In passing the Act, Congress noted that, at that time, more than half of the world’s population lived under regimes that severely restricted or prohibited citizens from freely observing their religious beliefs. In addition, the Act describes government-sponsored and government-tolerated violations to religious freedom that people faced, including slander campaigns; confiscation of property; denial of the right to assemble; and prohibitions against publishing, distributing, or possessing religious literature. According to the Act, religious believers in many countries also faced severe and violent forms of religious persecution, such as imprisonment, torture, beatings, mass resettlement, and death for their peaceful belief in, change of, or practice of their faith. In its findings on religious freedom, the Act refers to the U.S. Constitution and various principles of international law. The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution established the right to freely exercise religious beliefs, and according to the Act, “the right to freedom of religion undergirds the very origin and existence of the United States.” In addition, the Act highlights principles of international law, such as those outlined in the United Nations (UN) Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which identify religious freedom as a universal human right. For example, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. This right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.” The Act states that it shall be the policy of the United States to condemn violations of religious freedom and to promote and assist other governments in the promotion of religious freedom. The Act describes several actions that the United States shall take in accordance with this policy objective, including the implementation of appropriate diplomatic, political, commercial, and other tools to promote respect for religious freedom by all governments and peoples. In July 2012, the Secretary of State reiterated the U.S. government’s commitment to promote religious freedom and said that the administration had elevated religious freedom as a diplomatic priority. She also discussed her personal diplomatic outreach around the world concerning religious freedom and the appointment of the first envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. In accordance with the Act, State created the Office of International Religious Freedom (the Office) in 1999, headed by the Ambassador-at- Large for International Religious Freedom (the Ambassador). State placed the Office within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). Three individuals have served in this position (see fig. 1).The position has been vacant for approximately 4.5 of the 14 years since the Act’s passage, primarily because of delays in the presidential nomination process. The Act outlines four primary responsibilities for the Ambassador: (1) promote religious freedom, (2) serve as a principal adviser to the President and Secretary of State on religious freedom issues abroad, (3) represent the U.S. government diplomatically in matters relevant to religious freedom abroad, and (4) report on the status of international religious freedom annually. Although the Act directs that the Ambassador is the head of the Office, it does not explicitly outline responsibilities for the Office. State officials said that the primary responsibilities of the Office mirror those established for the Ambassador. The Act also established USCIRF, comprising nine volunteer members (commissioners); the President, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives each appoints three members. Moreover, the Act established that the Ambassador would serve ex officio as a nonvoting member of the commission. USCIRF has a professional staff and an executive director, in addition to the commissioners. Specifically, the Act states that of the three members of the commission that are appointed by the President pro tempore of the Senate, two shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the leader in the Senate of the political party that is not the political party of the President, and one shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the leader in the Senate of the other political party. Similarly, the Act states that of the three members of the commission that are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, two shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the leader in the House of the political party that is not the political party of the President, and of which one of the members shall be appointed upon the recommendation of the leader in the House of the other political party. See Pub. L. No. 105-292, Sec. 201(b) and 22 U.S.C. § 6431(b)(1)(B). circumstances presented in State’s annual report and of information from other sources where appropriate. The Act authorized USCIRF to hold hearings, and a 1999 amendment to the Act authorized USCIRF to conduct travel and to secure information from any federal agency as necessary to carry out its duties. Since fiscal year 2000, Congress has appropriated more than $42 million for USCIRF’s activities. The Act established USCIRF as a 4-year commission, and the 1999 amendment to the Act established that USCIRF would terminate on May 14, 2003. The Act established a 2-year term of office for each commissioner and also allowed for the reappointment of each commissioner to a second term. In 2002, Congress amended the Act again to extend USCIRF’s authority to September 30, 2011, but did not establish term limits for commissioners. In 2011, Congress extended the termination date to September 30, 2014, and implemented some additional changes, including placing a limit of two 2-year terms on commissioners. As a result of the term limits, 7 of the 9 commissioners at that time were required to leave the commission. Since 1999, 33 commissioners have served on USCIRF; 9 have served for 5 or more years, and 3 have served for 10 or more years. State, including the Ambassador and the Office, is implementing the primary responsibilities outlined in the Act. The Ambassador, with the support of the Office, promotes religious freedom, advises the President and Secretary of State, represents the United States diplomatically on international religious freedom issues, and annually publishes the International Religious Freedom Report. Other entities in State, such as other offices and embassies, also take actions to implement some of the responsibilities outlined in the Act. In addition, the Ambassador and the Office support the Secretary of State in implementing some of the responsibilities that the Act establishes for the Secretary. However, the Ambassadors-at-Large for International Religious Freedom have a lower organizational status than State’s other Ambassadors-at-Large, and State has provided inconsistent reporting policy and guidance to the Ambassadors-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. The Ambassador and the Office are implementing the primary responsibilities that the Act established—namely, promoting international religious freedom, advising the President and Secretary of State, diplomatically representing the United States with regard to religious freedom issues, and publishing an annual report on the status of religious freedom worldwide. The Ambassador carries out these responsibilities both independently and with the assistance of other State entities, including U.S. embassies abroad. The Ambassador, the Office, and other State entities have undertaken actions, in accordance with both the Act and U.S. foreign policy objectives, to promote religious freedom. Examples of these activities include the following: Hosting and participating in events. The Ambassador and the Office host, and participate in, events that promote religious freedom and tolerance through dialogue. For example, in October 2012, the Office and the U.S. Institute of Peace sponsored a public panel discussion titled “Religion, Violence, and Coexistence,” at which the Ambassador spoke. The event’s discussion focused on (1) civil society’s role in preventing and addressing statements of religious bias and (2) ways in which civil society and the U.S. government can collaborate to advance peaceful religious coexistence, freedom, and security. Working directly with foreign governments. State officials said that the Ambassador and the Office work directly with foreign government officials to promote religious freedom by discussing concerns and assisting with the development of concrete steps a government might take to improve religious freedom or with legislative changes. For example, one Ambassador said that negotiations led to a formal public statement in which the government of Saudi Arabia clarified policies it had adopted and would pursue in order to improve religious freedom for minority faiths and eliminate religiously intolerant material from textbooks and other literature used in Saudi Arabia or exported abroad. Elevating religious freedom issues within State. According to Office staff, the Office and the Ambassador continually work to elevate religious freedom issues within State. A State official explained that Office staff conduct numerous briefings for mid-level and executive department officials concerning religious freedom in various countries, as the situations warrant. In addition, another State official said that Office staff prepare talking points and briefing memorandums for senior State officials to use during meetings with foreign-government officials, although they told us they do not always know whether the officials use the talking points. According to a State official, the Ambassador also disseminates religious freedom-related information throughout DRL and across State. Developing religious freedom–related grants. According to Office staff, since 2007, the Office has developed 27 religious freedom–related programs with $16.6 million in grants from DRL’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund. These programs include global initiatives and support the promotion of religious freedom across the six regions of the world, with a focus on changing societal perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. For example, one program supported in-country capacity building to establish teams to track, catalogue, and respond to religious tensions within the country. Our review of 7 of the 27 program grants found that, in general, the grantees reported that they are meeting their grant objectives, such as capacity building and public awareness. See appendix I for detailed information concerning our grant analysis. Undertaking a variety of activities at U.S. embassies.