Global religious freedom movement faces challenges

The Everett Center for Global Religious Freedom, an initiative at Dallas Baptist University designed to inspire and equip students, churches, and policymakers to advance international religious freedom, released its first report on July 29.

The report draws on six months of interviews with practitioners and experts from across the international religious freedom community and examines the challenges facing international religious freedom advocacy in a rapidly changing global environment, offering recommendations for strengthening efforts to protect freedom of religion or belief.

Changes to religious freedom landscape

The report opens by describing the current landscape of international religious freedom, arguing the international religious freedom movement is at a critical crossroads.

Although the post-World War II human rights framework—anchored in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and decades of advocacy—produced significant advances, rising authoritarianism, armed conflict, mass migration, shifting geopolitical priorities, and declining Western commitment to human rights have weakened these gains.

“While a remarkable development, the movement now faces extraordinary challenges. Global instability is increasing, institutional and financial support is declining, and unrelenting persecution continues to impact every faith community somewhere,” the report reads.

“At the same time, political priorities in the United States and Europe are shifting back towards hard interests, reverting to the historical norm in foreign affairs.”

The report explains the United States’ pivotal role in advancing international religious freedom, emphasizing how advocates developed tools to prevent or deter persecution, encouraging diplomacy to encourage the reform of oppressive systems. Despite these changes, persecution continues to grow.

 “Yet these changes have not been transformative, and persecution has continued or found new victims. For many Americans, exhaustion with global turmoil has bolstered calls for withdrawal. However, the pullback from religious freedom promotion by the U.S. and other Western governments further accelerates dangerous trends of violent persecution on account of religion or belief,” the report states.

The report urged a change in trajectory through conversations with an array of academics, advocates, and former government officials “to explore proactive actions civil society can take to advance religious freedom for all.”

Trajectory of the international religious freedom movement

The report highlighted the early growth of the global international religious freedom movement, which emerged after Congress passed the U.S. International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. The law made religious freedom a U.S. foreign policy priority by creating new diplomatic offices, annual reporting requirements, and accountability measures.

In its early years, however, the U.S. international religious freedom policy framework faced significant implementation challenges. Although the 1998 act established new institutions and reporting mechanisms, the policy lacked sufficient resources, consistent enforcement, and political prioritization.

Country of Particular Concern designations also became sporadic, the report reads: “From 2007 to 2015, however, [the State Department] issued only three sets of CPCs (in 2009, 2011, and 2014). When issued, the designations rarely carried policy consequences; instead, the State Department, across administrations, relied on pre-existing sanctions or waivers.”

During this time, the global landscape of religious persecution became more complex. Beginning in 2009, Pew Research studies, based on data from the IRF report and other sources, “showed that the number of countries with very high or high restrictions on religion, or with very high or high social hostilities involving religion, generally climbed,” stated the report.

Increased religious freedom initiatives

Growth in restrictions on religion, authoritarian governments, and extremist violence, including ISIS’ attacks in Iraq and Syria, prompted countries in North America and Europe to strengthen their own religious freedom initiatives.

New networks of parliamentarians, nongovernmental organizations, and multifaith coalitions emerged, creating a broader global movement focused on advancing freedom of religion or belief.

“During 2015 and 2016, U.S. IRF policy began to take a more positive trajectory, and multilateral coordination among like-minded governments increased. The Obama administration resumed an annual CPC process following each IRF Report. The designations restarted in 2016, including Tajikistan as a new CPC. After that, designations were made annually until 2023, although their record in motivating improvements has remained mixed,” the report states.

The period also brought about important U.S legal changes, including implementation of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, which amended IRFA to address implementation concerns and update the law’s tools.

The international religious freedom movement reached a period of significant growth during the first Trump administration, which elevated the issue within U.S. foreign policy through increased funding, expanded diplomatic roles, and new government initiatives.

The administration strengthened the State Department’s Office of International Religious Freedom, increased support for religious freedom programs, continued country designations, and used targeted sanctions against some violators. It also hosted global ministerial gatherings and helped establish the International Religious Freedom of Belief Alliance to expand cooperation among governments.

The Biden administration maintained many of these efforts, continuing U.S. funding, diplomatic engagement, and humanitarian assistance for persecuted religious communities. It preserved the elevated role of the IRF Office, resumed participation in international human rights forums, and expanded collaboration through global networks.

Despite these advances, the movement faced growing global challenges.

Current challenges to religious freedom

“While the IRF movement’s peak years saw real successes, advocates for IRF and other human rights also faced increasing headwinds that continue to this day. Globally, authoritarianism was rising and democracy declining. Intolerant ideologies were gaining influence. Religious nationalism was spreading in diverse contexts,” the report reads.

Displacement and migration reached unprecedented levels, while support for refugees and asylum seekers declined in North America and Europe. Although many expected the second Trump administration to keep international religious freedom policy as a key priority, the administration instead reshaped the institutions and programs that supported international religious freedom efforts.

 “Within its first several weeks, [the administration] halted U.S. foreign assistance, including the State Department’s and USAID’s IRF programs; began dismantling USAID as a standalone agency; suspended the U.S. refugee resettlement program; … limited other avenues to access humanitarian protection; effectively closed the United States Institute of Peace; and withdrew the United States from the UN Human Rights Council,” the report states.

The administration also reduced the functions and staff of the State Department’s human rights bureau and shifted responsibility for human rights issues to regional bureaus, “which lacked relevant expertise and typically prioritized relationship-maintenance over rights concerns,” according to the report.

Changes to international religious freedom-related policies, cuts to IRF-related spending, and a leadership vacuum within the State Department due to the absence of an ambassador-at-large have created new challenges for advocates working to address religious persecution worldwide.

Interview findings and roadmap

Interviews, held in late 2025 and early 2026 in Washington, D.C., London, and virtually, agreed overall, “diminishing political and financial support threaten to reverse or stall recent gains, while religious persecution continues at crisis levels,” says the report.

Interviewees were asked how to salvage and stabilize what remains of the international religious freedom movement, as well as how to take new efforts forward.

“Interview participants on both sides of the Atlantic bemoaned the leadership vacuum created by the second Trump administration’s withdrawal of the United States from its traditional role in promoting religious freedom,” the report says.

Participants urged Congress and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom to undertake more oversight of the administration’s failure to uphold IRFA.

Interviewees also pointed to the International Religious Freedom of Belief Alliance as an example of declining U.S. engagement. The alliance, a priority initiative of the first Trump administration, saw reduced U.S. involvement over time, beginning during the Biden administration and accelerating under the second Trump administration.

“Participants debated ways to enhance IRFBA’s effectiveness. Many wanted to see IRFBA become more action-driven, moving beyond releasing statements and organizing events. Some asked whether a more distributed model of stewardship is necessary, focusing instead on IRFBA member embassies in countries of concern,” says the report.

Interviewees also expressed concern that domestic debates over religious liberty were becoming increasingly intertwined with efforts to promote international religious freedom.

According to the report, interviewees emphasized how “the negative portrayal of certain groups at home can affect the understanding and willingness to advocate for persecuted groups abroad. Prejudice, misinformation, hateful statements, and ignorance about other communities can drive discrimination and violence.”

Participants noted the need to consider intersectional approaches to build bridges between the international religious freedom community and broader human rights community, emphasizing areas such as corporate responsibility, sacred sites, women’s rights, atrocity prevention, documentation, and education.

In response to these and other issues, the Everett Center proposed “Our Roadmap for IRF Advocacy in a Time Disruption,” a tool used to address four points of navigation: reaffirming core principles; stabilizing existing structures; broadening interest; and equipping for durable success.

“These points derive from our experience that international religious freedom efforts are most successful when they are comprehensive, consistent, credible, collaborative, and tailored to the context. While these considerations should also guide government actions to advance religious freedom, given the current realities of diminished official interest and support, it will be up to civil society to carry the movement forward,” the report states.