S. 653 

One Hundred Thirteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and fourteen 

An Act 

To provide for the establishment of the Special Envoy to Promote Religious Freedom 

of Religious Minorities in the Near East and South Central Asia. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Near East and South Central 

Asia Religious Freedom Act of 2014’’. 

SEC. 2. SPECIAL ENVOY TO PROMOTE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN THE NEAR EAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL 

ASIA. 

(a) APPOINTMENT.—The President may appoint a Special Envoy 

to Promote Religious Freedom of Religious Minorities in the Near 

East and South Central Asia (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Special 

Envoy’’) within the Department of State. The Special Envoy shall 

have the rank of ambassador and shall hold the office at the 

pleasure of the President. 

(b) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Special Envoy should be a person 

of recognized distinction in the field of human rights and religious 

freedom and with expertise in the Near East and South Central 

Asia. 

SEC. 3. DUTIES. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Special Envoy shall carry out the following duties: 

(1) Promote the right of religious freedom of religious 

minorities in the countries of the Near East and the countries 

of South Central Asia, denounce the violation of such right, 

and recommend appropriate responses by the United States 

Government when such right is violated. 

(2) Monitor and combat acts of religious intolerance and 

incitement targeted against religious minorities in the countries 

of the Near East and the countries of South Central Asia. 

(3) Work to ensure that the unique needs of religious 

minority communities in the countries of the Near East and 

the countries of South Central Asia are addressed, including 

the economic and security needs of such communities. 

(4) Work with foreign governments of the countries of the 

Near East and the countries of South Central Asia to address 

laws that are discriminatory toward religious minority communities in such countries. 

(5) Coordinate and assist in the preparation of that portion 

of the report required by sections 116(d) and 502B(b) of the 
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Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151n(d) and 2304(b)) 

relating to the nature and extent of religious freedom of religious minorities in the countries of the Near East and the 

countries of South Central Asia. 

(6) Coordinate and assist in the preparation of that portion 

of the report required by section 102(b) of the International 

Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)) relating 

to the nature and extent of religious freedom of religious minorities in the countries of the Near East and the countries of 

South Central Asia. 

(b) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the duties under subsection 

(a), the Special Envoy shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 

coordinate with the Assistant Secretary of State for Population, 

Refugees and Migration, the Ambassador at Large for International 

Religious Freedom, the United States Commission on International 

Religious Freedom, and other relevant Federal agencies and officials. 

SEC. 4. DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION. 

Subject to the direction of the President and the Secretary 

of State, the Special Envoy is authorized to represent the United 

States in matters and cases relevant to religious freedom in the 

countries of the Near East and the countries of South Central 

Asia in— 

(1) contacts with foreign governments, intergovernmental 

organizations, and specialized agencies of the United Nations, 

the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, and 

other international organizations of which the United States 

is a member; and 

(2) multilateral conferences and meetings relevant to religious freedom in the countries of the Near East and the countries of South Central Asia. 

SEC. 5. CONSULTATIONS. 

The Special Envoy shall consult with domestic and international nongovernmental organizations and multilateral organizations and institutions, as the Special Envoy considers appropriate 

to fulfill the purposes of this Act. 

SEC. 6. SUNSET. 

This Act shall cease to be effective beginning on October 1, 

2019. 

SEC. 7. FUNDING. 

Of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to 

the Secretary of State for ‘‘Diplomatic and Consular Programs’’ 

for fiscal years 2015 through 2019, the Secretary of State is authorized to provide to the Special Envoy $1,000,000 for each such 
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fiscal year for the hiring of staff, the conduct of investigations, 

and necessary travel to carry out the provisions of this Act. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.