Advancing International Religious Freedom, 34951-34953 [2020-12430]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 109 (Friday, June 5, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 34951-34953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12430]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 109 / Friday, June 5, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 34951]]


                Executive Order 13926 of June 2, 2020

                
Advancing International Religious Freedom

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. (a) Religious freedom, America's 
                first freedom, is a moral and national security 
                imperative. Religious freedom for all people worldwide 
                is a foreign policy priority of the United States, and 
                the United States will respect and vigorously promote 
                this freedom. As stated in the 2017 National Security 
                Strategy, our Founders understood religious freedom not 
                as a creation of the state, but as a gift of God to 
                every person and a right that is fundamental for the 
                flourishing of our society.

                    (b) Religious communities and organizations, and 
                other institutions of civil society, are vital partners 
                in United States Government efforts to advance 
                religious freedom around the world. It is the policy of 
                the United States to engage robustly and continually 
                with civil society organizations--including those in 
                foreign countries--to inform United States Government 
                policies, programs, and activities related to 
                international religious freedom.

                Sec. 2. Prioritization of International Religious 
                Freedom. Within 180 days of the date of this order, the 
                Secretary of State (Secretary) shall, in consultation 
                with the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
                International Development (USAID), develop a plan to 
                prioritize international religious freedom in the 
                planning and implementation of United States foreign 
                policy and in the foreign assistance programs of the 
                Department of State and USAID.

                Sec. 3. Foreign Assistance Funding for International 
                Religious Freedom. (a) The Secretary shall, in 
                consultation with the Administrator of USAID, budget at 
                least $50 million per fiscal year for programs that 
                advance international religious freedom, to the extent 
                feasible and permitted by law and subject to the 
                availability of appropriations. Such programs shall 
                include those intended to anticipate, prevent, and 
                respond to attacks against individuals and groups on 
                the basis of their religion, including programs 
                designed to help ensure that such groups can persevere 
                as distinct communities; to promote accountability for 
                the perpetrators of such attacks; to ensure equal 
                rights and legal protections for individuals and groups 
                regardless of belief; to improve the safety and 
                security of houses of worship and public spaces for all 
                faiths; and to protect and preserve the cultural 
                heritages of religious communities.

                    (b) Executive departments and agencies (agencies) 
                that fund foreign assistance programs shall ensure that 
                faith-based and religious entities, including eligible 
                entities in foreign countries, are not discriminated 
                against on the basis of religious identity or religious 
                belief when competing for Federal funding, to the 
                extent permitted by law.

                Sec. 4. Integrating International Religious Freedom 
                into United States Diplomacy. (a) The Secretary shall 
                direct Chiefs of Mission in countries of particular 
                concern, countries on the Special Watch List, countries 
                in which there are entities of particular concern, and 
                any other countries that have engaged in or tolerated 
                violations of religious freedom as noted in the Annual 
                Report on International Religious Freedom required by 
                section 102(b) of the International Religious Freedom 
                Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-292), as amended (the 
                ``Act''), to develop comprehensive action plans to 
                inform and support the efforts of the United States to 
                advance international religious

[[Page 34952]]

                freedom and to encourage the host governments to make 
                progress in eliminating violations of religious 
                freedom.

                    (b) In meetings with their counterparts in foreign 
                governments, the heads of agencies shall, when 
                appropriate and in coordination with the Secretary, 
                raise concerns about international religious freedom 
                and cases that involve individuals imprisoned because 
                of their religion.
                    (c) The Secretary shall advocate for United States 
                international religious freedom policy in both 
                bilateral and multilateral fora, when appropriate, and 
                shall direct the Administrator of USAID to do the same.

                Sec. 5. Training for Federal Officials. (a) The 
                Secretary shall require all Department of State civil 
                service employees in the Foreign Affairs Series to 
                undertake training modeled on the international 
                religious freedom training described in section 708(a) 
                of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-465), 
                as amended by section 103(a)(1) of the Frank R. Wolf 
                International Religious Freedom Act (Public Law 114-
                281).

                    (b) Within 90 days of the date of this order, the 
                heads of all agencies that assign personnel to 
                positions overseas shall submit plans to the President, 
                through the Assistant to the President for National 
                Security Affairs, detailing how their agencies will 
                incorporate the type of training described in 
                subsection (a) of this section into the training 
                required before the start of overseas assignments for 
                all personnel who are to be stationed abroad, or who 
                will deploy and remain abroad, in one location for 30 
                days or more.
                    (c) All Federal employees subject to these 
                requirements shall be required to complete 
                international religious freedom training not less 
                frequently than once every 3 years.

                Sec. 6. Economic Tools. (a) The Secretary and the 
                Secretary of the Treasury shall, in consultation with 
                the Assistant to the President for National Security 
                Affairs, and through the process described in National 
                Security Presidential Memorandum-4 of April 4, 2017 
                (Organization of the National Security Council, the 
                Homeland Security Council, and Subcommittees), develop 
                recommendations to prioritize the appropriate use of 
                economic tools to advance international religious 
                freedom in countries of particular concern, countries 
                on the Special Watch List, countries in which there are 
                entities of particular concern, and any other countries 
                that have engaged in or tolerated violations of 
                religious freedom as noted in the report required by 
                section 102(b) of the Act. These economic tools may 
                include, as appropriate and to the extent permitted by 
                law, increasing religious freedom programming, 
                realigning foreign assistance to better reflect country 
                circumstances, or restricting the issuance of visas 
                under section 604(a) of the Act.

                    (b) The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 
                with the Secretary of State, may consider imposing 
                sanctions under Executive Order 13818 of December 20, 
                2017 (Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in 
                Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption), which, among 
                other things, implements the Global Magnitsky Human 
                Rights Accountability Act (Public Law 114-328).

                Sec. 7. Definitions. For purposes of this order:

                    (a) ``Country of particular concern'' is defined as 
                provided in section 402(b)(1)(A) of the Act;
                    (b) ``Entity of particular concern'' is defined as 
                provided in section 301 of the Frank R. Wolf 
                International Religious Freedom Act (Public Law 114-
                281);
                    (c) ``Special Watch List'' is defined as provided 
                in sections 3(15) and 402(b)(1)(A)(iii) of the Act; and
                    (d) ``Violations of religious freedom'' is defined 
                as provided in section 3(16) of the Act.

                Sec. 8. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

[[Page 34953]]

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    June 2, 2020.

[FR Doc. 2020-12430
Filed 6-4-20; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P