IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1024 
Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to promote international 
religious freedom and marking the 20th anniversary of the International 
Religious Freedom Act of 1998. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 24, 2018 
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey submitted the following resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to promote 
international religious freedom and marking the 20th 
anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act 
of 1998. 
Whereas religious freedom is a universally recognized human 
right and the protection and promotion of this right glob-
ally attracts broad support; 
Whereas the United States has a long tradition of advancing 
and protecting religious freedom, understanding that this 
fundamental right is critical for a flourishing society and 
essential to protect human dignity and national stability; 
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•HRES 1024 IH 
Whereas religious freedom includes the right of an individual 
to worship, think, speak, and act, including in public and 
in private, in accordance with the beliefs of the indi-
vidual; 
Whereas the free exercise of religion must stand for the right 
to practice any faith or to choose no faith at all; 
Whereas this year marks the 70th anniversary of the United 
Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which 
recognizes that ‘‘Everyone has the right to freedom of 
thought, conscience and religion; this right includes free-
dom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either 
alone or in community with others and in public or pri-
vate, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, prac-
tice, worship and observance’’; 
Whereas this year also marks the 20th anniversary of the 
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 
6401 et seq.), which made religious freedom a United 
States foreign policy priority and created the position of 
Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Free-
dom at the Department of State and the bipartisan 
United States Commission on International Religious 
Freedom; 
Whereas given the United States commitment to advance reli-
gious freedom and to the international covenants that 
guarantee it as the inalienable right of every human 
being, United States foreign policy is committed to— 
(1) promoting freedom of religion globally as a fun-
damental human right and as a source of stability and 
prosperity for all countries; 
(2) assisting emerging democracies to implement 
freedom of religion and to protect individual conscience; 
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•HRES 1024 IH 
(3) assisting nongovernment organizations to pro-
mote religious freedom and to sponsor reconciliation and 
other programs in disputes which divide groups along the 
lines of religious identity; and 
(4) identifying countries and nonstate actors that 
are severe persecutors on the basis of religious belief and 
undertaking diplomatic or other actions to address reli-
gious freedom violations, in order to protect fundamental 
national interests; 
Whereas despite efforts to advance and protect religious free-
dom over the past two decades, the world is experiencing 
a religious freedom crisis, creating millions of victims and 
undermining liberty, prosperity, and peace in places vital 
to the national interests of the United States and our al-
lies and posing direct challenges in the Middle East, Rus-
sia, China, South and Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan 
Africa; 
Whereas an estimated 83 percent of the world’s population 
lives in countries where freedom of religion and con-
science is highly restricted, either by the government or 
by social groups, according to the latest Pew Research 
Center’s Study of Global Restrictions on Religion; 
Whereas the absence of fundamental human rights, including 
religious freedom, contributes to political instability, vio-
lence against religious and ethnic minorities, religious ex-
tremism, and terrorism; 
Whereas research demonstrates that where religious freedom 
is protected and advanced as a universally recognized 
human right there is greater peace, political and social 
stability, economic innovation and development, democra-
tization, women’s empowerment, and less violent religious 
extremism and terrorism; 
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