom: All Updates & Controversies Since It Released - Screen Rant - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Im ready for freedom, Gypsy Rose Blanchard says as she gets early release from jail after role in moms... - The US Sun - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Turkish Airlines Hasn't Applied For Permission to Operate Crucial Fifth-Freedom Flights From Singapore to Australia - paddleyourownkanoo.com - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- New ballot language submitted for proposed changes to Arkansas Freedom of Information Act - Mountain Home Observer - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- The SRFOE calls on States to guarantee freedom of expression as a fundamental right for gender equality and the ... - Organization of American States - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Irene Crcoles releases 'Closet', a single that screams freedom - WECB - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Sound of Freedom Is Now Streaming: Heres Where to Stream the Controversial Crime Thriller Online for Free - Hollywood Reporter - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- FIA consider more freedom in technical regulations - The Judge 13 - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Texas A&M Academic Freedom Task Force Is Nearing Completion Of Its Recommendations - WTAW - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- 2023 was a dire year for freedom of speech on campus, says this organization. Will next year be any better? - Fox News - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- The Spellbinding Freedom of Baldur's Gate 3 - The New York Times - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Stream It Or Skip It: Sound of Freedom on Prime Video, the Child-Trafficking Movie That Became a Culture War Flashpoint And Box Office Sensation -... - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Rare Mammoth Specimen Unearthed at Freedom Mine near Beulah, North Dakota - Net Newsledger - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Frontlines of Freedom TV Ep. 1 | 2023 Year In Review | Gaza | Ukraine | Trump RDI - Renew Democracy Initiative - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- We need more freedom of speech on campus, but that can't include advocating for genocide - Minnesota Reformer - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Freedom, first and last Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA - Sonoma Valley Sun - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Home for the holidays, from wrongful imprisonment - Star Tribune - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- The Freedom to Dress Cannot Be Overstated - Highsnobiety - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Freedom Town Column: Selectmen's meetings have resumed at the town office - Conway Daily Sun - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Did Disney own the rights to Sound of Freedom? - Dexerto - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Freedom Fitness 615 is ready to take on new year's resolutions - Lebanon Democrat - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Expressing the freedom of self-expression for Holocaust Memorial Day - North Kesteven District Council - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Airdate: Jamie Lee Curtis: Hollywood Call of Freedom - TV Tonight - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Harry Belafonte Used Fame to Fight for Freedom - The New York Times - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Abducted Anambra truck driver regains freedom - Punch Newspapers - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- OP-ED: Kwanzaa, Freedom, Justice and Peace: Principles and Practices For A New World - Black Press USA - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Webinar to give overview of Arkansas Food Freedom Act - Searcy Daily Citizen - December 28th, 2023 [December 28th, 2023]
- Statement to Mark 25th Anniversary of International Religious ... - USCCB - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Freedom of Information Act - Health.mil - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- 'Freedom' to be featured on GS merchandise - Statesboro Herald - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Freedom students say they feel safe on campus; social media ... - thepress.net - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- What kind of freedom? | News, Sports, Jobs - Marshalltown Times Republican - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Woman has few hopes for freedom in shaken bay death conviction - Mississippi Today - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- MFRR Monitoring Report 575 media freedom violations in the first ... - European Centre for Press and Media Freedom - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Michigan's Freedom of Information Act Must Be Significantly Reformed - Mackinac Center for Public Policy - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Freedom without justice - IPS Journal - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Free speech concerns arise in wake of journal editor Eisen's firing - STAT - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Salman Rushdie calls for defense of freedom of expression as he ... - Spectrum News 1 - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Governor Murphy Sounds the Alarm on Incoming GOP Assault on ... - InsiderNJ - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Soloviev Group Announces Affordable Housing Units in Freedom ... - New York YIMBY - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- North Macedonia Curbed Roma Citizens' Freedom of Movement ... - Balkan Insight - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- NCT 127: We are limitless but that freedom also has a lot of ... - NME - October 25th, 2023 [October 25th, 2023]
- Academic freedom or state control: Court hearing will consider blocking key higher ed law in FL - Florida Phoenix - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Salman Rushdie calls for defense of freedom of expression as he receives German prize - Euronews - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- It's Cold War II, and the enemies of freedom are lining up to forge a new world order - The Telegraph - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Freedom Caucus Urges GOP Leaders To Remain in Washington ... - The Messenger - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Statesboro: 'Freedom' the Eagle now has his own merchandise - WJCL News Savannah - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Escaping North Korea: 'Beyond Utopia' documents one path to ... - The Christian Science Monitor - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- PRH, WNDB Launch Freedom of Expression Award - Publishers Weekly - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- Carbondale branch of NAACP hosts 46th Freedom Fund Banquet - The Southern - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]
- 'Herald favored our freedom of speech' The Durango Herald - The Durango Herald - October 23rd, 2023 [October 23rd, 2023]